Road to the Iowa caucus: What we learned from interviewing hundreds of Iowa residents
Here's what we've learned from Iowans in the 2024 presidential campaign, from the biggest local issues to the keys to Donald Trump's enduring appeal.
DES MOINES, Iowa — Republican presidential candidates have held hundreds of events, shaken thousands of hands and covered practically every inch of highway across Iowa’s 99 counties.
And NBC News was along for the ride — not only listening to every word the White House hopefuls said, but also talking to hundreds of voters who turned up to listen to and ask questions of the candidates.
Those interviews colored in important details about Iowa and its GOP caucuses that help explain what will happen Monday night. From explaining former President Donald Trump’s enduring appeal on the right to highlighting the different coalitions the GOP candidates are building to spotlighting a new local issue that broke through during the campaign, here’s what we’ve learned from Iowans in this campaign.
In 2016, evangelical Christian voters in Iowa boosted Sen. Ted Cruz to a caucus victory over Trump. This time around, they have been among Trump’s strongest supporters.
“Being an Iowa farm boy, I didn’t give a whole lot of credibility to Donald Trump the New York billionaire mogul,” said Craig Gingrich, a 75-year-old part-time teacher from Cedar Falls. Gingrich, an evangelical, caucused for Cruz back in 2016.
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