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EXTENDED CVERAGE OF THE 2024 IOWA CAUCUSES. WHILE REPUBLICANS MAKE THEIR CHOICE FOR PRESIDENT, DEMOCRATS ARE ALSO CAUCUSING. I’M NOW JOINED BY THE CHAIR OF THE IOWA DEMOCRATIC PARTY, RITA HART. FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY. RITA. TONIGHT’S GOING TO LOOK DIFFERENT FOR DEMOCRATS. YOU’RE STILL PLANNING TO CAUCUS, BUT IT WILL BE FOR PARTY BUSINESS ONLY. WHAT CAN DEMOCRATS EXPECT AND WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO GET OUT OF TONIGHT. SO DEMOCRATS WHO HAVE BEEN DOING THIS A LONG TIME, I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN TONIGHT. IT’S THE SAME THING THAT HAPPENS EVERY TWO YEARS. WE HAVE A CAUCUS AND AND WE GET A LITTLE MORE ATTENTION ON A PRESIDENTIAL YEAR. BUT THE SAME PROCESS IS GOING TO TAKE TAKE PLACE TONIGHT. THAT ALWAYS DOES. WE WE GET OUR PARTY BUSINESS TAKEN CARE OF. UM, WE WILL ELECT OUR, OUR LOCAL COUNTY REPRESENTATIVES. WE WILL ELECT OUR DELEGATES TO THE, THE TO THE CONVENTIONS AND WE WILL BE SUBMITTING AND VOTING ON OUR, OUR PLATFORM RESOLUTIONS. AND SO IT’S ALSO A TIME JUST LIKE ALWAYS, TO GET TOGETHER WITH OUR FRIENDS, OUR NEIGHBORS, OUR FELLOW DEMOCRATS, AND HAVE GOOD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT WE NEED TO BE DOING FROM NOW UNTIL NOVEMBER TO GET MORE DEMOCRATS ELECTED. SO FIGHT THROUGH THE COLD, GET TOGETHER AND KIND OF LIKE YOU SAID, TACKLE THE PARTY BUSINESS THIS YEAR. AS FAR AS, UH, NOMINATING, YOU KNOW, A PRESIDENT, IOWA DEMOCRATS WILL, UH, SEND IN PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE CARDS INSTEAD OF, AGAIN, DOING THAT TONIGHT. UM, WHAT IS THE RESPONSE BEEN LIKE TO THIS SO FAR? AND HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE ACTUALLY, UH, REQUESTED THOSE CARDS? SO IT IS IT’S A IT’S A CHANGE. RIGHT. AND SO CHANGE IS ALWAYS COME WITH SOME EDUCATION. AND SO WE’VE BEEN DOING A GOOD DOING AS MUCH AS WE CAN TO EXPLAIN THIS PROCESS. BUT I DO THINK THAT PEOPLE WILL TEND TO NOT PAY ATTENTION UNTIL UNTIL THEY’VE BEEN PROMPTED OR PRODDED. AND SO SO TONIGHT’S CAUCUS, I THINK, IS GOING TO BE A GOOD STIMULUS FOR THAT. BUT I WOULD TELL YOU THAT OVER THE LAST WEEK OR SO, WE’VE WE’VE GOTTEN A LOT OF RESPONSE. AND SO WE’VE GOTTEN A BIG SURGE IN THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE REQUESTED THESE PRESIDENTIAL CAUCUS, THE PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE CARDS. AND SO WE’RE WE’RE PLEASED WITH THE THOUSANDS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN BEEN RETURNED AS A REQUEST FOR FOR THEIR PRESIDENTIAL CARDS. PRESIDENT BIDEN IS, OF COURSE, THE PRESUMPTIVE NOMINEE FOR FOR THE DEMOCRATS. BUT LOOKING AHEAD TO THE 2028 RACE, THAT THAT WON’T BE THE CASE. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT THE CAUCUSES TO LOOK LIKE THEN? AND WILL IOWA STILL HAVE A CHANCE TO BE FIRST IN THE NATION? IT WILL BE A MUCH MORE COMPETITIVE PROCESS IN 2028, AND WE’VE KEPT THAT IN MIND AS WE’VE HAD THESE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DNC ALL ALONG, KNOWING THAT THIS TIME WHEN YOU HAVE AN INCUMBENT PRESIDENT, IT LOOKS MUCH DIFFERENT. AND SO SO WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THE FACT THAT THAT THE DNC HAS GIVEN US EVERY ASSURANCE THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TO BE PART OF THAT CONVERSATION. AGAIN, TO GET BACK INTO THE FIRST TIER AND BACK TO FIRST IN THE NATION. SO, UM, WE’VE BEEN WE’VE BEEN HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DNC. UM, AND I THINK THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND DEMOCRATS UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT THIS TIME WE KNOW WHO OUR NOMINEE IS GOING TO BE. BUT WE ARE STARTING NOW ON THE PROCESS TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO ELECT MORE DEMOCRATS AND TO AND WE’LL SEE HOW THIS PROCESS WORKS OUT, ESPECIALLY, I THINK, IN LIGHT OF THIS, THIS VERY COLD WEATHER EVENT, UM, THAT COULD HAVE REALLY NEGATIVELY AFFECTED PARTICIPATION. WE KNOW THAT WE ARE HAVING THE MOST INCLUSIVE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS THAT WE’VE EVER HAD, THAT PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO PARTICIPATE BEFORE WILL BE ABLE TO GET THEIR VOICES HEARD IN THIS PRESIDENTIAL SELECTION PROCESS. AND THAT’S GOING TO BE EVEN MORE IMPORTANT AND MORE TRUE IN 2028. SO EVEN IF WE’RE ABLE TO RESTORE FIRST IN THE NATION STATUS HERE IN IOWA, IT COULD BE THROUGH THE PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE CARD THAT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT COULD STAY AROUND. THAT’S ABSOLUTELY TRUE. YEAH. OKAY. UM, THE DEMOCRATS WILL MAKE THEIR NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT TONIGHT HERE IN IOWA. EXCUSE ME? THE REPUBLICANS WILL MAKE THEIR NOMINEE TONIGHT FOR PRESIDENT IN IOWA. UM, HOW WILL THE DEMOCRATS REACT TO THAT? IS IT SOMETHING TO WHERE ONCE THAT DECISION IS MADE, YOU GUYS HIT THE GROUND RUNNING, OR IS THERE A PLAN OF ATTACK FOR NOVEMBER ALREADY IN THE WORKS? YOU KNOW, I THINK IT’S VERY CLEAR THAT NO MATTER WHO COMES OUT OF THIS CAUCUS ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE, AND THIS IS THIS IS A A CANDIDATE WHO WAS VERY MUCH OUT OF SYNC WITH IOWA VALUES THAT THEY ARE VERY MUCH ON THE EXTREME SIDE OF, OF THEIR THEIR PARTY. AND SO DEMOCRATS RECOGNIZE THAT WE’VE GOT OUR JOB IS TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT THAT PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN HAS DONE SO MANY GOOD THINGS FOR THIS NATION AND FOR THIS STATE, THAT MORE THAN $1 BILLION IS COMING INTO IOWA AND IS TRANSLATING INTO PROJECTS ALL ACROSS THE STATE, ESPECIALLY IN OUR SMALLER TOWNS, THAT THIS IS THAT THAT HE IS BUILDING AN ECONOMY FROM THE BOTTOM UP AND THE AND THE MIDDLE OUT, AS HE SAYS. AND IT’S AND IT’S SO IMPORTANT FOR US TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE GET SOME MORE BALANCE TO OUR GOVERNMENT HERE IN THE STATE OF IOWA, WE HAVE SEEN AN EXTREME REPUBLICAN AGENDA THAT HAS RESULTED IN SOME VERY UNPOPULAR DECISIONS, THINGS LIKE TAKING AWAY WOMEN’S RIGHTS TO THEIR TO THE DECISIONS THAT THEY MAKE. UM, CONCERNING THEIR OWN BODIES DECISIONS LIKE BANNING BOOKS, DECISIONS LIKE, UM, TAKE TAKING PUBLIC DOLLARS THAT SHOULD BE GOING TO PUBLIC EDUCATION THAT WE VALUE AND TAKE SUCH PRIDE IN THE STATE OF IOWA. AND SHIFTING THAT OVER TO A PRIVATE EDUCATION SYSTEM. THESE ARE THINGS THAT ARE NOT POPULAR WITH THE STATE OF IOWA. THEY ARE OUT OF SYNC. AND WE HAVE GOT TO GET BALANCE BACK IN THE STATE OF IOWA BY ELECTING MORE DEMOCRATS. ALL RIGHT. AND FINALLY, WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO YOUR PARTY TONIGHT? WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO A GREAT CAUCUS, UM, EXPERIENCE, AS ALWAYS. YOU KNOW, I’M REALLY GRATEFUL TO OUR VOLUNTEERS AND TO THE MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING ALL THE HARD WORK. OUR STAFF, THAT’S DOING THE HARD WORK TO MAKE THESE VERY SUCCESSFUL CARL AND RECOGNIZE THAT THE WEATHER IS A CHALLENGE FOR ALL OF US, AND THAT EVERYONE HAS TO HAS TO USE GOOD JUDGMENT, JUST LIKE ALWAYS. YOU KNOW, IOWANS ARE ARE USED TO THE COLD WEATHER. THEY’RE USED TO WEATHER EVENTS. AND SO I THINK IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT THEY WILL DO WHAT’S RIGHT FOR THEMSELVES. AND THEIR AND FOR THEIR LOVED ONES. AND SO BUT REGARDLESS, THE HARD WORK OF ORGANIZING AND GETTING READY FOR, FOR NOVEMBER IS GOING TO TAKE PLACE AND WE ARE READY TO GO DO THAT. OKAY, RITA, WE HOPE MEMBERS OF BOTH PARTIES ARE SAFE AS THEY GO OUT TO CAUCU