“I was hesitant about going to vote, honestly, and then I saw the Des Moines Register poll which put Harris in the lead. It gave me hope and finally I came.”
Justin Beach, 23, stands in front of a sports complex west of Des Moines where a polling station has been set up. In front of a hockey rink, around fifty people wait to elect their local and federal representatives and of course the next president of the United States. At the end of the day of November 5, hope persists among many Democrats that Iowa, a Republican state since 2016, will become Democratic again and that a racialized woman will be elected president for the first time in the history of the country. A survey of Des Moines Register and Ann Selzer (known for having anticipated Donald Trump's victory in 2016) gave Kamala Harris the winner in Iowa.
“I was shocked when I saw the poll. I didn't think we had a chance in Iowa!“, exclaims Grace Arganbright in the prestigious reception room of the Fort Des Moines Hotel where the Democratic election evening is organized. “It motivated me to redouble my efforts this weekend and go canvassing.” The 26-year-old teacher came to attend an election evening for the first time. Two hours after the polls closed, she stands nervously in the middle of a crowd of activists, elected officials and journalists who have come to witness what promises to be a long night of counting the results, constituency after constituency, state after state. State.
The lump in the stomach
“At the door-to-door, I have the impression that quite a few voters were concerned about the state of the economy, of public education in Iowa, about reproductive rights… I think we can get there. I am optimistic but I have a pit in my stomach.” At the start of the evening, the atmosphere is feverish. People go back and forth between the screens which frame the stand and the reception room where a buffet is offered to guests. A round of applause and shouts of joy indicate when a result has been reached. This time it was Rob Johnson who was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives for the 34th district (mainly Des Moines).
“I’m delighted, we worked hard to achieve this result. We really ran a crazy campaign,” enthuses the lucky one after his round of handshakes and congratulations. “We didn’t just want to win, we wanted to increase participation. This was the case in district 34. It is with this kind of participation that we can change a state. My campaign slogan was 'I believe in us' and that's still the case tonight.”
Dismay looms
Ako Abdul-Samad, his predecessor, is delighted with the re-election of a Democrat in his constituency. President of the Iowa Democratic Black Caucus, he nevertheless regrets the rise of the Republican vote among African-American voters. “Everyone has the right to choose what they believe in, that’s what makes this country what it is. The question you have to ask yourself is: will Trump allow you to keep this right?
The results are starting to point to a Republican victory in Iowa. The agitation of the early evening gradually gives way to consternation. The crowd becomes less compact. People are chatting in hushed tones, their eyes glued to the screens. The mines are closed. The speech by Lanon Baccam, Democratic congressional candidate for southern Iowa, is long overdue. Ako nervously watches the live CNN. “We don’t have the luxury of losing hope. We do not have the luxury of allowing ourselves to stop the fight.”he assures, determined.
I leave the Democratic party to go to the Hilton Hotel where the Republican Party is organizing its own. In a large, brightly lit room, nearly 200 Donald Trump supporters feverishly follow the announcement of the results. Georgia was recently declared Republican. The atmosphere is electric. In a sea of red caps and MAGA t-shirts, Roger Georges shouts with joy when North Carolina also returns to Trump.
Women's rights… in sport
“I never believed that the poll of the Des Moines Register was right. This is not the pulse of Iowa. I expected a victory of more than 10 points but we are already more than 13!” Retired from the Air Force, he came with his son to support his friend Zach Nun, the Republican candidate for Federal Congress who is running against Lanon Baccam. “What decides my vote is immigration, the economy and women's rights, he explains happily. Yes, women's rights are an important subject for me. I have a daughter and I fear for her future. There are men in women's sports. I want her to be able to become what she wants without being invaded by men.”
A little further on, Mady Ryan and Sheryl Summers are seated in front of large American flags. Mady Ryan wears a T-shirt in the colors of the USA with the word “faith”. Asked about the poll which predicted a Democratic victory two days ago, she replied sharply: “It made me angry. We love President Trump and always have. It scared me, but it was just another attempt to mislead voters.”
Suddenly, cries of joy run through the assembly. “Trump won the Senate, Sheryl exclaims. I was sure we were going to have everything. The people are with him. This was also the case in 2020 but we had the election stolen!”
Who abandoned who?
Iowa Representative Speaker Pat Grassley takes the stage surrounded by other lawmakers. Welcomed by a round of applause, he confirmed the overwhelming victory of the Republicans in the United States House of Representatives (composed of 100 seats). “What do you think of the number 67, does it suit you? I tell you, when the mental virus of Wokism comes to Iowa, it dies.” Iowa was swept up, like the rest of the country, in the MAGA wave.
Jim told me that the Democratic Party had abandoned working people. Bernie Sanders, reacting to the overwhelming defeat of the Democrats, continued this observation: “It’s no surprise that a Democratic Party that has abandoned the working class would find that the working class has abandoned it.”
