logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2024
19m 27s

Explaining Iowa's Raucous Caucus

Crooked Media
About this episode

The Iowa Caucuses are back! Trump is the clear favorite, but there’s a tense battle for second place that is all going to play out on Monday. We dive into what the caucuses even are, how they work, and what their role is in this year’s presidential election.

Then, Crooked’s very own Tommy Vietor joins the show after being on the ground in Iowa himself. He walks us through what it was like sneaking into Republican campaign events, and what voters said.

Show Notes:

Up next
Yesterday
The Next Abortion Battle
It’s been nearly four years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and sent the issue back to the states. Since then, more than a dozen states have essentially banned abortion, while others have severely limited access. Back in February, two Tennessee Republican legislat ... Show More
23m 23s
Mar 27
Gen Z Is Angsty: Here's Why
Young voters are one of many groups that pushed Trump back into the White House in 2024. Some researchers saw this as a potentially massive realignment with game-changing implications for our politics — but one year into Trump's second term, it doesn't seem like it. Trump is 34 p ... Show More
19m 53s
Mar 26
The Great Social Media Reckoning
On Wednesday, a California jury found Meta and YouTube each liable for harming the well-being of a young user who had sued the two companies. The plaintiff argued that the products had negatively impacted her mental health. This verdict follows a similar decision made by a jury i ... Show More
24m 55s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2020
The Field: Iowa’s Electability Complex
<p>With Iowa voters making their choice and the 2020 election getting underway, we’re introducing a new show: one covering the country and its voters in the lead up to Nov. 3. In our first episode of “The Field,” we ask Democratic caucusgoers how they’re feeling about the electio ... Show More
37m 5s
Jan 2024
One Thing: Meet the Iowans Who Could Swing Caucus Night
Iowa Republicans will gather this week to pick a nominee for president in the first party event of the 2024 primary. While former president Donald Trump holds a large lead in the polls, undecided voters have been weighing whether his multiple criminal indictments and efforts to o ... Show More
17m 20s
Jan 2024
In Iowa, Two Friends Debate DeSantis vs. Trump
<p>On Monday, Iowa holds the first contest in the Republican presidential nominating process and nobody will have more on the line than Ron DeSantis. The Florida governor staked his candidacy on a victory in Iowa, a victory that now seems increasingly remote.</p><p>Shane Goldmach ... Show More
40m 20s
Feb 2020
A Very Long Night In Iowa
<p>The kickoff to the 2020 voting was undercut Monday night by major delays in the reporting of the Iowa caucus results. We traveled to Johnston, Iowa, to tell the story of the day — from the perspective of one caucus in a middle school gym. Guests: <a href="https://www.nytimes.c ... Show More
33m 24s
Jan 2024
Trump’s Domination and the Battle for No. 2 in Iowa
<p>At the Iowa Republican caucuses on Monday night, Donald J. Trump secured a runaway victory. The only real drama was the fight for second place.</p><p>Reid Epstein, who covers politics for The Times, takes us inside one of the caucuses, and Shane Goldmacher, a national politica ... Show More
26m 23s
Oct 2019
Iowa’s Big Stage
The campaign enters a new phase this weekend. The big Iowa Democratic Party dinner has historically played a key role in determining the caucus winner. Paul Tewes, Democratic strategist and the Iowa state director for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, discusses the advantage ... Show More
1h 5m
Aug 2023
What The GOP Primary Looks Like In The Early States
Game time for the Republican presidential primary begins in earnest this week. The first debate is being held in Milwaukee on Wednesday, and it marks the beginning of a five-month countdown to the Iowa caucuses, during which there will be monthly debates, nonstop campaigning and ... Show More
42m 30s
Jun 2023
The Run-Up Goes to Iowa
For the past few months, The Run-Up has been reporting on political insiders and the work they’ve quietly been doing to shape the 2024 presidential election.What we’ve found is a group of people — Republicans and Democrats — all operating under the premise that this race will rev ... Show More
57m 8s
Feb 2020
The Field: The Aftershocks of Iowa in New Hampshire
<p>Voters in New Hampshire pride themselves on helping winnow the nomination field. While many polls show Senator Bernie Sanders leading in this year’s primary, the caucus debacle in Iowa meant no single candidate left that first contest with full momentum. We flew from Iowa to N ... Show More
32m 3s