The battle for Iowa

摘要

Every fourth winter Iowa becomes the centre of American politics when its caucuses start the presidential primaries. Otherwise the state is largely ignored. It is too small, too agricultural and too mono-ethnically white to be the centre of anything. But this year, though the presidency is not at stake, election-watchers' eyes are fixed on boring old Iowa. Iowa has become a classic swing state. In 2000, Al Gore won it by fewer than 5,000 votes. Now it is one of four states in the upper mid-west with a close Senate race. It is one of three where other statewide races are close, too (along with Minnesota and South Dakota). And, uniquely in a country where most congressional districts have been gerrymandered on behalf of incumbents, Iowa lets a non-partisan panel design its districts. Four of the state's five House seats have competitive contests, so its 3m people will decide more real battles than the 86m people in California, New York, Texas and Illinois.