Impeachment not the focus at key 2020 campaign event in Iowa
Ahead of the Iowa campaign event that jolted then-Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign to life in 2007, 14 2020 Democratic candidates hope to have similar success. The Liberty and Justice Celebration in Des Moines is a chance for candidates to define the narrative — and raise expectations.
"If they don't do well here, and by doing well, if they aren't in the top two or three, it's over for them," said Matt Paul, Hillary Clinton's Iowa director for her 2016 presidential campaign.
Recent polls say Sen. Elizabeth Warren currently has the lead in the state. The Iowa caucus, the first in the country, is Feb. 3, 2020.
While the impeachment inquiry dominates national headlines, it's not what most Iowa voters are focused on, reports CBS News special correspondent Alex Wagner. "I don't think it's going to outweigh the importance of health care, on the specific issues of copays, on premiums, on prescription drugs. That's what Iowans are dialed in on," Paul said.
Iowa polling expert Ann Selzer says impeachment animates the national audience, but in her state, the issue plays differently. "When Speaker Pelosi announced that she was starting the inquiry, I thought, I'm just going to keep my ear to the ground and see what happens here," she said. "It was strangely silent. And really, I have not heard that many Iowans sort of start jumping up and down on either side."
The Liberty and Justice Celebration will begin at 6:30 p.m. CDT at the Well Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
