What if Kerry wins Iowa?

[ringmastery]

How would this change the race in NH and beyond?

[maddezmom]

1. He could end up being the "Comeback Kid"

even if he gets 2nd. And it will bring huge momentum going into NH...Clark's position of #2 there could seriously be in jeopardy. I'd rather the race last beyond IA and NH anyway. :)

[nightperson]

2. We need a shakeup.

Even if it doesn't lead to Kerry getting the nomination, him winning and his campaign cranking on would shake up things and maybe interest more people, reinvigorate our thinking, and get the party out of the trench warfare/stalemate/rut it's been in for a while. I mean, c'mon, let's face it, this fabled Dean phenomenon has after all this time only really excited about 1/3 of the party. The General has his supporters, but nobody has exactly caught fire with or unified even a solid majority of Democrats. Meanwhile, "the man in the street" has his own busy life to lead and has to keep track of how many names and claims being tossed around? Bush is still at 60% popularity, we need to start trying some different things. Time for an overall shakeup of some sort, I think. If it benefits Kerry, all the better :P .

[markburgess]

3. placing well in IA should cut into Clark's numbers in NH.

Not participating in Iowa may have been a very bad decision for Clark. A strong showing by Kerry could slow Clark's momentum by reinvigorating Kerry's campaign and shifting voters from Clark to Kerry. It could be enough to keep Clark from overtaking Dean in NH, or possibly even put the race for second place back into play.

[ithinkmyliverhurts]

4. If Kerry wins Iowa, then

the Iowan hog farmers need to devise a way to clip those wings.

Kerry needs to work on a good way to spin third place. There's no spinning fourth, and, I agree, taking second would be HUGE.

[Dookus]

5. well...

he won't.

But if he did, it would be huge for him. It would give him at least a 6-9 pt bump in NH.

But he won't win Iowa. And he'll come in a distant third or maybe fourth in New Hampshire.

It's unfortunate for him - I like Kerry a lot. But it's going to be a race between Dean and Clark, UNLESS Gephardt has a surprise win in Iowa and gets a strong bump in NH.

Nobody considers Gephardt as a serious contender, but I believe it's a three-way race: Dean, Clark and Gephardt.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

6. What would we do with all the monkeys?

You know, the ones that would be flying out of my butt?

[mouse7]

7. Then there will be serious air traffic control problems

[David Dunham]

8. Kerry Could Win Iowa

Kerry is only 3 points behind Dean in today's Zogby tracking poll. The press and opponents are continuing to hammer Dean daily. Kerry is generally getting favorable coverage. Dean may be going, going, gone.