Goodbye, Iowa

By Callista DeGraw

Well, it’s official. Our time in Iowa has come to an end. I’ve seen almost every candidate that has come through the greater Des Moines area, some even more than once, and heard every stump speech they’ve had to give. I have a greater understanding of the everyday Iowan’s casual and nearly-blasé attitude toward candidates being present constantly—yesterday I was in the same room as six of them and didn’t even bat an eye. It’s easy to forget that the majority of voters in the country won’t ever come close to being near a prospective president when they’re just around the corner at every second of every day. 

Many of the conversations I had with voters about their rarely-star-struck attitudes led to stories about which candidates have been in whose living rooms or how caucusing “just isn’t a big deal.” However, some conversations were particularly positive, and several people here expressed that visitors like myself and my classmates serve as a good reminder that there really is nothing like the Iowa caucus experience and teaches them not to take their first in the nation status for granted. I know I won’t ever take for granted the once in a lifetime opportunities I’ve been given here—ones I know so many in America can only dream of. 

I think one of the most special aspects of this “Iowa attitude” is that its casual approach ultimately boils down to the fact that the people who live here get to experience the candidates as real people and not just figures on a TV. After meeting several candidates, I know I really am struck by how human they are. They are people who, when given even the smallest amounts of free time, are found eating lunch in leggings and a sweatshirt with their spouses or walking down the snowy streets of Des Moines on a Friday night. 

As I reflect on the last twelve days, I feel as though we’ve been here for so much longer, probably because we packed a month’s worth of events into under two weeks. Today, I fly back to the significantly-warmer state of North Carolina with a much stronger appreciation for Iowa, the candidates, and the democratic process.