Democrats look towards caucus after losing numerous races in November

Dubuque County, Iowa – When lawmakers meet Monday for the 2025 legislative session, Iowa Republicans will be more dominant.

According to several Democratic chairs in Iowa, the caucus is the next step for them. The Democratic Party Caucus, which selects presidential nominees, is not limited to election years. Every party also has “off-year” caucuses, where leadership positions are chosen and party business is mostly handled.

“We gave it our all,” stated Matt Robinson, the Democratic Chair for Dubuque County. “That may not be evident from the election results.”

In November, state representative Chuck Isenhart, who was running for a seventh term in the Iowa House, was defeated, among other significant losses for his party, Robinson acknowledges.
He remarked, “Obviously, we’re discouraged.” “The election cycle was challenging.”

Robinso says his attention is on the forthcoming “off-year” Caucus in March and, more specifically, the message the party wants to convey to voters moving ahead, even as Republicans prepare to report to work at the State Capitol.

“Working-class messaging is going to be a big thing,” Robinson stated. “Our elections are being driven by financial and economic concerns, and if we hope to win in the future, we will need to improve.”

He claimed that although Dubuque County Democrats attempted to do so in November, their promotion was subpar.

He remarked, “If I’m being completely honest, it felt more like something we responded to than we messaged.”

It was tough to watch veteran candidates lose in Dubuque County, but Robinson says they now have a chance to take action.

When it comes to message, he stated, “We really need to talk to voters, not to voters.” “I have been putting a lot of effort into that with both our candidates and all of our volunteers. We must hear what our voters have to say.