Reviews
From David Bonior, former U.S. House Democratic Whip and 2008 John Edwards campaign manager:
"Why Iowa? is the real 'game changer' in American presidential political literature. The authors have painstakingly documented with superb data and analysis why the nation's first contest matters so much. Their contribution to the literature is a must reading for students, scholars, strategists, and anyone who love politics and is interested in the making of a successful presidential campaign."
From Christopher Hull, author of Grassroots Rules: How the Iowa Caucus Helps Elect American Presidents:
"This is an excellent, groundbreaking study of the Iowa caucus, as well as the presidential nomination system. Why Iowa? is fascinating reading, rich in new insights and studded with gems unearthed by its powerful analysis. It represents a strong step forward in our understanding of why the U.S. presidential nominating system works the way it does, and it contains an astonishing breadth of survey information. Well-written and readable, this will be a crucial contribution to the election literature for students and scholars alike. And in the end, the book makes a convincing arguments for, well, why Iowa: because, as the authors clearly demonstrate, we can see candidates like Obama learning from the caucus process how to campaign face to face, and how important that is for democracy."
From Daron Shaw, University of Texas at Austin:
"Why Iowa? is an important and interesting study, filled with a terrific array of new data. The authors clearly understand Iowa and its role in the nominating process, and never lose sight of local politics while considering big-picture issues. The book's main idea -- how we structure elections in the United States has consequences for who ins these elections, as well as for what sort of public policy we get -- contents that structure matters for Iowa, and Iowa matters for the nation. Although there have been interesting accounts of the Iowa precinct caucuses, there is nothing that approaches the scope and depth of the analysis presented here, Almost everybody I work with would want to read this book."