The Democratic Showdown in Iowa

<p>In just three months, the first election of the Democratic presidential race will be held in Iowa.</p><p>Over the weekend, the party held its most important political event yet in the prelude to that vote — including a fabled annual dinner attended by almost every remaining candidate in the campaign. At this dinner in 2007, Barack Obama, then a senator, delivered a searing critique of Hillary Clinton’s electability, helping him pull ahead in the polls. Candidates this time around were hoping for a similar campaign-defining moment.</p><p>We traveled to Des Moines to find out how the candidates are trying to stand out in a crowded field and to try to discern who might have the political support, financial might and organizational prowess to become the nominee.</p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/reid-j-epstein?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">Reid J. Epstein</a>, a campaigns and elections reporter for The Times based in Washington D.C. </p><p>Clare Toeniskoetter and Monika Evstatieva, producers for “The Daily,” who traveled to Des Moines to speak with campaign supporters.</p><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. </p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>With the Iowa caucuses fast approaching, the ideological debate has remained the same, but the key players have shifted, with Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senator Elizabeth Warren<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/02/us/politics/Iowa-buttigieg-warren.html" target="_blank"> appearing to have gained momentum</a>. </li><li>The latest poll in Iowa suggested that Ms. Warren had seized much of Bernie Sanders’s youthful following. Here are<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/02/us/politics/iowa-poll-highlights.html" target="_blank"> five takeaways from the survey</a>.</li></ul>