After months of debates and rallies Iowa is the first state where people actually decide to vote for a candidate . The state holds conventions where communities debate each other 's platform before voting , sometimes with a show of hands . Barack Obama did win them , the start of a long and surprising campaign that ended in the White House . Iowa 's status as first to vote means it is watched closely although it does not always pick the eventual winner . Its fortunes are sometimes different to the nation -- so far Iowa has been spared the worst of the economic downturn .
After months of debates and rallies Iowa is the first state where people actually decide to vote for a candidate . The state holds conventions where communities debate each other 's platform before voting , sometimes with a show of hands . Iowa 's status as first to vote means it is watched closely although it does not always pick the eventual winner . Its fortunes are sometimes different to the nation -- so far Iowa has been spared the worst of the economic downturn .