First, let me say that I really do like Iowa. Of course the weather is terrible, but the people are nice and politically engaged. Des Moines has turned into a pretty good restaurant town and the hotels there are WAY better than the ones in Manchester, New Hampshire. That said, Iowa isn’t going to pick the next GOP nominee. Its role in 2016 will be more to winnow the field of Evangelical/conservative candidates than to pick the Republican top of the ticket. If ever there were a year when the establishment candidates like Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush and Chris Christie should skip it all together, this would be it. CONT.
Amy Walter, Cook Political Report