by John McCormick
Iowa has long been known for its retail politics, and a new Iowa Poll by The Des Moines Register shows just how personal it gets.
The newspaper reports that a quarter of caucus-bound Democrats and Republicans have met at least one of the presidential candidates, and that the presidential contenders have already logged more than 500 days of campaigning in the state this year.
The Iowa Poll also says:
* More than three-fourths of likely caucus participants have been contacted by a presidential campaign.
* Forty-three percent have been to a campaign event where a candidate appeared.
* Sixteen percent have donated money to a candidate.
* And seven percent have been interviewed about the first-in-the-nation caucuses by the news media.
The Register’s full report is linked here.