Trump spurs new Iowa caucusgoers, both for and against him

CEDAR RAPIDS - Karen DeMoor of Cedar Rapids had never caucused before Monday night, but businessman GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump's charisma was enough to bring her out for the first-in-the-nation event.

About 45 minutes before her caucus began, she picked Trump over Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, appreciating how unscripted Trump was at a recent Cedar Rapids rally, she said. DeMoor brought her children, Elise, 14, and John, 12, donning Trump 2016 apparel, to one of the 30 precincts at the DoubleTree by Hilton in downtown Cedar Rapids, where they snapped pictures with Trump's adult daughter, Ivanka, who was mingling in the crowd.

'The difference between Rubio and Trump is Rubio seems to be, although very eloquent in his speaking, more scripted,” she said. 'Today, listening to Trump, you know, he'd have bullet points in his head but it was very much ‘this is what I have to say.' ”

Trump spurred participation from first-time caucusgoers like DeMoor - but others came out specifically to oppose him.

He was running in third place in Linn and Johnson counties - and closer to third place than first place statewide - late Monday.

Linn County GOP Chairwoman Cindy Golding said Trump was the conversation of the evening, though not necessarily all supportive.

'Except for (Texas Sen. Ted) Cruz and Rubio people, it was people coming to support him or specifically for someone who's not Trump,” Golding said.

DeMoor in many ways symbolized the uncertainty of his campaign. Trump headed into the Iowa caucuses having led in the last 13 polls of likely Iowa caucusgoers since Jan. 20, including a 5-point lead in the Des Moines Register Iowa Poll released Saturday.

'I like Trump's spirit and directness,” said Mo Richardson, 80, a real estate agent who caucused at a precinct at Cornell College in Mount Vernon.

But the big crowds and strong showings in the polls were juxtaposed by doubt if the support for a caucus win would materialize.

'He defies conventional political wisdom,” said Mike Mahaffey, a past state chairman of the Iowa Republican Party. 'That's why it was so hard for any of us to get a handle on it.”

Trump's ground game had been criticized for lack of organization, and novice caucusgoers can be fickle in showing up. The most recent Quinnipiac University poll showed Trump had 40 percent support among first-time caucusgoers, higher than any other candidate.

'The other big question was he doesn't seem to have a good ground game, at least from the reports I've seen,” said Tim Hagle, a University of Iowa political science professor. 'They've been secretive about it. That's why the big question was whether his people would show up.”

Chuck Seberg, a chairman for a precinct that met at Brosh Chapel in Solon, said he was surprised by the lack of Trump supporters there.

Cruz won the precinct with 14 votes, followed by Trump and Rubio at five votes each.

'I opened the floor for people who wanted to talk about Trump and we had no takers,” Seberg said. 'I was really surprised. I'd been fielding a lot of calls from independents saying that they wanted to switch to Republican for the night, and I assumed they would support Trump.”