The two men vying to be America’s president for the next four years will both visit Iowa’s oldest city on Saturday.
“What a great opportunity for Dubuque and a great opportunity for the people who live, work and do business here…to hear from the candidates so close to the election,” says Molly Grover, president of the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism. “To be the center of the political universe right now, so close to the election, is just an amazing opportunity for the people of Dubuque.”
Mitt Romney is scheduled to speak at an early afternoon rally at Dubuque’s airport and Barack Obama is due to speak at an outdoor rally late Saturday afternoon, in Dubuque’s Washington Park. That means someone could attend both rallies on the same day and see the two presidential contenders in person.
“Dubuquers are known for their tenacity,” Grover says, “and so, if there’s an opportunity to hit both, there will definitely be some people that will.”
Grover will try to go to both.
According to the 2010 Census, about 58,000 people live in Dubuque and the average age of a “Dubuquer” is 38. The city has been considered a Democratic stronghold — it’s shopping mall is named after President John F. Kennedy. As of October 22, 2012, Dubuque County currently has nearly 25,000 registered Democrats; about 22,000 independent or “no party” voters and almost 15,000 registered Republicans.