Marshall County GOP leaders expect busy caucus next Monday

T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY — Past County Chairman Reed Riskedahl, left, and current Marshall County GOP Co-Chair Dave Engel, right, pose for a photo at Legends American Grill on Friday afternoon. During the weekly Pachyderm Herd lunch, they spent most of their time explaining and preparing for the upcoming Iowa Caucus, which is set for Jan. 15.

It’s been eight years since Republicans have held a competitive presidential caucus, so there’s plenty of excitement surrounding the first in the nation proceedings scheduled for next Monday evening. In Marshall County, party leaders are expecting anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 people at the MHS Roundhouse along with those residing outside of Marshalltown, who will vote for their preferred candidate at one of several other sites around the county.

During the weekly Pachyderm Herd lunch at Legends American Grill, past party chairman Reed Riskedahl provided a detailed rundown of what everyone who attends can expect, what business other than simply voting for one of the candidates will be handled and a whole lot more during a presentation that lasted about an hour.

As was mentioned several times, the caucus will begin at 7 p.m., and the party leadership is asking voters to arrive by 6 p.m. in anticipation of a large crowd. Before the votes are cast, caucus goers will have a chance to donate to the party, hear short speeches from surrogates for each candidate, elect caucus chairs and secretaries by precinct, elect central committee members and delegates for the county convention scheduled for Feb. 17, and seek platform plank submissions for consideration.

One point Riskedahl would like to hammer home is that contrary to the Iowa Democrats — who were stripped of their first in the nation status after the 2020 election and are making other major changes to their process — the Republican caucus will look very familiar to anyone who has participated in the past. And unlike Democrats, who during previous cycles utilized a unique format where voters would gather in designated areas for their favored candidate and attempt to recruit supporters of candidates who did not meet the viability threshold, GOP voters simply cast a ballot and they’re done once it’s time to vote.

But just because voting only takes a short period of time doesn’t mean there isn’t more business to handle.

“The work of the party,” Riskedahl said when asked what else the caucus entails. “I mean, getting ready for the business that we have to do. What we’re trying to do is to make sure that we do all the work and prepare and share with everybody what we’re gonna do, so the work that has to be done behind the scenes — the fundraising, the organization, trying to find candidates.”

T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY — Members of the Marshall County Pachyderm Herd perform some pre-caucus work at Legends American Grill on Friday afternoon.

It’s also a chance to showcase the work the leaders of the local party do, as Riskedahl remarked that many people are essentially unaware they exist and think events like the Caucuses happen by themselves. In reality, they run entirely on the work of volunteers.

“That’s the part I really want to get out there. We need people to help step forward (and) take responsibility for things that they can help do,” he said. “Maybe they can help canvass with somebody, and they may have the ability to be able to do something on a computer and help us with some software, post stuff on social media, all that stuff.”

With seven candidates still on the ballot as this issue went to press — former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former UN Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, pharmaceutical entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and pastor and businessman Ryan Binkley — Riskedahl is expecting a turnout close to an all-time record.

“When you’ve got seven candidates that are potentially viable on the straw poll ballot, it’s extremely meaningful because suddenly, you know, a lot of different people may want to push for their candidate, and we’re not gonna discourage that. We want to encourage that,” he said. “And we want them to know that when they get all done, if their candidate isn’t the one that’s being chosen out of the group, then we still want them to be part of the organization. We don’t want people to go away simply because their particular candidate isn’t the one who’s chosen.”

And of course, for Republicans in particular with Democratic President Joe Biden currently occupying the White House, getting out the vote in 2024 is crucial if they hope to make him a one term commander-in-chief.

“It’s critical because, we, as Republicans, our alternative is those other party whackos suddenly giving us fits because some of our people just don’t even step forward. We want them to make sure we continue to do what we do. Vote for a Republican even if you only agree with 70 percent of what that particular candidate is for,” Riskedahl said. “Because otherwise, you’re going to be voting for the opposite candidate if you don’t vote. You’ve gotta vote, and we really need you to turn out and vote for the Republican candidate, the nominee, when it all comes out.”

Although Republicans now hold a slight advantage over Democrats in terms of registration, Marshall County remains one of the purplest in Iowa in terms of the split, and leaders of both parties are doing what they can to fight for every vote. Dave Engel recently became the co-chairman of the Marshall County GOP and said he’s excited but nervous for his first Caucus in charge.

“I taught speech for 26 years, so I don’t really get afraid of crowds. I just want to make sure I get things done in a clear, effective way, so (Riskedahl) is gonna help me out,” Engel said. “He’s been great. I really wouldn’t be able to do this without Reed. In fact, Reed was the guy who basically stared at me until I volunteered to be co-chair.”

Anyone with questions about the caucus process between now and next Monday is encouraged to reach out to Marshall County GOP Secretary and Pachyderm Herd Program Director Shari Coughenour at MarshallCountyGOP@gmail.com.

Republican Caucus locations are listed below. All Democratic precincts will meet at the MHS Cafeteria.

1-1 Marshalltown City

Marshalltown Community School Roundhouse