https://ghostarchive.org/archive/replay/w/id-d6b589a25342/im_/https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/01/15/multimedia/15iowa-caucuses-living-room-01-vqfp/15iowa-caucuses-living-room-01-vqfp-jumbo.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp Sharon McNutt spent much of Caucus Day on Monday baking fresh cherry-chip cookies, cleaning bathroom sinks and taking her coffee pot out of storage.
No, she was not just keeping busy amid the Iowa cold spell — she was preparing to host at least 35 people in her home on caucus night.
Ms. McNutt, the mayor of Silver City, Iowa — population 245 — and her husband, Gary McNutt, have been hosting caucuses in their home every two years since 2002.
“I consider myself a professional,” Ms. McNutt said.
This year they hosted the state’s last living-room caucus — the only one to occur in someone’s home, out of 1,657 Iowa Republican precinct locations. On Monday, the McNutts set up chairs they had collected over the years from garage sales and dollar stores, and placed them amid recliners and tables lined with knickknacks. Their new Siamese kitten, Stella, slunk between chairs as caucusgoers trickled in and sat down on Monday night.
Ms. McNutt said that in 2016, 50 people showed up to caucus, more than she had expected, so she ran around the house trying to find enough chairs. Someone called her “the chair lady” that night, she remembered.
“You’ve been called worse,” Mr. McNutt said with a laugh.
Ms. McNutt said this was the coldest caucus she had ever hosted.
“It was cold before, but not this cold,” she said. She added that if any voters needed a blanket, she would find one for them, and that she would have the fireplace running all evening. Image
It’s not just deciding the candidates. It’s a lot less of a vote in an election (like a primary) and more of a neighborhood meeting. People give speeches, express support or disdain, and try to convince other people to support their candidate. I believe they still vote at the end, but it’s not like an election where voting is the only thing you do. It’s different depending on the state, but that’s how it generally works in Iowa.
Edit; also important to note that caucus has different meanings depending on where it happens. I.e. if it happens in Congress then it’s a meeting of peers with similar backgrounds who then vote or decide on policy positions.