Why (Very White) Iowa and New Hampshire Matter So Much in US Politics

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ColorLines / By Shani O. Hilton

Why (Very White) Iowa and New Hampshire Matter So Much in US Politics
The two earliest primary states' lack of diversity has an effect on who gets initial attention from the media as the electoral process begins.

December 18, 2011 |


Right now the presidential candidate race is all about New Hampshire and Iowa. More specifically, the New Hampshire primary and the Iowa caucuses. Conventional wisdom holds that losing in one of these states can damage a candidate severely, while a win all but cements their candidacy.

But the media frenzy around these two states—which aren’t exactly representative of the country’s class and racial diversity—has drawbacks.

“You’re hard pressed to find two whiter states,” says Matt Barreto, professor of political science and pollster for Latino Decisions, a polling firm that tracks the political leanings of Latinos.

.......(snip).......

“The prominence and first-in-nation position of Iowa and New Hampshire do elevate white primary voters over non-white ones, and in both parties,” says Thomas Schaller, a professor of political science at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/story/153486/why_%28very_white%29_iowa_and_new_hampshire_matter_so_much_in_us_politics/