Iowa’s winter blast could make an unrepresentative way of picking presidential nominees even more so

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s brutal winter weather is making an unrepresentative process even less representative. The subzero temperatures, icy roads and life-threatening wind chills may keep some Republican caucusgoers home on Monday (Jan. 15, 2024). But only a tiny slice of the state even takes part in the kickoff to the GOP presidential nominating process, anyway. The state’s population is whiter, more rural and evangelical than the rest of the nation. As Iowa has become a firmly Republican state, the two major parties have diverged on their nominating schedules: The Democrats are starting on Feb. 3 with South Carolina while the GOP is sticking with Iowa. But some experts say there’s an argument for kicking things off in a small state.