×

Caucus night in Iowa

Sheriff Dennis Kucera (right) readies paperwork just ahead of 7:00 p.m. in the Traer Memorial Building on Monday, Feb. 7 as part of the Tama County Republican Party’s midterm caucus. More than a dozen people attended the Traer caucus site including Tama County Supervisor Larry Vest and his wife Anna (front row, left to right) and North Tama County School Board member David Calderwood (back row, second from left). Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker
Liz Bauch (center) completes caucus paperwork in the North Tama Schools lunchroom in Traer on Monday, Feb. 7 during the Tama County Democrats’ midterm caucus. Also pictured is Joel Mask (left) and Tom Seda (right) who were discussing ideas for possible party platform planks while Bauch worked. Glen Sailsbury – who chaired the caucus – and Kennan Seda (both not pictured) were also in attendance. Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker
Republicans Van Weber (left) and Tiffany Feisel (right) pictured in the JnR Community Center in Clutier this past Monday during the midterm caucus. This was Feisel's first year volunteering as a caucus chair. Republican candidate nomination papers are lined up on the table beside Weber. Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker
Liz Bauch holds a platform plank proposal from Kennan Seda during the Tama County Democrats' midterm caucus on Monday, Feb. 7, in the North Tama Schools lunchroom. Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker
Tama County Democrats including (left to right) Tom Seda, Glen Sailsbury, and Joel Mask (seated) look through precinct caucus paperwork on Monday, Feb. 7 in the North Tama Schools lunchroom in Traer. Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker
Glen Sailsbury speaks during the Tama County Democrats' midterm caucus in Traer on Monday, Feb. 7, 2022. Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker
The entrance to the Traer Memorial Building on Feb. 7, 2022. Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker
Candidate nomination papers are laid out on a table inside Traer Memorial Building during the Tama County Republicans' midterm caucus on Feb. 7, 2022. Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker
Anna Vest (left) and Dennis Kucera (right) work as caucus secretary and chair, respectively, during the Republicans' midterm caucus in Traer on Feb. 7, 2022. Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker

Iowa’s biennial caucus took place in school lunchrooms, community centers, libraries, and the like across Iowa this past Monday night including in the towns of Clutier, Dysart, and Traer. The longstanding tradition of ‘neighbors talking to neighbors’ began at 7:00 p.m. for both Tama County Democrats and Republicans. Although not a presidential election year, there was still party business to take care of in both political camps including the election of volunteer precinct leaders, adopting a party platform, and collecting nomination petition signatures. Although many of Iowa’s Democratic county central committees chose to hold their caucuses virtually due to COVID this year, this was not the case for Tama County Democrats who caucused in person at two sites, while Tama County Republicans held their midterm caucus at five locations in the county. In Clutier at the JnR Community Center, Tiffany Feisel chaired the Republican caucus for the first time. Feisel welcomed three caucusgoers to her site including Van Weber who spent time ahead of the official caucus start to sign nomination papers for a slew of state and local candidates from Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds – who is seeking reelection this year – to incumbent District 1 Tama County Supervisor Larry Vest and his primary opponent, Tama County Republican Chair Maurice ‘Moe’ McWhirter. In Traer, Tama Democrats caucused in the North Tama School lunchroom where Glen Sailsbury of Dysart chaired the proceedings for four caucusgoers including Liz Bauch who acted as caucus secretary. Downtown in the Memorial Building, Sheriff Dennis Kucera chaired Traer’s Republican caucus, welcoming 14 caucusgoers including Supervisor Vest and his wife Anna who was elected caucus secretary. On the Democratic side, party platform issues discussed included funding for Iowa’s Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund, holding a Lincoln Douglas style debate in Tama County for U.S. Senate candidates, mental health care, and forbidding tax dollars to go to private schools. On the Republican side, party platform issues discussed included term limits for public office holders, abortion, and mental health care. The 2022 primary election will be on Tuesday, June 7, this year while the general election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 8.