Iowa delegates to the Democratic National Convention cast their votes in a ceremonial roll call last night.
Party officials announced earlier this month that the Iowa delegation was unanimously supporting Harris as their party’s presidential nominee, but the chair of the Iowa Democratic Party’s Arab American Caucus voted present. All the other Iowa delegates supported the Harris-Walz ticket.
Each state chose an upbeat dance tune for their time in the spotlight. Rita Hart, the chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, made the announcement as “Celebrate” by Kool and the Gang played.
“The Tall Corn State of Iowa, the state that launched Barack Obama on his way to the presidency, the state that put ‘Education’ on its state quarter and the state that feeds and fuels the world casts one vote (present) and 45 votes for the next president of the United States of America, Kamala Harris,” Hart said.
Obama won Iowa’s 2008 Caucuses and carried the state in the 2008 and 2012 General Elections. Donald Trump won Iowa in 2016 and 2020. Polls this year in Iowa have consistently shown Trump leading Joe Biden by a significant margin. Brian Jackson, a delegate from Solon, said having Harris at the top of the ticket could make a big difference.
“Maybe folks who were not 100% happy with some of Biden’s policies — he’s done a lot of great things. There are some things that people might disagree with,” Jackson said during an interview n the convention hall. “I think we’re going to see a lot of those people in the middle of the road and even people on the Republican side realize that what we’re trying to do is bring people together.”
Election Day is 76 days away.
