Democrat Delaney opens campaign office in Sioux City

By Bret Hayworth, Sioux City Journal

SIOUX CITY - Bitterly cold weather didn't prevent Democratic presidential candidate John Delaney from opening a campaign office in Sioux City on Wednesday.

In an interview, Delaney said western Iowa conditions 'didn't feel as cold as I expected it to,” plus he keeps his set plans to campaign in all areas of Iowa.

'You can't be a fair- weather campaigner. I always say Democrats should campaign everywhere, and I guess in all conditions.”

A former congressman from Maryland, Delaney has campaigned the earliest and the most in Iowa of any Democratic candidate. While 2019 has seen appearances by Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand in January, Delaney got moving in fall 2017 through Iowa, with 20 campaign swings by the end of 2018.

Delaney said being the first Democrat to work through Iowa in grass-roots fashion will pay dividends, in a field he envisions could run from 10 to 15 presidential candidates.

'I have the right vision for the country, but not enough people knew who I was or still know who I am. The reason I got in early was, I basically had to run a pre-race, before everyone else got in the race, so I could be in the race,” he said.

Delaney said Democrats who choose to fly into Des Moines and not campaign broadly in the state will be making a mistake, because they won't be making deeper connections with voters necessary to win the February 2020 Iowa caucuses.

His campaign office in Sioux City marks his sixth in Iowa, with another one opened Wednesday in Council Bluffs right before the Sioux City event.

Delaney's Cedar Rapids office, which opened Jan. 12, is at 2706 First Ave. NE.