Democrats dance, seek backing in Iowa
DESMOINES, IOWA: DEMOCRATS vying for the nomination to take on Republican US President Donald Trump tried to make a splash on Saturday as they entered the Party steak fry in Des Moines, Iowa, the state that will host the first nominating contest in early February.
Indian-origin US senator Kamala Harris marched in accompanied by a drumline. Former US housing chief Julian Castro danced alongside a mariachi band. Supporters of former US representative Beto O’rourke launched a makeshift boat with his campaign poster. Two women wore US pennies fashioned out of cardboard, costumed as US senator Elizabeth Warren’s proposed wealth tax. Seventeen of the 19 Democrats in the race to take on Trump in November 2020 spoke at the steak fry hosted by the Polk County Democrats, the county that includes Des Moines, Iowa’s most populous city.
More than 12,200 attended the Democratic Party fundraiser, breaking previous records and drawing visitors from Germany, Japan and Sweden, according to event organisers. Supporters arrived early to set up candidate yard signs alongside the road winding into the park. They trekked in wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the name of their favourite contender or cause. They sat in lawn chairs as the candidates spoke, cheering and chanting in the light rain as the ground grew muddy and posters soggy.
Iowans launch the 2020 Democratic nominating contest on February 3.