5 things to watch in the Iowa caucuses

A young supporter wears campaign stickers on her face as democratic presidential candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during a “get out to caucus” event at Washington High School on January 30.

Trump has leads in all other recent polls to date.

Hillary Clinton said this morning she’s a “better candidate” than she was in 2008, giving credit to her campaign team.

Clinton urged voters to “please be there” for her tonight.

The candidates will be chosen by the summer, ahead of the election at the end of the year.

Iowa will be the first time Trump, a real estate mogul and former reality TV star, puts his appeal to the test. A win could validate a campaign that has featured his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States and a wall on the Mexican border, and put him in a strong position for later contests.

Several Iowans told the Register they’re waiting until then to decide who to support, including Sheila DeVries of Cedar Falls, who spent Saturday rushing between campaign events for Carly Fiorina, Chris Christie and Jeb Bush. “Nobody likes him… you can’t run a country that way…it will be a total mess”, Trump said.

Those numbers are awarded proportionately, based on statewide and congressional district voting, as Iowa Democrats determine their 44 delegates to the national convention. “If somebody has no money and they’re lying in the middle of the street and they’re dying, I’m going to take care of that person”.

The Clintons will close out caucus night at Drake University in Des Moines.

“I’ve learned something about the character of the people of Iowa”, O’Malley said.

Meanwhile, two upstarts – who were largely not taken seriously as candidates upon their campaign declarations – have seen their fortunes change in the state, with one clearly in first place among the array of remaining Republican contenders, and the other neck-and-neck with his Democratic rival.

“My philosophy is this: Which piece of candy do I want today?”

For Trump, all eyes are on whether his support is simply made up of Trump fans or actual caucus-goers.

The last major preference poll before the caucuses showed a tight Democratic race.

Democrats were only slightly more decisive in 2008, when 11 percent decided the day of the caucus and 9 percent decided in the last three days, according to entrance polls.

The state is tailor-made for Ted Cruz, with lots of conservative evangelical voters.

For the Democrats, Clinton needs a win in Iowa to prevent a potential two-state opening losing streak that would raise fresh questions about a candidate who was considered the clear front-runner just two months ago, before a surge of support for Sanders. Look out, though. A snowstorm is forecast to hit the next day, and if the wintry weather arrives earlier than expected, at least some caucus-goers could opt to stay home rather than courageous slick roads.

Beyond the different political opinions and the caucuses, what I found most interesting was the involvement. “I feel ready. I feel strong, and I think I’m the best person to be the nominee and to defeat whoever they nominate in November”.

“I don’t think the polls always show the truth”, one voter said.