A veteran speaking at the Toledo Republican Caucus. PHOTO BY MICHAEL D. DAVIS

TAMA COUNTY – In the end, it really wasn’t much of a contest.

Much like the rest of Iowa, Republican caucusgoers in Tama County overwhelmingly favored one candidate Monday night for the 2024 presidential nominee – former president Donald Trump who garnered more than 58% of the caucus vote share according to unofficial results shared with the newspaper by Tama Co. Republican Central Committee chair Mark Doland.

Statewide, Trump earned 51% of the caucus vote placing him 30 points up from the nearest competitor and smashing the record for a contested Iowa GOP caucus according to reporting by the Associated Press.

Amid the backdrop of life-threatening wind chills and many roads still not completely plowed out following last week’s winter storm walloping, more than 550 Republicans attended Tama County’s eight caucus locations Monday evening.

In Clutier’s JnR Community Center – a former Catholic Church now privately owned by Jim and Ronda Edwards – 32 Republican voters from both Carroll and Oneida townships navigated the snowy roads and biting cold to cast their ballots.

A local at the Toledo Republican Caucus sporting a Trump hat. PHOTO BY MICHAEL D. DAVIS

At 6:30 p.m. the line outside the former church’s gathering room spilled into the hall with most bundled up in winter attire.

Many of those in attendance from the tight knit historically Czech area hailed from working class, blue collar roots including retirees, farmers, and at least one young couple who brought both their toddler and cooing baby.

After signing in with the temporary chair — retired Tama County Magistrate Richard Vander Mey — caucusgoers had the option to sign nomination forms for several local and statewide 2024 candidates including U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa’s Second District who is running for reelection; state Rep. Dean Fisher who is also running for reelection; three candidates for county sheriff including Lucas Dvorak, Trevor Killian, and Casey Schmidt; and Tama Co. Election Administrator/Asst. Auditor Karen Rohrs who recently announced she is running for county auditor to replace Laura Kopsa who is retiring.

Just after 7 p.m. with everyone signed in and seated, caucusgoers joined in the Pledge of Allegiance and a short prayer was said, after which Judge Vander Mey got down to caucus business by first acknowledging the elephant in the room, “You’re probably mostly here in order to vote” — and not necessarily to conduct county party business.

Swiftly, the room agreed to elect both Judge Vander Mey and temporary secretary Jim Edwards to their positions after which two county central committee members and three delegates to the county convention set for Feb. 17 were elected.

The crowd at Monday’s Toledo Republican Caucus. PHOTO BY MICHAEL D. DAVIS

While not quite as difficult as pulling teeth to find volunteers to fill the roles, Judge Vander Mey did resort at one point to asking the baby in the room’s parents if four-month-old Henry was a registered Republican to which his dad quipped, “Right now he’s kind of a socialist,” – a comment which drew plenty of chuckles.

A yellow legal pad was then passed around for those who wanted to contribute ideas for party platform planks.

A verbal scuffle briefly played out when a young, straggling caucusgoer was allowed inside after the 7 p.m. start time but Judge Vander Mey expeditiously settled the matter like he’d never left the courtroom, declaring in the end, “Done. Democracy in action.”

It was now finally time for the night’s marquee event — the caucus vote.

Trump’s caucus

Tama County Attorney Brent Heeren at the mic playing host at the Toledo Republican Caucus. PHOTO BY MICHAEL D. DAVIS

Before passing out the ballots, the floor was opened to those who wanted to speak on behalf of their preferred candidate.

Only two individuals accepted the offer and both spoke on behalf of Vivek Ramaswamy, the young Indian-American businessman from Ohio who paid visits to Tama County on several occasions while campaigning in 2023.

“I am up here only because I was undecided,” the first speaker declared. “I was told by my sister-in-law that I should go listen to Vivek Ramaswamy in Toledo two weeks ago. I was the first one there.”

The speaker then passed around a piece of campaign literature before continuing, “His motto is truth … I said to myself, this is what I think is truth.”

Later, the second speaker — a young man who had given the first speaker, a retiree, a ride — added he liked how Ramaswamy had “not been using the campaign to bolster himself as though he’s the only solution” in what could have been interpreted as a reference to Trump.

The ballots with preprinted names were then passed out. After ticking the box next to their selection — or writing in their choice — caucusgoers dropped their folded slips of white paper into an old ice cream bucket placed at the front of the room.

While some then chose to leave, more than half stayed to watch the three ballot counters complete their work.

Just ahead of 8 p.m. it was all over, Trump – who never visited Tama County in the run-up to the caucus – had won the room with 16 votes – exactly 50% – followed by Ramaswamy with nine votes, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with seven votes.

Elsewhere in the county using results available to the newspaper as of press time, Trump picked up 64% of the vote in Traer from Buckingham and Perry townships; 55% in Dysart from Geneseo and Clark townships; 57% in Montour from Highland/Indian Village/Columbus townships; 53% in Gladbrook from Lincoln and Grant townships; and 61% in Toledo from Toledo and Howard townships.

Like the waves of heavy drifting snow that overtook the county’s roads last weekend, Trump’s influence has resoundingly blanketed the majority of the county’s most active Republicans but there was at least one outlier Monday night.

In the Spring Creek/Crystal precinct which caucused in Gladbrook, 21 of the 55 ballots cast went to Trump for a 38% vote share while DeSantis earned a respectable 15 votes, Nikki Haley – the former governor of South Carolina who many pollsters incorrectly predicted might give Trump a run for his money Monday night – received a dozen votes, Ramaswamy six votes, and Ryan Binkley one vote.

In Clutier, there was at least one Trump supporter who attended Monday night’s caucus for the first time – David Walter, a retired industrial ammonia refrigeration technician/boiler operator who only moved to Iowa from Nebraska six years ago.

“I’ve never been to a caucus,” Walter told the newspaper. “I never even voted while I lived [in Nebraska].”

When asked just ahead of 7 o’clock why he was planning to caucus for Trump that evening, Walter replied, “Because I want Trump in the White House.”

If the Iowa Caucus is any indication, Trump may very well be preparing for a second term at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue come this time next year.

Following the Iowa Caucus Monday night, Vivek Ramaswamy announced he was suspending his campaign for president. He then endorsed Trump.

Unofficial Tama County caucus results as of Tuesday, Jan. 16

Donald Trump 317

Ron DeSantis 107

Nikki Haley 69

Vivek Ramaswamy 44

Ryan Binkley 4

Doug Burgum 1