Are the Iowa Caucuses dead?
That’s the question Andrew Green, Central College professor of political science, and Kurt Sernett, a 2021 Central graduate, work to answer in a chapter of a book published digitally last year and just made available in print.
The book, “The 2020 Democratic Primary: Key Developments, Dynamics and Lessons for 2024,” provides a multi-layered analysis of the Democratic Primary, including party rules, party politics, campaign strategies, ideological tensions and demographic considerations.
Chapter two by Green and Sernett, titled “Are the Iowa Caucuses Dead?,” evaluates how the results of Iowa Caucuses have served presidential hopefuls and examines what happened before, during and after the 2020 Iowa Caucuses that led to technological challenges, miscommunication and stark criticisms of Iowa’s process. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the effects the 2020 Iowa Caucuses might have on the 2024 presidential election and beyond.
“We believe that the key to whether or not Iowa retains its first-in-the-nation status is based upon the decision of one individual: President Joe Biden,” the two political scientists share in the chapter.
Green and Sernett worked on the chapter while Sernett was still a student at Central. Sernett, from Kelley, Iowa, is now a graduate student at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. The book, edited by Luke Perry, was published by the Utica College Center for Public Affairs and Election Research in partnership with Palgrave-MacMillan. It is available to purchase at several online sources, including Amazon.
Green has taught at Central since 2005. He teaches courses in American politics and policy, political behavior and research methods. He also is Central’s pre-law advisor and faculty coach of Central’s Mock Trial Team. Green’s research focuses primarily on state and local politics and policy, and he has been published in journals such as “State Politics and Policy Quarterly,” “State and Local Government Review” and “California Journal of Politics and Policy.” He also authored the book “From the Iowa Caucuses to the White House: Understanding Donald Trump’s 2016 Electoral Victory in Iowa.”
