Posted by graduate JASON FISHER – The Iowa caucuses are right around the corner and the political pundits are out in full force attempting to predict the order of finish. Not 10 minutes goes by in any newscast without my home state’s caucuses 
being mentioned as a make-or-break election night for some candidate. It seems that while Iowa and leap years are only talked about every four years, we Iowans understand and take seriously our place in this country’s political process. In this now seemingly non-stop cycle of presidential politics, relationships still matter in Iowa. In order for a candidate to leave the state with a victory, they must pass the living room test.
What exactly is the living room test? While there is no universally agreed upon method, my 20 years of participating in and observing Iowa politics helps me frame it like this. A candidate passes if they are 1) likeable, 2) competent, 3) trustworthy, and 4) show leadership. Platforms and plans are important, but only if the first four criteria are met. Being humble gets you bonus points. Negative politics costs you votes. If Iowans can see the candidate as somebody they want to invite to dinner and comfortably sit around the table chatting with afterwards, they pass. Otherwise, they have a harder time supporting them and will move on to the next candidate.
So why does Iowa get to go first? And what do candidates need to do to win there? This blog entry is far too short to adequately debate Iowa’s place in the cycle of presidential politics. There can undoubtedly be a case made for and against Iowa going first, though this author advocates for the former. What remains true today, just as it was 30 or 40 years ago, is that Iowa takes its politics seriously and thoroughly reviews each candidate before giving them the thumbs up. Rarely do candidates get away with airing advertising and sending out flyers as their principle campaigning tactics. They must “press the flesh,” traveling as much of the state as possible, shaking hands and meeting the citizens. Iowans are very middle-class in nature, pragmatic and traditional in their views, and forward-looking. They ask the candidates to come to small farm towns that endlessly dot the map (yours truly is from one of them). And with no city larger than 200,000 people, successful candidates need both the urban and the rural vote to claim victory.
As for this election, I offer no predictions on the outcome of the Iowa caucuses, with the exception of this: the winners will have passed the living room test. If a candidate wants to win Iowa (or live to fight another day), they need to put time in on the ground and build their grassroots network by getting to know people and building trust. It’s the only way in the Hawkeye state.
Jason Fisher of Van Horne, Iowa, is a recent graduate of the Clinton School.
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