Iowa has far more influence than is warranted.

[LuckyLib]

Population -- 3.1 milion; population of California: 38.3 million.

Sorry, it is not representative of the country as a whole -- its ethnic and linguistic diversity, its economic characteristics, the variety of perspectives.

My 92 year old mother, a transplanted midwesterner to California in 1945, has complained for years that Iowa's importance in the election process is way overblown. I happen to agree.

[DanTex]

1. This is true, obviously. And Bernie wouldn't have a prayer if not for the first states being

full of white people. I can only imagine the conspiracy theories if it were the other way around.

But this is only one of many messed up things about our system. The senate gives small states like Wyoming (and Vermont) something like 50x the number of senators per capita as California. And then the house has gerrymandering. And then there's the electoral college.

[Agnosticsherbet]

2. The primary will be decided before California votes.

Iowa and New Hampshire have way too much power.

[LuckyLib]

4. And this always infuriates Californians -- and rightly so. Races would be "called"

and the polls hadn't even closed in California.

[LWolf]

7. 6 + 4

That's 10 electoral votes total in contrast with CA's 55. IA and NH do have too much power, but the primary will not be decided before those 55 electoral votes are counted.

I've lived and voted on the left coast all of my life.

Now that I no longer live in CA, I'm thrilled to see a heavy hitter voting later.

My state only has 7 electoral votes, and our late May primary means that, without a very close race, the primary might be over before we get to vote, leaving our voice irrelevant.

I don't want the race decided early.

[Agnosticsherbet]

8. In 2008, the primary had already been decided.

I suspect it will be the same this year.

[LWolf]

9. Well,

while I hope Sanders won't need my state, I suspect that he will need every single delegate.

In 2008, the primary was already decided by the time I voted, but CA's primary was long before that.

[underpants]

3. Media driven. Lazy media. Iowa really only shows the strength of your campaign.

Getting people to vote for you is one thing. Getting them to sit in a high school gym or Bessie's potluck for hours is another.

BTW Santorum tied Romney for the win in Iowa 4 years ago.

[LWolf]

5. I agree. nt

[Hortensis]

6. One candidate not too long ago literally built his

campaign on taking Iowa FOR THE MEDIA BOOST that would come with it. Can't remember who at the moment, but using the media's need for a "good story" to catapult someone few care about into "frontrunner" position stinks as an exercise in democracy.