It’s official! The first votes to be cast in Iowa’s Democratic caucus took place in Ottumwa, a small town of around 25,000 in Southeastern Iowa. The caucus was one of the Iowa Democratic Party’s new “satellite caucuses”, and was scheduled earlier in the day to accommodate local factory and service workers that might not be able to make the usual 7 pm caucus.
Of the 15 caucus-goers in Ottumwa, 14 selected Bernie on the first alignment. There was one Warren supporter who declined to caucus for Bernie on the second alignment, despite Warren not being viable. According to the account of the caucus in the USA Today:
The group was largely comprised of Ethiopian immigrants who work at JBS Pork in Ottumwa. Chris Laursen, president of UAW Local 7, observed the caucus as a Sanders supporter. He said the Sanders campaign had been canvassing outside of JBS during shift change between midnight and 2 a.m.
"The Bernie campaign was actively sitting outside trying to talk to people as they were coming in and out of work late at night," he said. "That’s what’s special about Bernie’s campaign. It’s not a campaign, it’s a movement. Bernie literally has an army."
First, hats off to the Iowa Democratic Party for making the satellite caucus a reality. Although too many are being excluded by having the caucus system in place, it’s nice to see an effort being made to expand participation. And, congratulations to all those Bernie volunteers who worked the night shift to reach out to the factory workers at JBS Pork. I’ve had the pleasure of canvassing with many Bernie volunteers in Iowa and I’ve seen first hand their passion and commitment!