Elections Blog

It’s been almost 12 hours since the 2006 election cycle ended so you know what that means?
That’s right, it’s time to talk about 2008! And, we have news this morning that Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, trying to get some buzz before others officially announce, is filing papers to run in ‘08.
From the AP:

DES MOINES, [...]

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http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/10/28/romney_seeks_to_energize_conservative_gop_base_in_iowa/ Like those of us in the grassroots, Gov. Romney is keeping himself busy in the rush up to election day. He spent much of Friday and Saturday in Iowa helping Jim Nussle in his race for governor along with some of the state’s close House seats.

“This is a critical election,” Romney said. “A lot of people are concerned about the ongoing conflict in Iraq, but they don’t feel we should cut and run, and they don’t feel that a change in leadership in their state is merited by what’s happening nationally.”

Gov. Romney will also be in Idaho on Tuesday to campaign for Butch Otter.

~~~Thomas

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And they’re off…
The 2008 political season is already underway and it appears that Senator John Kerry is eyeing another run for the Presidency. The Boston Globe’s Brian Mooney has written a substantial article outlining Kerry’s current activities in addition to some of the obstacles that he’s up against should he jump in the race.
From [...]

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http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/09/27/romney_receives_backing_in_iowa_for_2006____and_perhaps_2008/ As reported by the Krusty Konsrvative a few days ago, Christopher Rants is the latest and highest ranking Mitt Head coming out of Iowa.

“I hope the governor chooses to keep this alliance moving forward,” said Rants, R-Sioux City. “I’m certainly on board for the long haul.”

With his decision, Rants becomes the highest-ranking Republican elected official in Iowa to sign on with a potential presidential candidate.

**********

Rants said he studied the potential Republican candidates who have been flocking to his state before deciding to back Romney. The speaker said he posed each candidate a series of questions, some about politics, others about specific issues.

“I saw in Gov. Romney a leader that I could put my trust in, somebody I thought would inspire other Republicans to follow,” he said.

Rants added: “I will speak for myself; I hope he has plans beyond 2006.”

One step closer.

~~~Thomas

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http://krustykonservative.blogspot.com/2006/09/rants-signs-on-with-mitt-romney.html A key Iowa Conservative political blog “The Krusty Konservative” has just reported that the Iowa Speaker of the House, Christopher Rants, has just signed on with Romney’s Commonwealth PAC. Rants represents the highest ranking current Iowa politician to sign on with ANY presidential hopeful. Great get (again) for Romney!

Cross posted at Iowans for Romney

Jeff

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It’s a straw poll in Iowa, and it really doesn’t look pretty for the left
(Giuliani beats Clinton 56-37; Edwards, 51-43; and Kerry, 53-40. McCain defeats Clinton 54-37; Edwards, 47-46; and Kerry, 53-39.)
The poll also ought to chill the Sunday muffins at Terrace Hill this morning: There are 57 percent of likely Iowa voters who think …

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http://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110008991 Hot off the Press with this one:

Romney Rides High
A Mormon from Massachusetts wows social conservatives.

John Fund

Monday, September 25, 2006 12:01 a.m. EDT

WASHINGTON–Right now John McCain is the front-runner for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination. But everyone expects that a single major competitor will emerge to challenge him from the right. The question hung in the air of this past weekend’s Family Research Council summit in Washington: Who will that candidate be for the GOP’s powerful social conservative base?

FRC officials says they invited Mr. McCain to speak, but he declined. But another potential candidate benefited greatly from showing up. Surprisingly, it was Massachusetts’ Gov. Mitt Romney, a Mormon with a Harvard M.B.A who governs the nation’s most liberal state. The 1,800 delegates applauded him frequently during his Friday speech and gave him a standing ovation afterward. Mr. Romney detailed his efforts to block court-imposed same-sex marriage in the Bay State and noted that the liberal Legislature has failed to place a citizen-initiated referendum on the ballot. He excoriated liberals for supporting democracy only when they think that the outcome is a foregone conclusion that favors their views. He certainly picked up fans at the summit. “I believe Mitt Romney may be the only hope social conservatives have in 2008,” says Maggie Gallagher, author of a book defending traditional marriage.

The tall barrier many see as blocking his acceptance by evangelical voters–the fact that many Americans view Mormonism with suspicion or worse–may prove to be a mirage. “Everyone I talked to said they didn’t have a problem with it,” one attendee told me. “If enough people say that to each other, Romney creates a virtuous circle in which evangelical activists decide he’s acceptable.”

Interesting . . . very interesting. One recent GOP activist who tried to take Romney’s Mormonism to task in South Carolina was viewed as very bad taste. Fund later continued.

[Romney] impressed three separate and distinct audiences in Washington last week in a 24-hour speaking blitz. On Thursday about one out of eight House Republicans came to hear him address a weekly luncheon hosted by Rep. Jack Kingston of Georgia. Mr. Kingston told the Boston Globe that Mr. Romney made a very positive impression and was clearly positioning himself for the role opposite Mr. McCain that Mr. Allen once occupied.

Immediately afterward, Mr. Romney went across town to address a group of K Street lobbyists and economic conservatives. “He was impressive in explaining how he governed as a conservative in Ted Kennedy’s home state,” said columnist Robert Novak. The next morning, Mr. Romney appeared before the Family Research Council’s summit. “He won over a lot of people when he recalled how as a businessman he had rescued the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City,” says Chris Butler of Americans For Tax Reform.

That experience helped solidify Mr. Romney’s reputation as a can-do manager who knows how to delegate. “He is the only elected official I’ve met with who gave me a detailed power-point briefing on my area of expertise,” says Bob Moffit, a health-care expert at the Heritage Foundation who worked with Mr. Romney to craft a law mandating that everyone in Massachusetts buy health insurance.

I’ve seen that powerpoint presentation at the Heritage Foundation’s website. Romney quickly masters various areas of expertise (I also remember how he spoke and diagrammed like an engineer during the Big Dig crisis and how well versed he was in his press conferences during the Mass flooding a few months back)

But Mr. Romney also has many advantages. He is perhaps the only candidate who can plausibly claim a base in several states. He has a contributor base in Massachusetts; a large reservoir of political goodwill in Michigan, where he was born and his father served as governor in the 1960s; and the loyalty of many Mormons in Utah and neighboring states. He has a built-in corps of volunteers and contributors in any state where Mormons, the fastest-growing religion in America, have a real presence.

And then there is the charisma and poise that Mr. Romney seems to exude naturally. “Many people say he certainly looks like a president–sort of a cross between Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy,” says Genevieve Wood, who founded the conservative Center for a Just Society. Anyone who draws comparisons to those political genes merits further watching.

That’s not the first time I’ve heard the Reagan comparison. This WSJ writer has it right . . . Romney’s on the Rise!

Jeff

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http://iowansforromney.blogspot.com/2006/09/iowa-christian-alliance-friends-of.html Check it out here.

Jeff

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http://iowansforromney.blogspot.com/ OK, I’m not convinced that these online polls mean much . . . but I do think that the more votes Gov. Romney gets, the more people who encounter such polls will be interested in finding out about Romney if they are currently uninformed. It’s also nice to show that Romney has strong support from the online community.

Also, since we can vote in many of the online polls daily, I’ve added
a new feature to my Iowans for Romney blogsite. On the right sidebar, under the
small picture of Mitt’s Turnaround book, is a new heading titled:

“VOTE FOR MITT: Online Polls!”

I’ll try to keep it updated. Consider going there to vote for Mitt as part of your daily routine . . . that way we’ll stay ahead in some of these polls and not need to play catch-up. Please inform me if you know of other online polls so I can get them on the “Poll-roll.”

One that we’re just a few votes away from winning (and should be closing tomorrow evening is the one at Strawpoll’08 (the first column)

Jeff

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http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060826/NEWS09/608260348/1001/NEWS Here in Iowa Romney spoke with local Republicans yesterday about an important issue . . . the fact that English is the language of our country.

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, campaigning for Iowa Republicans on Friday, said that while the United States should embrace its diversity, all students should be immersed in the English language.

“If you’re going to be successful in America, you have to speak the language of the land,” Romney told a group of about 60 Dallas County elected officials and Republicans on Friday in West Des Moines.

Romney spoke at a fundraiser breakfast for state Rep. Ralph Watts, who is seeking re-election in November. Watts, of Adel, faces Democrat Russ Wiesley of Waukee.

Romney is eyeing the 2008 presidential nomination. This is his seventh trip to Iowa since 2004. The 2008 Republican presidential nominating process is scheduled to begin with the Iowa caucuses.

Romney said he has been a proponent of “English immersion,” in which a bilingual student is placed in a classroom where all materials, books and instruction are in English.

Voters in Massachusetts approved a ballot initiative for English immersion in 2002, the same year Romney was elected.

Romney vetoed legislation the next year to soften the law and allow bilingual education to continue, but his veto was overridden.

Romney said English immersion has worked in Massachusetts, where fourth- and fifth-graders this year rated first in the nation on standardized English tests.

Having grown up in California and living in Latin America (immersing myself in their language and culture), I agree that English Immersion is the only way to go. It’s better for EVERYBODY in the long term and helps UNITE rather than divide our populace.

Jeff

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I remember when the Sales Tax Holiday was signed by Romney a few weeks back . . . but I didn’t realize that what he signed was the largest such law in the nation (among the many states that have one as reviewed in the USA Today)

On Wednesday, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a Republican, signed a law that creates the nation’s biggest tax holiday. All retail sales under $2,500 will be exempt from the state’s 5% sales tax Aug. 12-13.

Also from the USAToday, a review of 2008 hopefuls actions in the early primary/caucus states highlights how the political landscape may change in this next election cycle. Alabama will stand poised to be “a player” in the Presidential Primaries in ‘08:

Six prospects also showed up over the past year in Alabama, which recently moved its 2008 presidential primary from June 3 to Feb. 5.

Alabama looms large for Republicans as well. Arizona Sen. John McCain has given $107,750 to state and local candidates and committees there since January. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., a leading campaigner for GOP Senate candidates, is squeezing in three fundraisers Tuesday for state legislative candidates. Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee spoke at a state party fundraising dinner, and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is planning a trip.

One of the more palatable Democratic possibles, Evan Bayh is “employing” (literally) and interesting strategey:

Besides giving money, Bayh has found, trained and paid 50 campaign operatives in a program called Camp Bayh. Besides the three in Nevada, he’s sent one to South Carolina, 15 to New Hampshire, 25 to Iowa and six to Indiana.

Bayh’s Iowa contingent is “by far” the largest any Democrat has ever fielded, Bayh spokesman Dan Pfeiffer says. Most are working on legislative races. All, like their counterparts in the other states, are gaining knowledge and contacts that will be invaluable if Bayh runs and they stick with him.

Bayh isn’t the only one getting creative . . . Romney’s state PAC idea has given him an advantage over many other GOP hopefuls:

Romney has created political action committees in Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan and South Carolina. They can raise lots of money fast because they aren’t subject to federal contribution limits. He’s spent most of his money on state and local races: $192,650 in Iowa, $95,000 in New Hampshire, $168,715 in Michigan and $131,500 in South Carolina, Romney’s records show.

Romney and McCain are fighting a money battle in Michigan and South Carolina, which usually follow Iowa and New Hampshire in the GOP primary lineup. McCain, who won Michigan in 2000, has given at least $158,000 to state and local party committees there, according to federal records and McCain’s staff. In South Carolina, which he lost in 2000, McCain has already spent nearly $150,000 on state and local campaigns.

Another interesting find was someone pointing out the irony of Romney’s “Polygamy Problem” among the GOP frontrunner field.

Romney’s “name recognition” must be improving some . . . because he’s starting to do a little better in phone “cold call” polls about the 2008 GOP race. According to some recent Strategic Vision polls Romney placed in 3rd (behind McCain and Giuliani) in New Jersey, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and 4th (behind those two and homeboy Newt). In about 8 weeks Romney has made some progress in Georgia (from 5th and 4% to 4th and 6%). Granted, not huge numbers, but Romney is definitely headed in the right direction (just a few months ago it was not uncommon for him to get 0-2% in these polls)!

This New York Times piece reveiws the landscape for the 2008 presidential race and had a few Romney tidbits:

Mr. Romney has four full-time workers in Iowa and three in South Carolina, his aides said. And the candidates themselves do seem to be everywhere, in what officials in both parties take as a sign of how times have shifted . . . Mr. Romney announced that he had created a 75-member Michigan Steering Committee, widely viewed as the cornerstone of a Romney-for-President operation in the state.

There may be a dwindling opportunity to nail down big names — Mr. McCain’s aides said this week that Robert B. Zoellick, the former deputy secretary of state, was the latest big name to join the McCain camp. But it is also important to be perceived by contributors and political journalists as viable and gaining support.

Mr. Romney’s supporters were understandably cheered when David Yepsen, the influential columnist for The Des Moines Register, wrote a column showering Mr. Romney’s efforts with praise, calling him the best organized of any Republican candidate in the state and declaring that he was “well on his way toward winning the 2008 Iowa Republican caucuses.”

Mr. Romney, clearly enjoying his role as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, went to Cedar Rapids to campaign with Representative Jim Nussle, the Republican candidate for governor. There, Mr. Romney announced, to the audible gasps from an audience of devoted Republicans, that his committee was giving $500,000 to the Nussle campaign.

One of the top members of Mr. Bush’s campaigns, Matthew Dowd, who was his chief strategist, is the object of at least interest of both the McCain and Romney campaigns, Republicans say. “Matt is the biggest fish out there who hasn’t signed,” said one of Mr. McCain’s associates, who insisted on anonymity to discuss internal campaign deliberations.

But Mr. Dowd, along with two of the other top lieutenants in the Bush presidential campaign — Karl Rove, the president’s chief political adviser, and Ken Mehlman, the chairman of the Republican National Committee — have told friends they are unlikely to do another campaign.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dowd follow the rest of Bush’s team to McCain . . . further flaming the fire of a “quid pro quo” between McCain and Bush

In other news:

Amid a gaggle of events and gatherings one stood out: a Romney event on Aug. 18 at a coast resort. Nearly 1,000 people showed up and Romney’s CommonwealthPac garnered more than $1 million. The locals were stunned: Where did that come from?

Romney’s performance at the state’s semi-annual GOP Convention in Century City on Aug. 20—he received a rousing standing ovation following his keynote address and kudos as well from the arch-conservative California Republican Federation—kept the political buzz mounting. One local congressman remarked that Romney “is the most gifted politician I’ve ever met.”
. . .

But the impression is growing of significant Romney momentum among Republican elites and grassroots alike, and some pros compare Team Romney’s prowess to George Bush’s organizational edge in 1999. Now that the internet has changed profoundly the nature of grassroots, no campaign can play a waiting game.

Romney recently touted his record of fiscal conservatism in Iowa:

Romney touted his own record for cutting unnecessary spending in his home state. He said he has eliminated redundant agencies such as combining the state’s three highway departments to save money.

Romney said he doesn’t support cutting costs in areas such as homelessness prevention but has advocated for better use of the money. In Massachusetts, the state spent $20 million on hotel rooms for 599 rooms a night for homeless people to stay after shelters were too full.

Romney said he reorganized the system so that those people who had stayed at the shelter the longest would qualify for the hotel room instead of the newcomers. Now, the state has eliminated the need for hotel rooms, Romney said, and the money has gone to improving housing options for the homeless and low-income people.

“We’ve gotten people out of homelessness,” he said.

That’s a loooong post . . . sorry.

Jeff

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http://www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=9909F703-3052-4643-B0D01B92C9FAC2B0&dbtranslator=local.cfm Romney’s recent stint in Western Iowa supporting local candidates Thursday and Friday provided an opportunity for him to address the largest fiscal problem facing our nation–excessive “entitlement programs” . . . including the two burdensome behemoths, Medicare and Social Security.

From Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson (emphasis mine):

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2008, says it’s time to reform the two major “entitlement” programs in America: Social Security and Medicare, government-paid health care insurance for the elderly. “It’s really not possible for us to remain an economic and military super power without rethinking and restructuring our entitlements programs,” Romney says.

After getting re-elected in 2004, President Bush proposed revamping the Social Security system but has abandoned his plan in the face of stiff opposition. Romney, as the governor of Massachusetts, signed legislation this spring that ensures nearly every citizen in his state is covered with health insurance. Premiums are based on income, low income residents are given subsidies to purchase insurance and companies that do not provide health care insurance for their workers pay a premium, too. Romney says the move will eventually reduce the amount of charity health care in Massachusetts because the very poor won’t wait ’til they’re very sick and need very expensive health services.

Romney suggests it’s time to tackle the nation’s health care system for the elderly, too. “Medicare is the largest challenge. Social Security is up there,” Romney says. “Today entitlements represent, plus interest, about 60 percent of federal spending. It grows to 70 percent over the next decade as the result of the Baby Boomers flowing into the system.”

Romney says leaders from both political parties will have to quit “filibustering” in public and come up with a solution in private. “Sitting down, quietly, behind closed doors and having a full and complete discussion of various ways to bring the costs down and to keep it from getting out of control,” Romney says. “In my state the way we were able to do that was on Medicaid, for instance, we sat down and completely re-did our Medicaid program and put in place a new health care system that got everybody in the system and everybody paying their fair share. Those kinds of changes can occur at the federal level and there’s going to be a wide array of options that will be considered.”

Romney says “statesmen” from both political parties should sit down and “say honestly: ‘What can we do?’” to fix Social Security. Romney says the solution should “make sure that we honor the expections” of those who are already getting Social Security and those who are about to get regular Social Security checks from the government, while at the same time ensuring the system will be solvent when the 30- and 40-year-olds of today reach retirement age.

Romney says the political reality is that changes won’t happen until both political parties agree there’s a problem. “We need to finally take action in this country on entitlements, on spending too much money generally, on using too much oil, on winning against the jihadists,” Romney says. “There are a number of challenges that we face and we’ve got to take some pretty bold action.”

Bold words from a bold man.

Jeff (Crossposted at Iowans for Romney

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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/hines/4134702.html Cross-posted at Iowans for Romney

*****
This Houston Chronicle article by Craig Hines (their D.C. political columnist) features Romney’s efforts in Iowa. He also stresses the importance of the Ames Straw Poll and further confirmed my supspicion that the year-ahead-of-time Romney PAC event in Ames last month was a symbolic foreshawdowing of the event.

About this time next year, if recent history is a guide, we’ll be poring over the entrails of the first blood-and-guts contest of the 2008 presidential campaign.

Not a primary, not even a caucus, merely a pay-to-play straw poll that leads to nary a national convention delegate. But what a straw poll, if you’re a Republican with designs on the White House.

Dedicated Iowa Republicans pour into a coliseum on the Iowa State University campus at Ames and using tickets/ballots, most often purchased in vast lots by well-heeled presidential campaigns, set the tone of the contest to come.

Yeah, it’s kind of phoney (however great a state party fund-raising tool) and has a spotty record in predicting who will eventually be the national nominee. But just like Iowa’s real first-in-the-nation caucuses (early the following year), the straw poll is a winnowing event that tests each candidate’s organizational ability and, ultimately, traction with voters.

The straw poll is important enough that the political action committee of one prospective Republican candidate, Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, recently held a meeting with Iowa activists at Ames. “Wink-wink,” said a Romney strategist.

Hines further comments about Romney’s good work in Iowa . . .

Romney has been plowing enough ground in Iowa, that Republicans of vastly varying stripe have begun mentioning him just as soon as they posit that Sen. John McCain of Arizona is the league leader among prospective contenders, if only on name recognition. (That’s not the case in a new Iowa poll, which I’ll get to in a minute.)

Romney has even drawn the discerning eye of David Yepsen, who as political columnist of the Des Moines Register is Iowa’s most important campaign commentator.

“Of all the 2008 Republican presidential candidates making the rounds in Iowa, none is doing better than Mitt Romney,” Yepsen reported to readers last month. With that sort of review, Romney has also, according to Iowa politicos, roused the attention of the McCain camp.

Then, he gets into the low-down on the McCain’s camp current strategy for questioning Romney:

The most interesting tidbit I picked up in calling around Iowa is that the McCain operation, which loves for its guy to be seen as a maverick, appears to be playing a traditional, old-fashioned game in the politically important state: questioning Romney’s position on abortion.

Fortunately,

Ted Miller, a spokesman for NARAL Pro Choice America, said his organization considers … Romney as “anti-choice.”

I never thought anything good would come out of NARAL . . . but that quote is pretty good!

For those interested in Romney’s history on the issue of abortion read this link

Jason Bonham at Illinoisians for Mitt has some interesting commentary on this story as well . . . hat tip to him for picking it up!

Jeff

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http://www.boston.com/news/local/politics/candidates/articles/2006/08/18/southern_audience_delights_in_a_visitor_from_north/?page=2 To say Governor Romney was a hit in Mississippi would be an understatement, according to the Boston Globe. They had seen the handsome governor from up North on Fox News and had read about his leadership of the Big Dig in local newspapers.

So when the ladies dressed in red welcomed Governor Mitt Romney to this Gulf Coast town yesterday, they had no interest in the handshakes Romney was offering. They went in for hugs.Senator Trent Lott was equally positive about the Governor’s visit. Lott promptly returned the favor, telling reporters at a press conference that Romney is “definitely in the top tier” of Republican presidential candidates, alongside Senator John McCain of Arizona and former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani. Joshing about his looks, Lott called the governor a “real pretty one,” but was serious about his prospects.

“He’s got an excellent chance. Everything I have seen about him has always been impressive,” Lott said. “We may actually get to vote for somebody from Massachusetts before it’s over.”There was a brief recap of his trip to Iowa. A day earlier, Romney looked mildly out of place at the Masonic Temple near downtown Dubuque, where the Nussle fund-raiser was held. Romney posed for pictures near two giant moose heads, chatting with donors who gave Nussle $1,000 each for the privilege of a personal photo with the Massachusetts governor.

Then Romney camped out in front of the buffet line so he could meet all 200 guests as they prepared to pile chicken, pork, and green-bean casserole onto their plastic plates.

“That’s a fabulous tie,” Romney gushed to one guest. “Mitt Romney, great to meet you,” he greeted several others. When one local activist told him that other 2008 presidential contenders had already called her, Romney wheeled and issued directions to an aide.

“I need to find out how to reach this young lady,” he said.Next, it’s off to California. Tonight, Romney is hosting a high-dollar fund-raiser for his political action committee at the exclusive St. Regis Resort in Dana Point, Calif., where donors must pony up $25,000 for a pair of seats at the head table. He’s capping off the trip tomorrow in Los Angeles, with the keynote address at the California Republican Party’s annual convention.All of this, and he’s getting the job done back home.

Dave

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Governor Romney headlines a Jim Nussle fundraiser tomorrow night in Dubuque, Iowa.

Red, White & Blues

Wednesday, August 16

Our next Governor
Jim Nussle
5:30 - 6:00p.m. - General Reception
6:00p.m. - Dinner and Program

At the Dubuque Masonic Temple
1155 Locust Street
Dubuque, Iowa

Massachusetts Governor
Mitt Romney
***
Sponsorship opportunities

$1,000 - Gold Sponsorship
Includes photo with Governor Romney
10 tickets in priority seating area, listing in event invitations and program.

$500 - Silver Sponsorship
Includes 10 tickets in priority seating area, listing in event invitations and program.

$250 - Bronze Sponsorship
Includes 5 tickets in priority seating area, listing in event invitations and program

$125 - Host Committee
Includes 2 tickets in priority seating area, listing in event invitations and program.

$50 - Individual Tickets
Per person, general seating.

For more questions or reserve your ticket by phone, please call 888-722-4704.

Visit JimNussle.com

Copyright 2006 Iowans for Nussle
Paid for by Iowans for Nussle

Dave

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According to the Des Moines Register:
At least a half-dozen possible presidential campaign staffs have begun taking shape in Iowa, more than a year and a half before Iowans launch the 2008 nominating season and despite no formal announcements by any of the many White House prospects.
Although would-be candidates began tagging Iowa soil within months of [...]

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An Iowa Poll conducted for The Des Moines Register shows former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) leading the pack amongst likely Iowa caucus voters. Yes, this is an early poll, but if you’re Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, this is not good news. Only 10% of likely caucus participants say that if the caucuses were held today, [...]

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