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Democrat Julian Castro argued in November that Iowa does not reflect America’s diversity. Because of this, he said, Iowa should not be leading off in the Presidential caucus/primary season.
He proved on Tuesday night at a Q&A in Des Moines that he stands by his beliefs. A questioner asked Castro if the diversity of a state makes a difference when polling in other states doesn’t seem much different based on a state’s diversity.
“Well, I mean, I take your argument, but I think that if we accept that argument, which is basically that the diversity of a state doesn’t make a difference, does the diversity of a company make a difference? Does the diversity of a university make a difference? Does the diversity of a newspaper or media outlet make a difference? To say that it doesn’t make any difference in this context, I believe, is basically to say that no company, no university, no media outlet, television and film, also shouldn’t have a responsibility to evaluate the diversity of their enterprises. If we’re not even going to make the effort to ensure that our democracy itself reflects our country’s diversity and our party’s diversity, why should the private sector do that?”
Watch this exchange. pic.twitter.com/QpEIiYBj8X
— Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) December 12, 2019
But, is he right?
Consider the following:
In 2008, Iowans gave Sen. Barack Obama a chance and supported him in the caucus. Here are a few states that did not:
California – ranks No. 1 among states in diversity.
Texas – ranks No. 2 among states in diversity.
New Jersey – ranks No. 4 among states in diversity.
New York – ranks No. 5 among states in diversity.
New Mexico – ranks No. 6 among states in diversity.
Florida – ranks No. 8 among states in diversity.
Nevada – ranks No. 9 among states in diversity.
Arizona – ranks No. 11 among states in diversity.
Hawaii, which ranks third among states in diversity, voted for Obama, but that was the state in which he was born. Illinois ranks 10th. Obama won that one too, but he was a sitting Senator from the Land of Lincoln.
Here are some states Obama won:
Maine – ranks No. 49 among states in diversity.
Vermont – ranks No. 48 among states in diversity.
Montana – ranks No. 46 among states in diversity.
Utah – ranks No. 44 among states in diversity.
Iowa – ranks No. 43 among states in diversity.
Wyoming – ranks No. 41 among states in diversity.
And just to prove it isn’t a partisan thing, there was a time during the 2012 Iowa Republican Presidential caucus season that Herman Cain led the polls. For those who aren’t sure, here’s a picture of Herman Cain:
And in 2016, Ben Carson led the polls for quite a while in Iowa. This is what Carson looks like:
Rather than inventing reasons why his presidential campaign has failed to get off the ground, perhaps Castro should consider the likely cause — maybe it’s him.
The Iowa Standard is a free online news source so we can reach as many people as possible. But we need to raise money! We are asking our readers to help support us as a news alternative entering 2020. If you could, please consider showing a sign of support to The Iowa Standard by making a contribution here. Or, you can use Venmo and make a contribution to @Iowa-Standard-2018.
You could also send a check to:
PO Box 112
Sioux Center, IA 51250
