The Battle for Iowa Continues

Like any Iowan worth his salt, Lance Jenkins is used to tuning out campaign robocalls. But when the 28-year old Web designer got a buzz from the Clinton camp last week, his ears perked up.  "I listened to more of it than I normally would," he says. "I thought it was odd that I was receiving a political solicitation this long after the caucuses."

Remember Iowa? It's been more than two months and nearly four dozen primaries and caucuses since the Hawkeye State kicked off the 2008 election season back on Jan. 3, but Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama haven't quite moved on. On Saturday, the 13,485 precinct-level delegates who committed to the candidates on caucus night will travel to county conventions, where they will select delegates to the district and state conventions scheduled for April and June. (These delegates will then go on to appoint Iowa's 45 national delegates.) None of Iowa's delegates--precinct, district or state--are bound to their candidates; a Clintonite can flip to Obama and an Obamaniac can flip to Clinton. Needless to say, that hasn't mattered much in recent elections, when the Democratic nominee was decided by Super Tuesday. But now it does. So instead of ignoring the latter stages of Iowa's convoluted nominating process like their predecessors, both the Obama and Clinton camps have hired staff to whip up turnout.

Which is where Jenkins--a county delegate himself--comes in. As recent reports have shown, both campaigns are actively pursuing the 30 percent of county delegates pledged to John Edwards; his estimated 14 statewide delegates--now free-agents--would be a major boon. "Absolutely they're fair game," says Karen Hicks, a senior adviser to the Clinton campaign. "We are reaching out to a lot of them, trying to persuade them to join our team." But Jenkins says that the Clintonites are going a step further--and cites himself as evidence. According to Jenkins, the robocall he received from the Clinton campaign was a solicitation. "It said something like, 'As the county convention nears, we ask that you consider Hillary,'" he recalls. "It rattled off a bunch of Clinton's talking points, like experience, substance, ready on day one, etc." The only problem? Jenkins is committed to Obama--meaning that, in Jenkins words, "Clinton is actively pursuing pledged delegates."

Is this true? And does it matter? On Tuesday, Clinton spokesman Phil Singer confirmed that the campaign is calling county delegates, but disputed Jenkins' accusation. "The point of the call is to identify our delegates," he told me. "The Iowa Democratic Party sends us a list of all the delegates, but it doesn't specify who they're pledged to. Which ones are for Obama? Which ones are for Edwards? We're calling to find out." I reminded Singer that Jenkins had received an automated message, not an inquiry asking whom he supports; Singer repeated that the calls were meant to identify Clintonites, not flip Obama people. When I asked for a script, Singer said he would get back to me. He hasn't. What's more, Iowa Democratic Party political director Norm Sterzenbach contradicts Singer's claim, saying that "80 percent" of the county delegates are, in fact, linked to their chosen candidates on the lists sent to the campaigns--Lance Jenkins among them. "There's quite a bit of activity out there," says Sterzenbach. "It's a very unique year."

Now, a pro-Hillary robocall isn't exactly a dirty trick, and pursuing county delegates is perfectly legit. (If that is, in fact, what the Clinton camp is doing; I'll let you know when I hear back from Singer.) But it does raise questions about where the race is headed.

UPDATE, 7:12 p.m.: Here's a more detailed description of the call from another Obama delegate:

"This is the Hillary Clinton campaign. We are calling you because you are a delegate or an alternate to the county convention." (Some 30-45 seconds of talking points). "If you are supporting Hillary Clinton at the county convention, press 1." I listened to the last question and did not press 1. The same question was repeated two more times. At no time was there an option to press for any other candidate.

According to someone who would know, the Clinton campaign had concerns about the accuracy of the delegates that were identified, so they robocalled all the listed delegates to ensure that everyone knew about the convention. 

That explanation is totally reasonable, especially in light of the "press 1" option. But from the description of the call--especially the 30-45 seconds of talking points, which have nothing to do with ID'ing supporters--it seems like the whole thing could work another way, too. Keep track of how many delegates you have and, by getting your message out, maybe pick up a few. If this is "delegate poaching"--which, I remind you, is totally legit--it's the mildest, most passive form imaginable. Stay tuned to see if these "identification with benefits" robocalls reappear in the run-up to the convention.