‘They’re clogging up the system’: How 59 Iowans see the 2020 Democratic field

DES MOINES — Iowans are overwhelmed by the size of the 2020 Democratic presidential field, leaving them with a vital question about the candidates who have been criss-crossing their state for months: Who are you people?

Of the dozens of state fairgoers we spoke to in a radically unscientific survey, all recognized former vice president Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.). There were a handful of candidates that almost everyone could identify, but fairgoers struggled to name others, especially those who haven’t participated in debates.

[Listen on Post Reports: 48 hours at the Iowa State Fair]

The Post asked Iowans gathered near two political mainstays at the fair to circle any of the 24 presidential hopefuls they could name. Those locations — the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox, where the fair’s version of candidate speed dating takes place, and the WHO-TV booth, where voters placed corn kernels in jars marked with their preferred candidate — were a magnet for political activists and casual observers alike.

Iowans are treated to hundreds of candidate visits over the course of a campaign, and few opportunities exist after Iowa’s caucuses for lesser-known candidates to have a breakout moment.

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‘There are too many choices’

Most of the Iowa residents we spoke with were still studying the presidential hopefuls — so numerous that they could nearly fill out an MLB team’s active roster. Many were able to identify some favorites, but were still forming their opinions of the candidates. Several had met candidates during their many campaign visits to the state.

Candidates will need to break through a crowded field to win over Iowa caucus-goers, who probably will narrow the field when they caucus on Feb. 3.

“I actually came over to listen to him, but I don't know what he looks like,” Des Moines resident Andy Ostbloom said before former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper took the soapbox stage. “Anybody who I don't know who they are, you should drop out.” (Hickenlooper left the race days later.)

“Isn’t he the one that’s for impeachment on the television?” Joey Bolstad of Des Moines asked as she looked over the candidates. “I can’t remember his name.”

That would be Tom Steyer. The billionaire started running a month ago, so he hasn’t been on the debate stage yet, but he spent more than $1 million to fill Iowa’s airwaves with his name and face. The others who fell short of the debates — Wayne Messam, Rep. Seth Moulton (Mass.) and former congressman Joe Sestak (Pa.) — were recognized only by the most politically attuned fairgoers.

“Certainly some of these people have got to start dropping out,” said Kat Nutt of West Des Moines. “After September, if the funding's not coming in, they're not going to be able to sustain a campaign.”

Not everyone was so worried about the number of candidates.

“We’re six months away yet. We’ve got time,” said Jay Robinson of Ames. “It doesn’t bother me that we got a lot of choices. I think it’s nice to do that for once. And they will winnow out eventually.”

‘One of my top picks’

Most Iowans we spoke with had developed a short list of their favorite candidates, but were open to hearing more of what they had to say.

“I’m here to get more information about Julián Castro. He might be in my top five, but he would be five,” said Kathy Welsh of Iowa City, whose daughter was the Johnson County Fair queen. After the speech, she said Castro “really knocked it out of the park.”

“The problem is all of the people I’m passionate about are in the lower echelons right now,” said Thomas Lecaque, a history professor who plans to caucus for Castro. “We have six months, we’ll see what happens.”