THE LEDE

The chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, Troy Price took a bit of offense when I asked him why his very nice, random state is so important in Democratic politics. But even as coastal media types and black and Latino leaders alike rail against Iowa’s primacy, the next 32 days in Democratic politics will be all about Iowa — like it or not.

Progressive Iowa: Iowa is homogenous culturally and politically peculiar in some ways, but the main thing it does in a Democratic primary is pull leftward. The people who bother turning up to caucus are weighted toward women, older college graduates, and students. They’re progressive on race and economics, and have in recent decades selected everyone from the labor figure Dick Gephardt to Barack Obama. The center-left snapback typically comes the following week in New Hampshire.

Iowa Reading: I’ve been following Bleeding Heartland for a thoughtful progressive perspective on the Iowa scene since its author, Laura Belin, was volunteering for John Edwards in 2008.

Media Stakes: Julián Castro, a guy whom Barack Obama’s team once saw as the future of the Democratic Party, dropped out of the primary today. One of the most interesting things about his candidacy was his media junkie’s critique of a style of political coverage — focused on polling and fundraising — that he felt boxed him out. When we texted, he said he worries that "a fascination with oddity, or simple timeliness, overtake news judgement about what's important for readers.”

READ RECEIPTS

Troy Price

Troy Price, chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, is one of the most important people in national politics…this month. Before leading the party, he ran One Iowa, an LGBTQ rights group. He wasn’t sure he’d be in any shape to text on Jan. 1, so we connected on New Year’s Eve.

TROY PRICE: And right now I am in our office. Was hoping to be out of the office today, but some meetings popped up, so here I am. BEN SMITH: Yeah gotta be a tough time to take a break in Iowa. You're been working the caucuses for a while. Is this year's campaign meaningfully different from the past? TROY PRICE: That it is. Yeah , things are a little different this year. With a field this large, campaigns are having to dig deeper and find new ways of organizing. Its been fun to watch.

BEN SMITH: What in particular surprised you? TROY PRICE: The longevity of this many candidates in the field. I would have thought we would see fewer candidates at this point. But I think that speaks to the strength of the candidates. We are fortunate to have so many great people who have stepped up to run. As chair of the party, I have to stay neutral, and I am thankful for that because I don't have to make a choice. BEN SMITH: You began your career as a campaigner for LGBT rights in Iowa. Is the presence of a major gay candidates particularly personally meaningful?

TROY PRICE: Last June I was at the Matthew Shepard Scholarship dinner - an annual event that highlights the work and gives scholarships to LGBTQ+ students in Iowa. Matthew Shepard was murdered me senior year of high school when I was still too afraid to come out, so this is always a meaningful event for me. Matthew Shepard's parents Judy and Dennis - were the keynote speakers this year, and I happened to be sitting at the table as Mayor Buttegeig and his husband, Chasten. It struck me in that moment just how far we have come that we are - 20 years after this senseless act - that a top candidate for president can be gay.

BEN SMITH: A lot of us coastal elites think it's generally insane to let your... very nice, but random ... state have so much power -- and there's a particular concern that it's just too white to represent the party or the country. EG: Tweet from Julian Castro saying he thinks it's time the primaries reflect the nation's diversity. BAN SMITH: How do you defend this weird process we've got?

TROY PRICE: First of all, I think calling Iowa random underscores part of the problem - there area a lot of states out there that get passed over in our country. These flyover states rarely get attention. and I know it frustrates people that every four years that this process starts here, but having Iowa as one of the first four states ensures that the voice of the heartland is heard in our politics. We saw in 2016 that this is a swing part of the country, and Iowa is a purple state. Candidates who can do well her can win this part of the country. BEN SMITH: Classic elite media. *coastal media

BEN SMITH: But what do you say to people who feel like their communities' voices aren't being heard as the candidates travel the state? TROY PRICE: Secondly, our diverse communities are doing great work here in Iowa. We have strong communities of color here that are working hard to fight for their communities. Our grassroots caucus process allows those voices to be heard in a way that may not otherwise happen in an other state. BEN SMITH: Final q: Historically you often get a candidates who surges about now, and it makes them a major figure. Looking like ... Amy Klobuchar?

TROY PRICE: Thirdly, this process makes our candidates stronger. To organize a caucus you need to get people out in the 1679 precincts across the states. This means that you can't just put a bunch of money on TV or do a bunch of big rallies in large media market towns. You have to get into small towns and community centers, coffee shops and VFW halls, barber shops and tiendas. You have to meet the voters where they are. The caucuses force something that is harder and harder to see in a presidential campaign - retail politics. And it forces campaigns to build strong and innovative grassroots campaigns. There is a reason why candidates who...

do well here on caucus night continue to do well in other contests - its because they have sharpened their campaigns. This means that when a candidates leaves Iowa and heads on to the remaining early states and Super Tuesday, they are stronger, sharper, and better prepared for the fight. BEN SMITH: (I take it you've thought about this a bit) Final q: you often get a candidates ho surges about now and it makes them a major figure. Looking like... Amy Klobuchar?

TROY PRICE: I think January is going to be wild. We have several campaigns that have been on the ground doing great work now for nearly a year, building our their organization, growing their support, and putting the pieces in place to win. I think we will see a lot of movement in these next five weeks - some candidates will go up, and some will go down. And I guess we will all find out in 34 days.

BEN SMITH: Well thanks for doing this. See you at the debate! (Will there be a debate??) TROY PRICE: There will be a debate and I look forward to seeing your there! Thanks for having me!

ON THE TRAIL WITH BUZZFEED NEWS

Nidhi went to Las Vegas and found the Bernie campaign is speaking to older Latino voters through their grandchildren (with some help from AOC).

Jane profiled the veteran fighting to protect fellow vets online: “I found election interference and no one cared,” he told her.

Addy looked at how the progressive caucus plans to become a political powerhouse in 2020.

And finally, a team of political reporters and editors put together this essential guide to the best political tweets of the decade.

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