Author Archives: iowathetrailstartshere

By: Mackenzie Ferguson Seeing a political figure in person rather than on television is a weird mix of awe, comparison, and awareness. Today we went to see Elizabeth Warren and Julián Castro in Marshalltown, Iowa. Going into the rally I was expecting Warren to be unrelatable and to feel rehearsed, based on the previous candidatesContinue reading “Television Candidates vs. Reality”

By: Katie Zimmermann I have spent the past few days calling Iowans on behalf of Senator Cory Booker. As I engaged with our nation’s first voters I asked people over and over again: “What issues are most important to you?” In nearly every discussion, constituents reiterated that their top priority is to get President DonaldContinue reading “What’s Important to Iowans?”

By: Hana Hofeld I sit in my hotel room barely able to keep my eyes open to write this after the exhausting but enthralling once in a lifetime experience I had today. This morning my eyes teared up as I watched Senator Elizabeth Warren walk out into the audience of the Fisher middle school gymContinue reading “Elizabeth Warren 1/12”

By: Lindsay Carter The last time I was on national TV, my crazed eyes appeared on ESPN in front of a Pickle Rick cutout during Elon’s 50 point loss to the UNC Men’s basketball team. This time, however, I could be seen sitting stone-faced behind Bernie Sanders trying not to become the next meme ofContinue reading “A Tale of Two Rallies”

By Callista DeGraw I was a junior in high school when Donald Trump was elected. I remember waking up on November 9 feeling completely and utterly defeated, and I wondered how our nation could have chosen a man who only months prior had mocked a disabled reporter and joked about assaulting women. It still bafflesContinue reading “Make America Empathetic Again”

By: Ian Weiss As I grow into an older, more mature person I find that my appreciation for natural beauty grows as well. While Elon looks to be one of the natural beauty hotspots of the world, so is Iowa; A farming state with beautiful open landscapes, carefully made murals, old brick factories and manyContinue reading “IOWA”

By Aileen Bell Canvassing for Elizabeth Warren and attending a Bernie Sanders town hall are two things you would not expect one person to do, let alone over the course of one day, but that’s exactly what I did today. This created one of the most exciting days of my time in Iowa so far.Continue reading “Power to the People”

By: Sallie Hardy At Elon, I study Media Analytics and English Literature. Many people consider this a strange combination because most people either like math or reading, not both…but here I am! Something I have learned about myself is that I am full of contradictions (and I typically try to find contradictions in anything I’mContinue reading “Maybe… It’s a little bit of both?”

By: Ashlyn DeLoughy I walk into a public school about 15 minutes from our hotel in Des Moines with my backpack and tripod in hand. As we (the team of journalists I was with) walked down the school hallways, we were quickly greeted by two women at the check in. They were eager to seeContinue reading ““So what keeps you going in the race?””