Campaign Almanac: Iowa Republicans announce caucus locations for Jan. 15

The Republican Party of Iowa has released precinct locations for the 2024 Republican presidential caucuses.

Iowa Republicans will caucus at 7 p.m. Jan. 15, 2024, holding the first contest in the GOP presidential nominating cycle. As the caucuses are party-run meetings, many of the caucus precinct locations for GOP participants may not be the same as their voting locations.

To find their precinct, Iowans can go to the Iowa Secretary of State’s website and enter their home address. Then, find their precinct's caucus location on the Republican Party of Iowa's website listed under their county.

The Republican Party of Iowa noted caucus sites are subject to change, and encouraged caucusgoers to check the website before they head out to caucus on Jan. 15 to ensure they have the correct location.

To participate, individuals will need to be a registered Republican voter and have a valid form of ID.

People wishing to register as a Republican on caucus night will need to bring an ID and a proof of address, such as a utility bill, paycheck or other document.

The Republican Party of Iowa has debuted a new website with a guide to participating in the 2024 caucuses, and includes information on caucus participation requirements. For more details, people can go to https://www.iowagop.org/2024caucus.

Iowa Democrats’ presidential caucuses will follow a different schedule. State Democrats will still hold in-person caucuses Jan. 15 to conduct party business, but there will be no expression of presidential preference at the event.

The party approved a new system that will have Democrats announce the results of a mail-in presidential preference process on March 5, Super Tuesday.

The change came after Iowa Democrats lost their spot in the national party’s nominating calendar earlier this year under an effort to redesign the calendar in a way that better represented the party's demographics.

Precinct locations for the in-person Democratic caucuses have not yet been released, according to the Iowa Democratic Party’s website.

Presidential preference cards will be mailed starting Jan. 12.

Democrats have until 5 p.m. on Feb. 19 to request a card on the IDP website, iowademocrats.org/caucus.

New Haley ad features deployed husband

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Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign released a new ad featuring her husband, who is currently on his second deployment with the U.S. Army in Africa.

It’s the second ad from Haley’s campaign on broadcast and cable TV and across digital platforms, and is part of a previously announced $10 million ad-buy for television, radio and digital ads running in Iowa and New Hampshire.

The new ad, “American Strength,” features the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador talking about her husband’s first deployment to Afghanistan and the difficulty he had transitioning to regular life when he returned.

Michael Haley is a major in the South Carolina Army National Guard.

Haley, on the campaign trail, often talks of her husband's military service and being a military spouse, and how that informs her foreign policy views and priorities if elected.

“When Michael returned from Afghanistan, loud noises startled him. He couldn’t be in crowds,” Haley says in the ad. “The transition was hard. Some people ask, why sacrifice? Why serve? Why fight?

“I know why. Because if Russia wins, China wins. If Hamas wins, Iran wins,” she says in the ad. “And if evil succeeds it puts all of us at risk. American strength doesn’t start wars. It prevents them. That’s what I’ll do as president.”

Haley, both on the campaign trails and debate stage, has lambasted President Joe Biden’s handling of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and has said that the United States needs to be more aggressive than the Biden administration in response to Iran and China.

“Nikki Haley will stand up for America and stand up to our enemies just like she did at the United Nations,” Haley campaign spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said in a statement. “She will prevent war and make America more secure.”

New site encourages Iowans to join Progress Iowa’s storytelling effort

Progress Iowa launched a new website Friday as a resource for Iowans to share their stories and advocate for a range of issues, including support for public schools, protecting access to abortion and reproductive health care, worker’s rights and the opportunity for every Iowan to thrive.

“Every day we’re building the foundation for long term progressive change and IowaVoices.org will play a key role in our organizing effort,” Matt Sinovic, executive director of Progress Iowa, said in a statement. “We know that every time someone shares their story with their friends, neighbors, and community, it’s a step in the right direction. And our research proves that this kind of storytelling works. We hope that anyone interested in making a difference will visit IowaVoices.org and work with our incredible team to tell their story.”

Anyone who visits iowavoices.org will be able to read, watch and listen to the stories of fellow Iowans, and will be invited to tell their own personal story by connecting with Progress Iowa staff.

Mary Stewart, a retired educator and Progress Iowa storyteller from Ottumwa, said: “Sharing our stories and hearing the stories of others creates understanding and allows us to see the world through others' eyes.

“Our shared stories let us know that we are not alone, that our concerns, our joys and sorrows are also shared. They build community and in community we find hope.”

Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau