Relief And Caucus Maneuvering For Edwards Volunteer

DES MOINES -- I just ran into a precinct captain for John Edwards near the hotel in downtown Des Moines where Edwards gave his post-caucus address. She described the "drunken" scene at the hotel amongst Edwards workers who have spent the last few months working on behalf of the candidate here, and talked about her relief that the Iowa campaign was finally over.

The precinct captain also said she "feels bad" for Joe Biden and Bill Richardson, who came in at just 1 and 2 percent support here. (Biden has since dropped out.) They were both polling higher in Iowa, but because of the Democratic viability threshold in Iowa – candidates must have a certain level of support at a caucus, usually 15 percent, or their supporters must caucus for another candidate – they ended up with nearly negligible vote totals.

After it was announced that Richardson was not viable, the precinct captain said she "went over and got a few of the Richardson people" to caucus for Edwards. It was one more small example of the odd nature of the caucuses: After months of campaigning, millions of dollars spent, and untold television ads and phone calls, garnering voters can come down to something as simple as a gentle nudge on caucus night.