The Economist explains

Why Iowa matters so much in the presidential election

The little state has a big first-mover advantage come primary season

By C.W.

IT IS SMALL and almost 1,000 miles from the White House. But for decades, Iowa has played an outsized role in America’s presidential primaries. Barack Obama said that winning Iowa during the 2008 primary season was the best night of his political career. The state—known for its cornfields and brutally cold winters—can serve either as a campaign’s launchpad or as its crash site.

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