Turnout at Tuesday’s Republican caucuses approached the record set four years ago.
Iowans filled schools, churches and community centers Tuesday night to cast votes in the closest election in caucus history with 122,255 votes cast.
Weather was not a factor. Caucusgoers enjoyed a balmy January day by Iowa standards. The mercury rose to 35 degrees in central Iowa, with occasional gusts of wind. Contrast that with four years ago, when a record 118,411 Republicans braved 4-degree temperatures.
The turnout fell below Gov. Terry Brantad’s expectations. He had predicted Iowans shattering the record with 130,000 votes, based on strong turnout at campaign events.
“Still, it was very respectable,” Branstad said.
caucuses.desmoinesregister.com
GOP strategist John Stineman of West Des Moines predicted a possible record turnout based the presence of a brand-name candidate in Mitt Romney, a conservative outsider in Rick Santorum, and a candidate driven by ideas in Ron Paul. Those three types of candidates finished in the top three in previous years of strong turnout, he said.
When polls, including The Des Moines Register’s Iowa Poll, showed Santorum gaining momentum in the days before caucus day, Stineman said it increased the likelihood of a strong turnout.
“With a surge toward Santorum, it looks similar to the (former Arkansas Gov. Mike) Huckabee swell when we had our last record turnout,” he said, referring to Huckabee’s 2008 caucus victory.
Despite the near-record turnout, the total still represented only 19 percent of active registered Republicans in the state. There are 614,913 active registered Republicans in Iowa.
Democrats reported that more than 25,000 people cast votes, a fraction of turnout four years ago when President Barack Obama battled Hilary Clinton for the nomination. A record 239,000 Democrats turned out in 2008. |
