why is iowa a newsworthy swingstate

[gospelized]

and not virginia?

iowa has 10 electoral votes

virginia has 13

iowa has bush 6 points ahead

virginia has bush only 3 points ahead.

why is iowa getting so much attention, and va's not even really considered a swing state to the media?

[Kierkegaard]

1. Because the internal polling shows the real picture.

Repeat after me: I won't listen to the polls... I won't listen to the polls...

[Eric J in MN]

2. Because Gore won Iowa, but lost VA by 8 points.

Please donate to the Iowa Democratic Party, as I did last night:

http://www.iowademocrats.org/

[Kokonoe]

3. This chart is neat, could be helpful.

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/politics/2004_ELECTIONGUIDE_GRAPHIC/index_CALCULATOR.html

[emulatorloo]

6. Thanks - very helpful. . .I think we can do it.

Still cautiously optimistic

[olddem43]

4. Probably because it went to Gore last time and Virginia didn't

Bush was expected to take Virginia all along. Iowa was close last time.

[Rhoderick]

5. This may be why

Virginia typically goes to the Republicans. The last time a Democrat won Virginia was in 1964 (LBJ). In 2000, Bush clobbered Gore in Virginia by about 10%, and Clinton even lost Virginia in 1996.

While it's not impossible to swing the state to Kerry's column, those last few percentage points aren't like Iowa's. They're more concrete and much less likely to move. Maybe by 2008 Virginia will be in play as northern Fairfax County (a more liberal area) continues to grow at a rapid pace.

My guess is that Kerry's campaign has strategically decided that Virginia would be nice, but Iowa is more plausible.

[dave502d]

7. Bush told Iowa in 2000,He would back ethanol plants.

Than he never gave money for the ethanol plants.If this is true,
Why dosen't Kerry hit with add about ethanol plants.