Support from younger voters was key to wins by Barack Obama in Iowa and Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire. Both campaigns will continue to woo this key group as they look forward to the Illinois primary and contests in more than 20 other states Feb. 5.  

By Meg White

Moving the nation's first primary contest from one flat, Midwestern state to another may not seem like a radical idea. But changing the primary schedule so that the "Land of Lincoln" voted before the Hawkeye state could change the outcome of presidential elections altogether.

"It would be a remarkably different world," said Kent Redfield, political science professor at the University of Illinois in Springfield.

Illinois is one of 22 states with primaries scheduled Feb. 5, known as Super Tuesday, to weigh in on the candidates for president. Iowa held the first caucus in the nation on Jan. 3.

Illinois and Iowa are not as similar as their shared border may suggest. Most notably, Illinois is more diverse.

By Meg White

The first step on the long road to picking our next president is taken by party faithful in a largely rural state that has more cows (205,000) than African Americans (74,552).

An Iowa state law supported by the Democrat and Republican Parties is what ensures the state's caucus is first contest to count in the race for the White House. But with recent changes in the primary schedule, some are asking, "Why Iowa?"

Although caucuses began with the establishment of Iowa as a state, they got little attention until 1972 when a combination of media coverage and heavy campaigning put the state on a trajectory to political importance.

By John Lendman

As the presidential primaries continue, an ongoing theme has been to bring about "change." For the gay and lesbian community, however, the next president could bring a lot of change in future legislation.

While many socially liberal candidates favor "pro-gay" issues such as legalizing civil unions and abolishing the "don't ask, don't tell" military policy, others strategically shy away from an issue many Americans are passionate about.

In 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives passed two key sexual orientation-based discrimination bills - the "Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act" in May and the "Employment Non-Discrimination Act" in November. These pieces of legislation would impact many Americans if signed into law.

By Agnes Pietryka

Republicans have yet to see a clear front-runner emerge from the first three presidential contests in New Hampshire, Wyoming and Iowa.

Some believe the GOP presidential race could steer straight through to September's Republican National Convention with no nominee.

Republican Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) surged in New Hampshire's Jan. 8th primary with 37 percent of the vote, followed by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at 32 percent and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee with 11 percent.

In Iowa Jan. 3rd, Huckabee placed first with 34 percent,  and Romney carried Wyoming Jan. 5th by 67 percent.

"Many Republicans are confused (about) who they will vote for at the moment," said Iowa state Sen. David Hartsuch (R-Bettendorf).

Hartsuch said if Romney placed second in Iowa and New Hampshire - which he did - the result would be no candidate with a clear message. He said it's possible  each contender could get one-third of the nominations at the convention.

As the presidential primaries continue, an ongoing theme has been to bring about "change." For the gay and lesbian community, however, the next President could bring quite a bit of change in future legislation.

While many socially liberal candidates are in favor of "pro-gay" issues such as legalizing civil unions and abolishing the "don't ask, don't tell" military policy, others strategically shy away from an issue many Americans are passionate about.

The end of 2007 did however see the House of Representatives pass two key sexual orientation-based discrimination bills- the "Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act" in May and the "Employment Non-Discrimination Act" in November.

"These key events influence millions of gay and lesbian Americans", said Trevor Thomas, Deputy Communications Director of the Human Rights Campaign, America's leading organization advocating equal rights for the gay and lesbian community.

"We would like to see a president selected in 2008 that would help sign these bills into law," Thomas said.

By Jennifer T. Lacey

Bettendorf, Iowa - Sylvia and Glen Bellows, married for 40 years and recent transplants from nearby Illinois, were excited about their first Iowa caucuses. Both use wheelchairs because of polio but were determined to be part of the electoral process.

"If you don't go participate, then you have no right to complain," said Sylvia Bellows, 61.

A record number of Democrats and Republicans participated in the Jan. 3 caucuses. The numbers may have been higher if more people with disabilities knew about assistance available to them.

It was uncertain how many persons with disabilities were among the 12,541 Scott County Democrats and 5,603 Republicans who caucused or how many disabled residents couldn't make it given the cold temperatures and snow-covered roads and sidewalks.

By Becky Schlikerman

People - and dollars - poured into Iowa for the Jan. 3 caucuses, including campaign staffers, journalists, political activists and spectators. The hospitality sector and media advertisement sales got the largest economic boost. And the publicity for the state was not bad, either, experts said.

Des Moines, Iowa's capital, earned about $25 million due to the caucuses, said Tiffany Tauscheck, director of marketing for the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau. That’s a 31 percent increase over 2004, when $19 million entered the city's economy. This number does not include spending in other parts of the state, where campaigning occurred and journalists visited.

By Meha Ahmad

A candidate can advertise, prepare speeches and have a well-oiled campaign. In Iowa, it might help to be Christian, too.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney lost the GOP nomination in the first presidential contest of 2008 in Iowa to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. There has been much speculation that Romney's Mormon faith hurt him, while Huckabee, a former Baptist minister, was more appealing to conservative evangelical Iowans, many of whom believe Mormonism is not a Christian denomination.

In the Jan. 8th New Hampshire primary, Romney placed second with 31 percent and Huckabee was a distant third with 11 percent.

By Agnes Pietryka
BETTENDORF, Iowa - New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, once the front-runner in national polls and recipient of The Des Moines Register endorsement, placed a shocking third in the Iowa Democratic caucuses.

With all 1,781 precincts reporting, Clinton finished third with 29.5 percent to Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who earned about 38 percent and former Sen. John Edwards with nearly 30 percent, according to the Iowa Democratic Party.

Obama is the first African-American to win the Iowa caucuses and one of the candidates credited with increasing attendance to more than 200,000 Democratic participants. Many of the newcomers are younger and more independent than traditional caucus-goers.

Edwards, the former North Carolina senator and 2004 vice president democratic nominee, barely beat Clinton for second place and raised only a third of the money.