Meet Iowa's most wanted
2008 RACE | They're caucusing, they're undecided and they're in demand
NEWTON, Iowa -- White House hopeful Barack Obama starts every one of his five daily town hall meetings around Iowa the same way:
"How many of you are going to caucus?"
(AP)
Most of the hands in the room usually go up.
"OK, now how many of you are still undecided about who you're going to caucus for?"
A few dozen hands will go up.
Obama points to them, leans over to his organizers and says, "OK, see them? There's your target -- we've got some live ones. We're coming after ya."
It's a laugh line, but he's only half-joking. Those undecided voters who will definitely attend a caucus are the ones he and the other presidential candidates are desperately trying to reach in these final days with speeches, TV commercials, automated phone calls and mail.
"I'm burnt out on all the TV ads right now -- they've been hitting Iowa hard," said Sarah Stratton, 22, a University of Iowa student. She definitely will go to a caucus Thursday night but she has not even decided whether to go to a Democratic or Republican caucus. "I really like Obama, but in the past I have always been a Republican. I'm very uneducated about the candidates right now." She aims to educate herself in the next four days.
Heather Luft, 30, a stay-at-home mom from West Des Moines, likewise has not decided whether to attend a Democratic or GOP caucus, despite the Obama sticker on her sweater.
"I'm still undecided between Obama, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson," she said. "Hopefully I can meet a few more of them."
(Asked to distinguish himself from Romney, Obama said, "Mitt Romney is a handsome guy. He's taller than me." And while Romney said he does not use bad cuss words, Obama admitted, "I've used some harsh ones, the really good ones, the juicy ones.")
"I don't know how I'll make up my mind -- I don't know if some magic wand will just come along," said Joanna Havel, 49, a former mayor of Lone Tree, Iowa, who has never caucused before but will attend a Democratic caucus this year. "I think it's really important."
Havel's granddaughter has cancer so she is particularly interested in the candidates' stands on health care. As an Iowan, she has the luxury of going to hear many of the candidates speak, which she has.
"I'm looking at the top three Democrats," said Jake Nickel, 22, a University of Iowa student who will caucus at home in Keokuk or on campus in Iowa City.
"I just want to choose the one who can follow through on what they say they can do and make some change," Nickel said.