There’s no way I’m calling it this early, but that’s what CNN is reporting. Huck is about 10% ahead of Romney, and that’s because 60% of the GOP voters who came out tonight were evangelicals. Big, big night for Huckabee and a big disappointment for Romney. Surprise of the night? Fred Thompson, followed closely by [...]

Together the second tier candidates are accounting for about 15%-20% in recent polling. So that could really help Obama gain the second choice votes he needs to win. First, the Richardson deal… Two well-placed sources told Iowa Independent last night that Gov. Bill Richardson’s campaign plans to direct their supporters to Sen. Barack Obama in [...]

I wonder what they’d say if you asked them about their own state? From AP: According to national survey conducted for The Associated Press and Yahoo News, just over half of all voters said New Hampshire and Iowa have an extraordinary amount of influence over who wins the two nominations. “They have way too much [...]

The Clinton camp is trying to lower expectations, which is a completely normal tactic, but it rings especially hollow when it comes to Hillary. From ABC News: As the presidential candidates engage in furious pre-caucus spin, one of Sen. Hillary Clinton’s most prominent Iowa supporters said Wednesday that she’s already accomplished what she needs to [...]

As usual, he is not pleased… It is quite astonishing to see with what deadpan and neutral a tone our press and television report the open corruption—and the flagrantly anti-democratic character—of the Iowa caucuses. It’s not enough that we have to read of inducements openly offered to potential supporters—I almost said “voters”—even if these mini-bribes [...]

I think it’s actually realistic. Here’s why… Romney and Huckabee have 1st and 2nd locked up. The order in which they’ll finish is still up in the air, but I have a feeling that Huckabee could grab 1st because people just don’t seem to like Romney that much. Still, he has spent a ton of [...]

So I will probably be dead wrong about all of this, but on the off chance I’m right I will look like a damn genius. :-) Edwards in 1st He has been coming on very strong recently, mostly because of Hillary and Obama fatigue. I think the second choice will matter tomorrow, and Edwards is [...]

My question: should you really try to second guess a poll? I mean, folks, it’s a poll. It’s not like it’s a inaccurate news report on her record. Still, Chief Strategist Mark Penn does his dead level best to make the poll null and void. After all, he’s really a numbers guy at heart so [...]

This is the last poll before the caucus and it is historically very accurate. That doesn’t mean it will ultimately prove to be dead on, but it’s still VERY good news for his campaign. This is fantastic momentum going into January 3rd and everybody knows it. From the DMR: Obama was the choice of 32 [...]

What Huckabee pulled today was not only hilariously and woefully transparent, it also made him appear worse than the guy he was trying to smear. From NY Times: Mike Huckabee is holding a press conference right now in which he was supposed to unveil a new negative ad against arch rival Mitt Romney. But Mr. [...]

I think if you even have to ask the question the answer is obvious, but CBS tries to play it balanced anyway. Okay, so I’m assuming you’ve watched the video, and if so you’ll know that most of the candidates spend nearly ALL of their time in TWO states. Only Giuliani has spent any significant [...]

In poll after poll, voters are saying they want new ideas as opposed to experience. From Bloomberg: If the desire for dramatic change is on voters’ minds over the next 11 days in Iowa and New Hampshire, Obama enjoys real advantages. Democrats in both states say the need for new ideas is more important than [...]

(AP Photo by Evan Vucci) Joe Biden is sort of like the anti-Obama. He’s deeply entrenched in Washington, is a firm believer in the process and has a boatload of national legislative experience. So will that help him make an impact in Iowa? Well, if you ask Joe Biden… DES MOINES – – Joe Biden [...]

Bloomberg breaks down the realities… Caucuses make far greater demands of voters than primary elections, which usually only require the pull of a lever or push of a button to cast a ballot. On Jan. 3, Iowa caucus-goers will need to travel to their precincts, possibly through a snowstorm. Then, they will engage in a [...]

Recently, Barack and Hillary were tied and Huckabee led Romney. Well, things have changed, at least according to one poll. From CNN: In the new ARG survey, conducted December 20-23, she leads the Illinois senator by 15 percentage points, 34 to 19 percent. Obama is now in a statistical tie for second place with John [...]

So I was out a local brewery in downtown Des Moines last night, and I randomly met three women who have known Governor Bill Richardson for 30 years. Two of them are deputy Secretarys in his cabinet. I just happened to have my camera with me, so I interviewed them… My video tomorrow should be [...]

Hey Donklephant… My name is John Tomlin, and I am a student at Union College in Schenectady, New York. I recently launched a video blog called Meettheprez.net as my senior project. For the past two weeks, I have been going to campaign events in Iowa and reporting what I observe every day on my website. [...]

The original record was set in 2004 by John Kerry to the tune of $5.7 million. And that was after the Democratic convention. Think of all the press surrounding that event. Think of the drive to try and get Bush out of the White House. And yet with very little fanfare, Ron Paul has gone [...]

DMR outlines their reasons: Beyond their personal appeal, the candidates have outlined ambitious policy proposals on health care, education and rural policy. Yet these proposals do little to help separate the field. Their plans are similar, reflecting a growing consensus in the party about how to approach priority issues. The choice, then, comes down to [...]

[Re-published from 2008Central.net. We will update this post on Donklephant periodically, but for the latest check out the live blog at 2008Central.net] 2:00: And we’re here. First question about balancing the budget. Richardson shockingly talks about being a governor. Biden blames bad Republican priorities. Dodd talks about how everything is complicated and there needs to [...]