Iowa’s toss up status puts them in the front row of convention

Iowa Democratic Party chairman Gordon Fischer says Iowa Democrats are sitting in the front row in the convention hall not just because of the Iowa Caucuses and Kerry’s first-place finish in that lead-off contest, but because of Iowa’s importance in the November election. Fischer says although Iowa is a small state, it is an important — must win state for the Kerry campaign. He says many of the battleground states are located in the midwest, so he says they are probably trying to present a midwestern image in Boston. Fischer who is a Des Moines attorney, has never been to a national party convention before. For the past couple of days, other Iowa Democrats have been asking Fischer questions about convention details.Fischer says he usually tells folks “I don’t know.” Don’t look for Fischer to make the announcement of how Iowa delegates will cast their votes on Thursday night to nominate Kerry. First Lady Christie Vilsack is the delegation’s chair and will be standing in that brief, national spotlight.