Vilsack fights to maintain Iowa’s first-in-the-nation Caucuses status

Iowa’s Governor has become a player behind the scenes in national Democratic party politics, and he’s assuring Iowans the first-in-the-nation status of Iowa’s Caucuses will be preserved. Governor Tom Vilsack is leading the party’s platform committee, but that group will not be addressing the issue at the Democratic National Convention in Boston.Vilsack says the chairman of the Democratic National Committee appointed a special committee earlier this year to examine the set-up of the presidential primaries and caucuses. Vilsack says that action has forestalled an effort by Michigan to get the issue addressed at the convention, where anti-Iowa forces could have prevailed. Vilsack says having John Kerry and John Edwards finish first and second in the Iowa Caucuses helps Iowa’s case.Vilsack says there are a number of things working in Iowa’s favor. The Iowa Democratic Party quickly released accurate results from the 2004 Iowa Caucuses, and party nominee John Kerry was catapulted into a leading role with his come-from-behind finish in the Caucuses. Vilsack says a higher percentage of registered Democrats participated in Iowa’s Caucuses as compared to Michigan’s primary, which is another fact Iowans will highlight when pressed. Iowa officials in both the democrat and republican parties routinely have to fight off efforts from other states to end Iowa’s role as the first Caucus in the presidential selection process.