It may feel like Iowa’s presidential caucus season is long over. The national reporters are gone, along with their clichés about and misunderstandings of the state. It may feel like ages since Donald Trump won the least surprising victory since the Harlem Globetrotters’ last game against the Washington Generals. But the state’s Democratic presidential caucus is still ongoing, although there’s not much time yet for anyone interested to join in.
Monday, Feb. 19 is the deadline for registered Democrats to request a presidential preference card, the name the Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) is using for its mail-in ballots. It’s using that name as part of the decades-long agreement with New Hampshire not to use any language that might make people think the Iowa Caucus is a primary. In return, New Hampshire would remain content, knowing it has the first presidential primary during an election year and not try to jump ahead of the caucus.
Of course, last year’s decision by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to restructure the party’s primary system in accordance with the wishes of President Joe Biden made New Hampshire’s threat to usurp Iowa’s first-in-the-nation status moot. The IDP came up with a compromise format, in which it held in-person precinct caucuses to conduct party business on Jan. 15, and would conduct the presidential candidate selection through a mail-in vote.
The IDP began accepting requests for the mail-in ballots last November, and the first ones were mailed out Jan. 12. To be considered valid, the ballots must be returned by Tuesday, March 5. The results of the vote will be announced that night, as will the results from 13 other states, because March 5 is Super Tuesday. It’s also the earliest day the IDP can conclude its caucus without violating DNC rules.
The New Hampshire Democratic Party refused to recognize the DNC’s schedule changes and held its primary on Jan. 23. In return, the DNC refuses to recognize the results of the New Hampshire primary.
There are three candidates listed on the IDP presidential preference card, only two of whom are still in the race. Self-help author Marianne Williamson ended her campaign on Feb. 7. That leaves Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips as the only candidate challenging Joe Biden for the nomination.
Phillips has had very little success so far. There have been two DNC-sanctioned primary contests, and he was only able to compete in one of them. Phillips missed the filing deadline for candidates in the Feb. 6 primary in Nevada, so he wasn’t on the ballot. He was on the ballot in the South Carolina primary on Feb. 3, but he only won 1.7 percent of the vote, finishing behind Williamson, who was supported by 2.1 percent of the voters. President Biden won 96.2 percent of the votes cast in South Carolina.
Phillips was also on the ballot in New Hampshire’s unsanctioned Jan. 23 primary. He spent months campaigning in the state. Biden chose not to participate in the New Hampshire Primary, and his name was not on the ballot. Phillips still lost to Biden. The Minnesota Democrat received 19.7 percent of the vote, but Biden was the write-in choice of 63.8 percent of the state’s Democratic primary voters.
So far, Phillips has won zero delegates.
Phillips spent a day campaigning at the Iowa State Fair last summer, but has otherwise largely ignored the state.
According to an IDP news release, it had received 17,510 requests for presidential preference cards as of 11 a.m on Friday. Over 16,000 cards have been mailed, and more than 6,000 have already been returned.
In the news release, the IDP said its goal was to have at least 15,000 ballots cast in the caucus, because that was “the number of 2012 caucus goers the last time we had an incumbent Democratic President.”
“While it’s clear that President Biden will be our nominee, it’s important Iowa Democrats participate in our mail-in caucus so that we can set ourselves up for success in 2028 and beyond,” IDP Chair Rita Hart said in the statement.
