Democratic presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris waits to speak at the Story County Democrats' annual soup supper fundraiser in Ames, Iowa. Photos / AP
Democratic presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris waits to speak at the Story County Democrats' annual soup supper fundraiser in Ames, Iowa. Photos / AP
Julian Castro had shaken every hand in an Iowa lawyer's living room, and he patiently waited to deliver his presidential stump speech to the 57 Democrats who'd turned out to hear it.
But the people in the dining room nibbling on pita chips hadn't gotten the message - and didn't tune into the former San Antonio mayor until a man standing near the front blew a loud, shrill whistle to silence the room.
A day later and 320km across the state in Ankeny, Senator Kamala Harris, D, marched onstage to a standing ovation and looked out on a room still filling with voters. Her first public Iowa campaign event drew 760 people and left staffers scrambling to add extra seats.
Half a dozen prominent Democrats descended on Iowa last weekend, seeking momentum for a primary presidential campaign or testing whether to plunge into an already-crowded field.
On one side was Harris, who continues to draw the large, selfie-seeking crowds she has had since announcing her bid.
On the other side was everyone else, Democrats like Castro, former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose crowds numbered in the double digits and who dubbed themselves underdogs as they implored Iowans to keep an open mind.
"When I ran for (Denver) mayor, no one thought I had a chance," said Hickenlooper, who is exploring whether to enter the race and spoke over the sounds of the espresso machine and an uncooperative sound system at a coffee house in Sioux City. "When I ran for governor, no one thought I had a chance. Now, no one thinks I have a chance."
The point of his joke was underscored a few minutes later during an impromptu news conference with reporters. The first question he was asked was how to say and spell his name. Then he was asked his title.
"Free agent. Until about six weeks ago, I was the governor of Colorado," he said.
About 45 minutes before Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado was to address the Polk County Democrats, Deb Hansen hurried to the door of Doc's Lounge, a small bar nestled in a Johnston, Iowa, mall, lugging a portable speaker.
Organisers had thought they could use the equipment from a local band for the senator's remarks, but the band wasn't due until later, so Hansen and her 6-year-old granddaughter came to the rescue.
Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, centre, greets Iowa State students.
Kenna Meredith snacked at a high-top table while her grandmother bustled around to help. Volunteers hung a sign welcoming Bennet, another potential presidential candidate, as a few voters trickled in and grabbed a beer.
"You should complain to the Polk County Democrats," a voter joked to Bennet's staff, comparing his welcome to that of the Democratic senator from Minnesota. "Amy Klobuchar's sign was twice that size."
About 45 minutes before Harris was scheduled to address the Asian and Latino Coalition at the Iowa Capitol yesterday - what was supposed to be a smaller, private event before her town hall - national and local news cameras were set up in the back of the room.
Chairs around a grand table were labelled with names of participants, each with a microphone nearby, and staffers worried whether the room, intended for an event of 60 onlookers, would hold the more than 100 or so who had already RSVP'd.
When she answered a question about US failures in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria with the words "as president, because I intend to win this election," the room cheered.
"She is already trying to bring people together," said Prakash Kopparapu, chairman of the coalition.
Senator Amy Klobuchar speaks at the Ankeny Area Democrats' Winter Banquet in Des Moines, Iowa.
At the town hall, Harris seemed to imply a heightened status as she spoke of "leadership qualities," "a vision for America" and a "track record of public service" that voters should consider.
"I have served as a leader in local government, state government, and now the federal government. I have seen how government impacts the lives of people at each level, and the experience I've had - including running an office of almost 5000 people when I was attorney-general of California - tells me the importance of thinking when we have these powerful positions about how our work impacts real human beings and prioritising that."
Other Democratic presidential candidates who have raised millions of dollars and have brought in large crowds were not in Iowa this weekend.
Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey campaigned in Nevada, while Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts spent the weekend in New Hampshire. Senator Bernie Sanders will start his campaign events next weekend.
Still, the sense of candidate haves and have-nots was apparent across the state - and occasionally across the room.
At one point, Harris, Castro and Hickenlooper were at the same event, a soup dinner in Ames.
Castro entered quietly from the back and dutifully went up to tables, shook hands and introduced himself.
When people noticed that Harris had arrived, attendees and TV cameras gravitated toward her, blocking the room's central aisle.
Candidates and voters were hesitant to draw meaning from the duality of one weekend in Iowa nearly a year out from the caucuses that will kick off 2020 voting.
The field of candidates already is larger than most caucus veterans can recall others being. And voters said they had never received this much attention from candidates so early in an election cycle.
Iowans who attended the events said they were dizzy but also delighted, hoping to fulfill Iowa's traditional role of thinning the field.
"Iowans see it as, you know, 'this is our job in American democracy,' " said Al Sturgeon, a Sioux City lawyer and a member of the Truman Club, which hosts Democratic presidential candidates.
So far the Google trend data from the CNN townhalls have shown a LOT of interest in Harris and far less so in Schultz and Klobuchar. Interesting to see where Bernie shakes out. (My guess is he will be closer to Harris than Schultz/Klobuchar.)
Almost all of the candidates who campaigned in Sioux City had been mayors or governors - executives who touted bipartisan success in solving problems, not just debating them.
"We need people who have visions," Hickenlooper told reporters after spelling his name. "Many of the senators out there, they're dreamers, good at debating back and forth. I'm a doer."
De Blasio, who said he has not decided whether to run, told voters in Sioux City that Democrats need to nominate an "unapologetic progressive" who could excite the party's voters and provide a clear contrast to Trump.
But few voters seemed to have picked a candidate in a field of Democrats with similar positions on issues like healthcare, criminal justice and climate change.
"A lot of the people running as Democrats have the same or similar messages," said Tim Bottaro, a personal-injury lawyer who leads the Truman Club. "So in a lot of ways, it's about who is the best messenger."
That might give an advantage to someone like Castro if the party thinks the best contrast to Trump is "someone who is young and fresh-faced," Bottaro said.
Analysis: Trump is making an aggressive play for Hispanic-American votes in Florida and beyond. Meanwhile, new polls suggest Democrats should be genuinely worried that Hispanic voters could help re-elect the president and keep the Senate in GOP control https://t.co/Bt9OVvXaXB
But the Iowan said he has only talked to a few candidates face to face and is far from done evaluating the entire field. He expects the next year to be much like this weekend, full of stump speeches and handshakes from people trying to build steam.
It was unclear whether Castro had succeeded in doing that after his speech at Sturgeon's house.
Of the nearly 60 Democrats who showed up, a handful wrote down their contact information so they could receive mailings from Castro's campaign. Most didn't grab a free bumper sticker on the way out.
The pita chips devoured, Sturgeon and Bottaro were already looking beyond Castro. There were still more candidates to invite to town, including, perhaps, the senator from Ohio.
"Are you still okay with hosting Sherrod Brown?" Bottaro asked.
