In Iowa, a blizzard of last-minute grass-roots campaigning

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[h=4]In Iowa, a blizzard of last-minute grass-roots campaigning[/h]Weather could be a factor as turnout could tip 2016's first contest.

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The state that holds the first vetting of the presidential candidates contributes a surprisingly low number of delegates to the national conventions.
Video provided by Newsy Newslook


A vendor sells Trump merchandise as people wait in line to see Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speak to guests during a campaign rally at the Gerald W. Kirn Middle School on January 31, 2016 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Trump and other presidential hopefuls are in Iowa trying to gain support and crucial votes for tomorrow's caucuses.(Photo: Christopher Furlong, Getty Images)


The men and women who want to be the 45th president of the United States spent the last day before the Iowa caucuses in a metaphorical maelstrom of grass-roots campaigning as polls showed close contests in both parties.
But as the first contest of the 2016 presidential campaign nears, it was a literal storm that could loom even larger<span style="color: Red;">*</span>over the Hawkeye State: Wintry<span style="color: Red;">*</span>weather that could hit parts of Iowa just as voters show up to caucus at 7 p.m. Monday. "Enough snow and a wintry mix will occur to make roads slippery in the southern third of Iowa as people are heading home from the caucuses," said Alex Sosnowski, an<span style="color: Red;">*</span>AccuWeather meteorologist.
The anti-establishment candidates — Donald Trump for Republicans<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and Bernie Sanders for Democrats<span style="color: Red;">*</span>— are relying on high turnout to give their insurgent campaigns credibility and momentum going into next week's first primary election in New Hampshire.
USA TODAY
Donald Trump confident about winning Iowa Republican caucus




USA TODAY
Sanders powered by young people, but lacks Obama advantages




Trump, a real estate mogul and reality television star<span style="color: Red;">*</span>facing his first-ever election day,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>exuded confidence at a rally Sunday<span style="color: Red;">*</span> —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>even talking about the criteria for a vice president.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>"We're going to win, we're going to win," Trump told an enthusiastic crowd at a Council Bluffs middle school. "We're leading everywhere."
Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said he's depending on energizing the coalition that propelled Sen. Barack Obama to victory in Iowa eight years ago.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>"I think we have a real shot to win this, if there is a large voter turnout. And it's not just young people. It is working-class people, it is middle-class people who are sick and tired of status-quo politics," he said on NBC's<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Meet the Press.
When they weren't rallying supporters in school gymnasiums, college campuses, diners and churches, candidates were exchanging blows in televised interviews. Trump called his chief rival, Texas Sen. Ted<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Cruz, "a total liar" and a "nasty guy." Cruz compared Trump to the self-described "Democratic socialist" Sanders, saying they both favor socialized medicine.
On the Democratic side, former secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended herself against the 11th-hour revelation Friday that 22 emails couldn't be released because they were classified<span style="color: Red;">*</span>— giving new life to a controversy over her use of an unsecured personal server to keep her e-mails off the State Department system.
Clinton argued that years of GOP attacks have only made her stronger. "I feel vetted.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>I feel ready.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>I feel strong and I think I'm the best person to be the nominee and to defeat whoever they nominate in November," she told ABC's This Week.
USA TODAY
Hillary Clinton goes with populist fire in closing argument in Iowa




USA TODAY
Clinton compares e-mail questions to Benghazi




The last Des Moines Register poll before the caucuses showed races in both parties to be tantalizingly close.

ALL ABOUT THE IOWA CAUCUSESJust how consequential is Iowa? | 00:48The state that holds the first vetting of the presidential candidates contributes a surprisingly low number of delegates to the national conventions.
Video provided by Newsy Newslook

ALL ABOUT THE IOWA CAUCUSESEvangelical Influence Could Shape Iowa Caucuses | 02:23Social conservatives wield a powerful hand at Iowa's Republican caucuses. The AP's John Mone reports on why winning over this voting bloc is key for the GOP candidates. (Jan. 31) AP

ALL ABOUT THE IOWA CAUCUSESSusan Page and news from Iowa caucuses | 03:35Susan Page covers the first presidential caucus

ALL ABOUT THE IOWA CAUCUSESGov. Terry Branstad on Trump, Cruz and Iowa turnout | 08:06Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad discusses Trump, Cruz and caucus turnout.

ALL ABOUT THE IOWA CAUCUSESIowa's First to Vote Status Yields Big Influence | 02:27For 44 years, the sparsely populated, largely rural state of Iowa has held the first in the nation nominating contests, giving it an outsized influence over the process, despite a spotty record of success in choosing the eventual nominee. (Jan. 29) AP

ALL ABOUT THE IOWA CAUCUSESCampaigns Step Up Ground Game Ahead of Caucus | 01:42Presidential campaigns are stepping up their efforts on the street ahead of Monday's Iowa caucuses -- knocking on doors and making phone calls to make sure supporters turn out to caucus. (Jan. 30) AP

ALL ABOUT THE IOWA CAUCUSESCandidates in Iowa Target the Youth Vote | 02:15Iowa's first in the nation presidential nomination contest may have a boost in younger voters in 2016 - mainly because of timing. (Jan. 29) AP

ALL ABOUT THE IOWA CAUCUSESRide along with candidates on Iowa campaign trail | 02:0418 hours, 19 stops and nine candidates. The Des Moines Register and Iowa City Press-Citizen staff photographers spent one day all over the state documenting a full day on the campaign trail in Iowa. VPC

ALL ABOUT THE IOWA CAUCUSESElection 2016: What Are The Iowa Caucuses? | 01:45For more than 40 years, Iowa has been at the front of the presidential nominating process. Here is a look at how the Iowa caucuses work for the Democrats and the Republicans. (Jan. 28) AP

ALL ABOUT THE IOWA CAUCUSESOut of State Students Learn to Caucus in Iowa | 02:05The timing of this year's Iowa presidential caucuses means that out of state college students will be back from winter break and able to vote. Hundreds showed up for a lesson at one university in Des Moines. (Jan. 28) AP

ALL ABOUT THE IOWA CAUCUSESLearn how caucuses work in under a minute | 01:05What is a caucus? And what will happen at the caucus? Get the details and learn how the Republican and Democratic caucuses are different in the first-in-the-nation Iowa Caucuses. VPC





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The top three Republican candidates are<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Trump (28%), Cruz (23%) and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (15%). But caucus goers, more so than<span style="color: Red;">*</span>primary voters, often shift their allegiances as they size up the relative support of the candidates, and Rubio leads in "second preference" voters, with 20%.
Among Democrats, Clinton maintains a lead over Sanders, 45% to 42%. That's within the poll's 4% margin of error.
USA TODAY
Trump regains lead in final Iowa Poll before caucuses




USA TODAY
Clinton holds on to small lead in final Iowa Poll before caucuses




Iowa's<span style="color: Red;">*</span>caucuses<span style="color: Red;">*</span>form<span style="color: Red;">*</span>an idiosyncratic election system in which neighbors in each political party meet to debate and select their preferences for president.
The rules for Democrats require a candidate to be meet a minimum threshold of support before their votes can be counted, marking a key test for long-shot Democratic candidate Martin O’Malley, now polling at 3%.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>The former Maryland governor<span style="color: Red;">*</span>urged his supporters to “hold strong” on caucus night at a canvass launch event in Johnston, Iowa, saying Iowans had a history of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>“surprising the pollsters and surprising the pundits."
Former Florida governor<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Jeb Bush began his final full day campaigning in Iowa quietly and reflectively, taking in Mass at the Cathedral of St. Raphael in Dubuque. He was expected to leave Iowa Monday for New Hampshire.
Contributing: David Jackson in Council Bluffs, Iowa; Heidi M. Przybyla in Ames, Iowa; Jason Noble in Dubuque, Iowa, Cooper Allen in Johnston, Iowa.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>
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