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Across the Hawkeye State, as Iowans finish supper and head to their caucuses, skies should be clear, temperatures should be in the 30s and it could be a bit breezy, according to AccuWeather Inc.
That's in marked contrast to the past several caucus years, when temperatures were much lower. In parts of Iowa, the political faithful had to contend with temperatures trending toward the single digits.
In 2008, about 4 inches of snow was on the ground on caucus morning.
URBANDALE, Iowa — In a strip mall in Urbandale, young college students from Oral Roberts University on Monday were ringing up support for Michele Bachmann.
Each time one of the students manning the phones persuaded an Iowan to caucus for Bachmann, they'd get to ring a bell — the kind found in a hotel lobby.
At another phone bank a few miles to the west, Texans in cowboy boots worked the phones in soft, southern drawls on behalf of their state's governor, Rick Perry.
In the final push before tonight's Iowa caucuses, the headquarters of each of the six Republican presidential hopefuls were buzzing with activity Monday. Volunteers worked phone banks set up in bare-boned, sometimes makeshift offices, all part of the campaign's final get-out-the-vote phase.
The caucuses start at 7 p.m. and will be held across the state in schools, churches, firehouses and community centers. Initial results are expected by 8:30 p.m., with final results at about 10 p.m.
Volunteers form the base of any campaign. Many of those working Iowa's first-in-the-nation presidential test come from outside the state, driven by devotion to their candidate.
Ken Brolin of Richmond, Va., has spent almost a year toiling without a paycheck for Newt Gingrich. He believes in the former House speaker's ability to change the country.
Brolin figures he has made about 4,000 telephone calls for Gingrich since February, many from Virginia, where Brolin owns a photography business. He arrived in Iowa just a few days ago to help Gingrich mobilize his supporters.
"In poker, they call that 'all in,''' Brolin said.
Often, candidates tap into old connections for their volunteers.
Many of Bachmann's volunteers come from Oral Roberts — the Oklahoma school where she received her law degree.
Perry is drawing heavy support from his home state. So many boisterous Texans recently arrived that he had to relocate his headquarters from a West Des Moines strip mall to a nearby Sheraton Hotel. The ballroom where they've set up is, coincidentally, called the "Dallas Room."
Each of the campaigns has its scripts, lists of talking points volunteers use to try to get those still wavering to show up and caucus for their candidate.
For example, Rick Santorum's supporters remind caucusgoers that he's a "favorite of the Tea Party." Newt Gingrich volunteers tell caucusgoers that his jobs plan was once described as "Reaganomics on steroids."
Each volunteer works down a list of potential caucusgoers — not always with success.
One Perry volunteer in a red, white and blue shirt expressed frustration when he reached a Rick Santorum supporter who quickly hung up on him.
"Why would you waste your vote?" he asked rhetorically, staring at his phone.
Most of the candidates chose nondescript strip malls and business parks in the suburbs of Des Moines to house their headquarters.
Gingrich and Santorum have their headquarters in the same large Urbandale business park. Monday, Santorum's was packed with volunteers, evidence of the buzz surrounding the candidate as his poll numbers have risen in recent days.
"The excitement and enthusiasm has gone through the roof," said J. Hogan Gidley, a senior political adviser for Santorum.
Ron Paul opened his headquarters in a strip mall in Ankeny, sandwiched between a nail salon and a Quizno's Subs shop.
Mitt Romney is the only candidate with an office downtown. Much like the others, on Monday it was stocked with bags of candy bars and littered with empty pizza boxes.
Volunteers in their 20s and 30s wearing button-down shirts and sweater vests burned through cellphone minutes, looking to persuade undecideds to support the former Massachusetts governor.
One young volunteer nervously read from a script as he left a voice mail for a potential caucusgoer. He stressed Romney's business background.
"It's very important," he said, "that we beat President Obama."
Contact the writer:
402-444-1309, robynn.tysver@owh.com
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