Thousands of people have packed up and left Iowa after spending several weeks or months in the state for the caucuses. Elizabeth Severin came to Iowa from Hawaii to helped with the Barack Obama campaign. It was actually her second time in Iowa for the caucuses.
Severin says she also came to the 2004 caucuses, "loved the experience" and decided to return this year. This time of year in Hawaii, it’s sunny with temperatures in the 70s. But Severin says she didn’t mind the cold weather in Iowa.
"I liked the (caucus work) enough to leave Hawaii and come to Iowa," Severin said with a laugh. "I hope I will be able to do this again in 2012." Sharon Young also spent a lot of time in Iowa, following a host of presidential candidates.
Young, who is from Kansas City, Missouri, makes a living selling political campaign buttons. She spent Thursday night outside the victory party for Barack Obama in downtown Des Moines.
"We sell a lot of Barack Obama products," Young said, "that’s why we came to this party." Her top-selling product is a 1960’s style button that replaces the "O" in Obama with a peace symbol. A lot of Young’s buttons could become collector’s items.
Young says the novelty-type items are typically the best sellers – including a Hillary Clinton button that reads, "Bill Clinton for First Dude." Young’s buttons and other products can be found on-line at www.PoliticalShop.com .