Why Candidates Still Value Iowa

Chuck Todd sits down with Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart to talk farming, politics, and the fight to keep Iowa relevant on the national stage. From corn and soybeans to caucuses and campaigns, Hart shares what it’s really like for farmers caught in the middle of tariffs, trade wars, and shrinking rural economies — and how Washington’s decisions have reshaped Iowa’s way of life. They discuss the state’s economic struggles, rural healthcare crisis, and the outsized impact of right-wing media, as well as the challenge of rebuilding trust in the Democratic brand across small towns that once went from Obama to Trump.

Hart also dives into the future of Iowa’s political identity — why she thinks a rural state must remain among the first in the presidential primary calendar, how Democrats can connect urban and rural voters around shared values, and what success will look like for Iowa Democrats heading into 2026. It’s a candid, grounded look at where agriculture meets democracy, and how one state’s renewal could hold lessons for the entire country.

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Rita Hart joins the Chuck ToddCast

01:00 Experience of working as farmers in Iowa 

02:00 How much of your corn is for human consumption?

03:45 What can farmers do with soybeans if they can’t find a buyer?

04:45 Tariffs & trade war can have dire consequences for farmers

06:15 What did government intervention look like last time & how does it work?

07:15 The trade war allowed foreign markets to take US ag customers

09:00 Targeted tariffs work for manufacturing but not for agriculture

10:45 Iowa’s place in rebuilding the Democratic party in the midwest

11:40 The national brand has stained the Iowa brand

12:45 Iowa is nearly last in the nation for economic and income growth

13:30 Iowa’s healthcare & childcare are increasingly unaffordable

14:30 Rural healthcare access is extremely limited in rural Iowa

15:30 Iowa has the most Obama to Trump voting counties in America

16:45 Iowa’s local news has diminished, voters focused on national news

18:00 FOX News & right wing media have huge influence in Iowa

20:15 The national Democratic Party is in a state of transition

22:00 Iowa Democrats have been activated and engaged

23:00 Iowa has good primary candidates, DSCC should stay out of it

24:45 Rob Sand emphasized party credentials rather than go independent

26:45 What issues should Iowa Dems lean in, and lean out on?

29:00 Can’t divide issues that affect everyone into “us vs. them”

31:30 How should Democrats talk about immigration 

33:30 Need a sensible way for hard-working immigrants to get citizenship

35:30 Why has the DNC moved away from Iowa as first in the nation status

36:45 Iowa is a great testing ground for Democratic campaigns

38:45 Balancing targeting the urban centers vs the rural vote in campaigns

39:30 Why rural Iowa matters to a future presidential candidate

41:00 A rural state needs to be in the first four primary states

42:30 Will Iowa GOP work with Iowa Dems to keep first in nation status?

43:45 Iowa Democrats should get to choose between a caucus or a primary

46:30 Improving the caucus process to increase participation

47:45 What does success look like for Iowa Democrats in 2026?

49:45 There’s a reason both Kim Reynolds and Joni Ernst dropped out

50:30 What is the job of a state party chair?

54:00 Avoiding burnout during the constant state of fundraising

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