Extreme Winter Weather Disrupts Iowa Campaign Events Ahead Of Jan. 15 Caucus – Black Enterprise

by Daniel Johnson

January 14, 2024

According to the National Weather Service, the forecast for Jan. 15 will be the coldest ever on record.

The extreme winter weather in Iowa derailed campaign events as the state began dealing with freezing temperatures coupled with strong winds that could create dangerous conditions for those who would attempt to brave the elements to vote on Jan. 15 in the Iowa Caucus. As the Associated Press reports, some Republicans, like South Carolina’s Nikki Haley, pulled campaign events and converted them to tele-town halls instead. Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis postponed four events set for Jan. 12, citing weather concerns, but he did have a scheduled campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa’s capital city. 

Ahead of DeSantis’s event, the state patrol of Iowa warned Iowans about the weather on social media. “Please, don’t put yourself or others in danger,” the patrol warned before saying that conditions on Iowa’s roads were “extremely dangerous!” The National Weather Service’s Des Moines office posted images of jack-knifed tractor-trailers from interstates across Iowa; most of the state was underneath a blizzard warning. According to the National Weather Service, the forecast for Jan. 15 will be the coldest ever on record, besting the previous record low high temperature of 16 degrees, posted on Jan. 19, 2004.

Former President Donald Trump, who has been busy making court appearances in Washington, DC, and New York, like Haley, converted his scheduled live events into tele-rallies due to “an abundance of caution amid severe weather advisories.” Though the campaign took those steps, a campaign rep made comments suggesting people should brave the weather and attend events in person. Chris LaCivita, a senior advisor to Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, told the Associated Press that the campaign has a plan for in-person events, saying, “It’s old school, you know — poll workers and people who pick up people and drive ’em to the polls, so we have all of that stuff planned.”

The weather is poised to take an Arctic turn, which is projected to reach record lows of negative six degrees in Des Moines. Still, Iowa Republican Party leaders seem unfazed by the cold. Kush Desai, an Iowa GOP spokesperson, told the AP that the party had persisted to hold caucuses “through all sorts of weather events before.” Desai added that the party was watching the weather but were “not entertaining anything drastic yet” when it came to postponing votes. Desai said that he was in favor of making sure Iowa’s voice was heard, despite the potential freezing weather.

“There’s no doubt on our end about our commitment to keeping Iowa first in the nation and maintaining Iowa’s critical voice, not just for Iowa but for the heartland, in the presidential nominating process,” he said. “Even through the winter.”

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