As Campaign Manager David Plouffe announced last night, the incredible turn-out and support at yesterday's Iowa county conventions resulted in a net gain of 10 national delegates for Barack. Many of the gains came in the form of John Edwards delegates who decided to realign with Obama, but none of it would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our many Iowa supporters and staff.
Throughout the day yesterday, a number of you posted your personal county convention experiences in the comments of the HQ blog. Here are just a few of the incredible stories:
From indyia in Buchanan County:
This morning was our county convention here. I was an alternate delegate for Obama. A lot of people showed up. For our county they said normal turnout is around 15-20. Today it was over 100. After all the delegates were seated including the alternates we had 60 for Obama and Hillary had 50 something. Edwards (around 30 people) grouped together and stayed uncommitted until the last minute. I think some realized their voices weren't going to be heard unless they committed. We asked one last time if they wanted to realign; Obama gained 17 and Hillary 3. So we did really well. Obama got a total of 10 delegates from our county. There were so many of us wanting to move on to the next stage which is districts that they had to draw out of a hat. I was one of the lucky ones and am going to districts on April 26th. I really enjoyed myself and am looking forward to representing Obama again on the 26th of April.
From John in Cerro Gordo:
The results for Cerro Gordo amazed me, we went from being down by 8.41% to being up by 8.69% a change of 17.1% over Clinton. I remember as a precinct captain that it wasn't so good for Obama in Cerro Gordo back in January. It looks better now!
From Helen in Benton County:
Benton County, Iowa gained 13 new supporters today at our convention! Our delegates were happy, civil and FIRED UP!
In Howard County, Obama finished third in January with 16 delegates, behind John Edwards with 18 delegates and Hillary Clinton with 25. Laura and her fellow supporters remained undaunted however, and at yesterday's county convention their hard work paid off:
I did my phone calling over the last two weeks reaching out to the Edwards people. I prayed for everyone to show up.I went to convention early and got an Obama sign put up. I did not want to be obnoxious. I was waiting to see how the Clinton campaign set up. I helped sign everyone in. Looking up names and taking time to smile and laugh.The house was packed. The "old timers" that have been coming forever were shocked. They came to me since they knew I had been calling everyone to remind them, and commented on how happy they were to see so many people committed. One woman in particular, the secretary for the Howard Co. Democrats seemed to be really taken.We went through the platforms for the county (no smoking in public places, stop the Iraq war, stop poverty, etc.) I had no idea those issues were dealt with at such a level. It was good to see these things voted on. It took nearly 3 hours as we had 25 things on the agenda to vote on.Next was the separation into preference groups. The chair asked for the candidates' representatives if they wanted to speak ... I raised my hand and told them the story you have all heard so many times. The one about me being 43 and never having voted before. I heard Barack's name on TV one night...Everyone listened as I talked about what I thought Democrats are, what drew me to be active, how I did not care before. It was Barack Obama that opened my eyes, the campaign he was running and the people he trusted on the ground to make a difference. I said that Obama has the ability to bring us together.Then we split into groups. We have 9 delegates at stake now.The room split and a lot people came to my side. Some said my speech made a difference in the side they chose.The final count:5 delegates for Obama4 for ClintonI am one of the 5! I am going to regionals! And....I was voted in as Vice Chair to my county Democrats!
Thank you to all our supporters who attended county conventions yesterday, and to everyone who worked for months in the cold snows of Iowa to create the momentum for a movement that continues to build every day. As a result of your efforts and the campaign that you have helped create, Barack not only won a commanding majority of Iowa delegates, he now leads John McCain in a head-to-head Iowa match-up by almost 20%.
So, once again – thank you, Iowa:
