Welcome to Iowa, where Trump's purple patch could turn a blue state red
At Joni’s Roast and Ride, the nominee mixed with hog-riders and hog-eaters. In rare harmony, party bigwigs loved him just as much as grass-roots voters
Ben Jacobs in Des Moines, Iowa
@Bencjacobs
Sunday 28 August 2016 06.00 EDT
In November 2015 Donald Trump proclaimed to a crowd of Iowans: “How stupid are the people of Iowa?” Two months later he lost the Iowa Republican caucus. Almost a year on he may win the Hawkeye State in the presidential election.
Republicans have only won Iowa once since Ronald Reagan – in 2004, when George Bush eked out a win by 10,000 of more than 1.5 million votes. And yet, among the traditional battleground states, Iowa has become perhaps Trump’s best hope of a win. While national polls show the Republican far behind his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, recent Iowa polls have the candidates neck and neck.
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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/28/donald-trump-iowa-republican-red-state