Iowa

Why is the Iowa caucus so important? What to know about today’s high-stakes vote

Published

2 years ago

January 15, 2024

Why is the Iowa caucus so important? What to know about today’s high-stakes vote

Republicans are in a fierce competition as they’ve crisscrossed all Iowa’s 99 counties ahead of Monday’s caucuses. Despite extensive efforts by several prominent Republicans to court Iowans, it appears they’ve fallen short as the state’s caucuses approach, with former President Donald Trump maintaining a substantial lead over his rivals in the polls.

But as the first state to hold any nominating contests, Iowa acts as a litmus test for candidates vying for their party’s nomination. And despite Trump’s lead, Iowans have found themselves inundated with GOP candidates fervently pleading their cases.

When are the Iowa caucuses?

The Republican Party will hold its caucuses on Monday, Jan. 15. Iowa Democrats are holding a caucus on the same day, but are opting for voters to choose their candidate entirely by mail-in ballot this election cycle and will release the results on Super Tuesday on March 5.

Following the chaotic events of Democratic 2020 caucuses, Iowa Democrats had overhauled their caucus and presidential delegate selection process to ensure an indisputable winner.

Iowa Prepares For State's Caucuses, As Large Snowstorms Hit The State — Plow trucks clear Grand Avenue as high winds and snow from winter storm Gerri four days before the Iowa caucuses on January 12, 2024 in Des Moines, Iowa.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

President Biden and his team will instead prioritize South Carolina as the initial state in the lineup, succeeded by New Hampshire and Nevada a week later, with Michigan following. Originally, the plan included Georgia holding a primary just before Michigan, but Democratic efforts to advance their date faced resistance from Republicans in the state.

But New Hampshire has opted to maintain its first-in-nation primary status and will hold its primary on Jan. 23, and Mr. Biden will not be on the ballot. His team has led a write-in campaign in the state.

What is the difference between a caucus and a primary?

A caucus involves a more complex process where participants gather openly, engaging in discussions and voting to express their support for a particular candidate. Unlike primaries, caucuses require voters to physically attend specific meetings, which demands a higher level of commitment — meaning there is lower voter turnout. The process of assigning delegates in caucuses may differ, adding greater flexibility to the overall method.

Conversely, in a primary election, voters participate by casting their ballots in private to choose their preferred candidate. This process is akin to a general election, allowing voters to select their candidate in a more straightforward manner. Primary elections generally witness higher voter participation due to their accessibility, with voters able to cast their ballots throughout the day. Delegates in primaries are typically allocated proportionally, reflecting the percentage of votes each candidate receives.

Primaries offer a simpler and more accessible voting process, resulting in higher voter participation, while caucuses involve a more involved and participatory approach, requiring voters to actively engage in discussions. The decision hinges on the rules and preferences set by the state party.

Why do presidential candidates care so much about the Iowa caucus?

Historically, presidential candidates have looked to the Iowa caucus to help launch themselves to nominee status.

But the Iowa caucus hasn’t always gone on to be the best predictor of who will be the party’s nominee, even less so at predicting who will win the presidency. The state is largely White and conservative and not entirely representative of the U.S. population.

Iowa Republicans selected Mike Huckabee in 2008, Rick Santorum in 2012 and Ted Cruz in 2016 — none of whom went on to clinch the nomination.

Some candidates who faced defeat in Iowa went on to secure victory, including Ronald Reagan in 1980, George H.W. Bush in 1988, and Trump in 2016.

Since its inception in 1972, only three presidential candidates who triumphed in the Iowa caucuses have ascended to the presidency: Democrats Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Barack Obama in 2008, and Republican George W. Bush in 2000.

Still, the caucus’ outcome frequently provides an outsized advantage to winners and those who exceed expectations, often narrowing down the field by prompting underperforming candidates to exit the race.

What can the Iowa caucus results tell us about 2024?

Kyle Kondik, an elections analyst and managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, posits that Iowa serves as a more accurate snapshot of the current Republican Party. This is due to the demographic makeup, specifically the inclusion of religious and blue-collar voters.

In contrast, Kondik noted that the results of the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 23 may offer less insight into the overall success of the Republican party. This is because there’s a larger share of moderate and independent voters in the state.

So even if Trump loses New Hampshire, “I don’t think it’s necessarily some sort of huge problem for him,” Kondik said.

Now, he said, if former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley were to win New Hampshire and then South Carolina a month later, “that’s where this thing maybe gets interesting,” given that both states have electorates that more closely mirror the rest of the U.S.

But if Trump were to win both Iowa and New Hampshire, it’s unlikely any of the other candidates could continue on, he said.

What are Iowans saying?

As Iowans brave the snowstorms leading up to the caucuses, many are ready to navigate the weather and cast their votes on Monday.

“I appreciate, people should appreciate when they live in Iowa, that we have so much exposure to the candidates firsthand, you really do get to be right there and ask them questions and get to see the person you know, even behind the scenes, not just in front of the camera. So I hope people pay attention and go out and caucus. It’s extremely important. You get to vote, you know, with a paper ballot right in the room, it gets counted right in front of you. And you just know the answer of who came out ahead and whatnot right there that night,” said Laurie Stiles from Johnston, Iowa.

For some who have never caucused before, they’re looking forward to hearing from other voters.

“I’ve never caucused before. But this time, I really want to hear what other people have to say, what they’re thinking,” said Ken Geoghegan, an undecided voter in Iowa.

Even though the Iowa caucus may not serve as a crystal ball for the entire presidential election year, Iowans still perceive themselves as key players in the process, contributing to the narrowing down of the candidate field.

“We’re still faith, family and friends first, right? And I think we do a very good job of leading the nation,” said Eric Vaske, a voter from Manchester, Iowa.

Taurean Smalls, Aaron Navarro and Olivia Rinaldi contributed.

Allison Novelo

Allison Novelo is a 2024 campaign reporter for CBS News.

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Iowa

Seven Iowa High School Wrestlers Off To Dominant Starts This Season – FloWrestling

Published

6 days ago

December 29, 2025

Press Room

Seven Iowa High School Wrestlers Off To Dominant Starts This Season – FloWrestling

The first month of the Iowa high school wrestling season has been filled with scintillating individual performances. Here’s a look at seven standouts who have been racking up bonus points in December.

Drew Anderson (Riverside)

The Class 1A state runner-up last year at 132 is up to 144 this season and he’s 14-0 with 11 technical falls, a pair of pins and a forfeit win. Anderson, a junior in his second season at the school, already owns the Riverside school record for technical falls with 28. Anderson is on pace to more than double the previous Riverside tech record of 23.

Urijah Courter (West Marshall)

Courter won the 2A title last season at 113 after placing third as a freshman at 106. He’s up to 120 this season. Courter is 14-0 this season with 10 pins and two technical falls. His ledger also includes a 6-5 win against Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont’s Simon Bettis in a rematch of last season’s state title bout.

Cooper Hinz (Jesup)

Entering the holiday break, Michigan commit and two-time state medalist Cooper Hinz is 22-0 with 21 wins via pin, technical fall or forfeit. His other victory was a 4-1 overtime decision against returning state placewinner Cain Rodgers of North Fayette Valley. More impressively, all of Hinz’s pins and technical falls have all come in the first period.

Lincoln Jipp (Bettendorf)

Jipp placed fifth at 138, third at 165 and second at 175 in Class 3A during his first three seasons. Now he’s up to 215 — 77 pounds more than where he started his career as a freshman. The North Carolina recruit pinned his way through the prestigious Dan Gable Donnybrook. He’s 16-0 with 10 pins, four technical falls and a forfeit.

Mason Koehler (Glenwood)

The returning 2A champ at 215 is 20-0 with 18 pins and a major decision. His only two matches that went the distance came at the Council Bluffs Classic, where he defeated Nebraska standout Ryan Boehle of Grand Island 14-4 and Minnesota hammer Joe Kruse of Totino-Grace 9-2. The rest of Koehler’s matches this season ended in first-period pins. He has already registered a six-second pin and another in nine seconds this season.

Jaxon Miller (Carlisle)

Miller is a three-time state medalist, a two-time finalist and returning state champ in Class 3A. He placed fourth as a freshman at 145 before making trips to the finals at 157 and 165. He’s 16-0 this season with 13 first-period pins, two technical falls and a forfeit.

Keaton Moeller (Starmont)

Moeller placed third in 1A as a freshman at 145 before winning a state title at 150 as a sophomore. He missed all of last season after suffering a torn ACL in football. Now he’s back as a senior at 190 and Moeller hasn’t missed a beat. He’s 13-0 with five pins, six technical falls and a pair of forfeits. He has yet to wrestle a full period this season.

Iowa High School Premium Rankings

Check out the Iowa High School Wrestling Premium Rankings, which are generated by using an athlete’s complete match history to predict a wrestler’s performance against others in their weight class by considering factors such as win-loss records, the quality of their victories (pins, technical falls, major decisions), the strength of their opponents and overall historical performance patterns. The data is updated every Monday, sourced from the Trackwrestling season results. Since each team is responsible for maintaining their season results, any data discrepancies for a wrestler should be addressed by contacting their coach to manage the information within the season. This includes the weight class assigned. Wrestlers are eligible to be ranked after competing in five matches at a single weight.

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Iowa

Iowa women’s basketball vs. Penn State today: Live updates, score

Published

6 days ago

December 28, 2025

Press Room

Iowa women’s basketball vs. Penn State today: Live updates, score

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As No. 14-ranked Iowa women’s basketball (10-2, 1-0 Big Ten) returns from the Christmas break, the Hawkeyes will begin the bulk of their Big Ten slate today as they welcome Penn State (7-5, 0-1 Big Ten) to Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Iowa looks to rebound from its 90-64 loss against No. 1 UConn on Dec. 20, where its sloppy play (26 turnovers leading to 41 UConn points) ultimately proved to be its undoing against the Huskies.

Entering today’s game, sophomore center Ava Heiden leads the team in scoring with 14.6 points per game on 64.4% shooting from the floor, with senior forward Hannah Stuelke (13.4) and sophomore guard Chit-Chat Wright (11.7) also averaging double-figure scoring.

Defensively, Wright leads the team in steals per game with 1.6, while Heiden tops the squad in blocks with 1.2 denials per contest.

As tipoff nears between the Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions, follow along for live updates, the latest score, and highlights of the action:

Hawkeyes are on fire offensively through the first quarter of play (shooting 10-for-16 from the floor), while also dominating the defensive glass (leading 7-2 in defensive rebounds) and keeping Penn State off-synch.

Chit-Chat Wright leads everyone with 12 points on 4-for-4 from the floor, 2-for-2 from 3-point territory, and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.

Timeout Penn State.

Hawkeyes are on a roll offensively since the Nittany Lions’ appeal, with a 14-0 scoring run that forces a Penn State timeout.

Penn State’s appeal was successful on the foul call, but the shot clock violation on the Nittany Lions still stands.

Nittany Lions retain their timeout.

Timeout Penn State.

The Nittany Lions are appealing the foul call on Gracie Merkle and the ensuing shot clock violation.

Both teams are shooting well to start the game.

On its game day availability report, sophomore Emely Rodriguez remains out. Graduate starting guard Kylie Feuerbach is also “questionable.”

Watch Iowa vs. Penn State

TV: Big Ten Network

Tip-off Time: 3 p.m. CT

Iowa women’s basketball schedule

All times CT

Nov. 3 vs. Southern: Iowa 86, Southern 51
Nov. 9 vs. Evansville: Iowa 119, Evansville 43
Nov. 13 vs. Drake: Iowa 100, Drake 58
Nov. 16 at Northern Iowa: Iowa 74, UNI 41
Nov. 20 vs. Baylor (WBCA Showcase in Orlando): Iowa 57, Baylor 52
Nov. 22 vs. Miami (WBCA Showcase in Orlando): Iowa 64, Miami 61
Nov. 26 vs. Western Illinois: Iowa 86, Western Illinois 69
Nov. 30 vs. Fairfield: Iowa 86, Fairfield 72
Dec. 6 at Rutgers: Iowa 79, Rutgers 36
Dec. 10 at Iowa State: Iowa State 74, Iowa 69
Dec. 13 vs. Lindenwood: Iowa 102, Lindenwood 68
Dec. 20 vs. UConn (Champions Classic): UConn 90, Iowa 64
Dec. 28 vs. Penn State: Big Ten Network, 3 p.m.
Jan. 1 vs. Nebraska: Big Ten Network, 1 p.m.
Jan. 5 at Northwestern: Big Ten Network, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 11 at Indiana: Big Ten Network, 4 p.m.
Jan. 15 vs. Oregon: FS1, 8 p.m.
Jan. 18 vs. Michigan State: Big Ten Network, 7 p.m.
Jan. 22 at Maryland: NBC, 5 p.m.
Jan. 25 vs. Ohio State: Peacock, 1 p.m.
Jan. 29 at USC: Peacock, 8 p.m.
Feb. 1 at UCLA: Fox, 3 p.m.
Feb. 5 vs. Minnesota: Big Ten Network, 6 p.m.
Feb. 11 vs. Washington: BTN+, 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 16 at Nebraska: Fox, 11 a.m.
Feb. 19 at Purdue: BTN+, 6 p.m.
Feb. 22 vs. Michigan: Fox or FS1, 11 a.m. or 1 p.m.
Feb. 26 vs. Illinois: Big Ten Network, 8 p.m.
March 1 at Wisconsin: BTN+, 2 p.m.
March 4-8 Big Ten Tournament

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews

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