The NPR Politics Podcast

Why Iowa's Caucus Comes First And Why That Matters

Dec 31, 2019

Clay Masters, the lead political reporter for Iowa Public Radio and host of Caucusland, joins the conversation to unpack why Iowa's caucus holds its prestigious first-in-the-nation status. He shares insights from his travels covering the 2020 presidential candidates, highlighting the historical significance of the caucus and key moments like Obama's 2008 victory. The discussion also tackles the evolving dynamics of Iowa's political landscape, concerns over diversity, and the caucus's predictive power in shaping presidential races.

18:49

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Episode guests

Clay Masters

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

The Iowa Caucus: Dynamics and Impact

8min

The Impact of Iowa: Obama’s Launch and Trump’s Emergence

4min

The Predictive Power of Iowa's Caucus and Its Implications

2min

The Role of Iowa and New Hampshire in Presidential Politics

2min

In this special episode of The NPR Politics Podcast we sat down with Iowa Public Radio's lead political reporter Clay Masters to talk about why Iowa's caucus comes first in the presidential election and why that matters.

Masters explored the history and impact of the caucuses in IPR's new podcast Caucus Land, and we deep dive on the key things he learned while hitting the road and following the 2020 presidential candidates.

This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

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