DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Fewer potential presidential candidates are spending this winter in Iowa, home to the nation’s first caucuses, and some wonder if the state party’s shift to the right could be scaring away some politicians.
White House hopefuls are still visiting Iowa, but less often than in past years. Lesser-known candidates such as former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum have made frequent Iowa stops. But others, such as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, haven’t come to Iowa lately.
Campaigning will intensify this spring, but some strategists wonder whether the more moderate contenders will follow the lesson of John McCain, who largely skipped the Iowa caucuses in 2008 and still locked up the Republican Party’s nomination in other states.
