ROBERT SIEGEL, Host:
This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Robert Siegel.
MELISSA BLOCK, Host:
After a year of campaigning, Iowans will gather in school auditoriums, church basements, even a few living rooms, 1,781 precincts in all, to meet with neighbors and, literally, stand up for their candidates.
SIEGEL: On the Republican side, two former governors - Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Mike Huckabee of Arkansas - were the top of the heap, with Senator John McCain, who barely campaigned in Iowa, coming on strong.
BLOCK: Our colleague Michele Norris is in Des Moines tonight. She's been talking with the caucus-goers. And Michele, what have you been hearing?
MICHELE NORRIS: In this case, Lee Olmstead, the wife, had gone to see all the candidates of both parties speak at some point before she made her decision.
BLOCK: You mentioned turnout, Michele. What motivates people when you've talked to them? What do they say makes them head out in the cold to spend a couple of hours caucusing?
NORRIS: Well, we found people who are indeed motivated. We went to a senior center, which, ironically, is located at 2008 Forest Avenue. And we spoke with several people including an 89-year-old man, his name is Hal Wilson(ph). He was wearing World War II veteran's cap. He walked with a cane. And when I asked him who he was supporting, and although he appeared to be slightly weak as he moved around, he was very strong on that.
BLOCK: Hillary, Democrat. Of course, she's just like her husband. She thinks the way he does. He got us out of debts. Oh, my golly.
NORRIS: Let's hear what he had to say about that.
BLOCK: Yeah, I'm taking my wife from the hospital. She's - I'm taking her from the hospital. They will never - they're going to leave the hospital for a while just for the caucus.
BLOCK: Those are some motivated voters, Michele.
NORRIS: Yes. Very, very motivated. We also spoke with - we spoke with some folks who've lived in Iowa for years. Again, we're in a senior center so these are people who have, you know, some years behind them. And we talked to people who have either never caucused or have not caucused for years. Edith Sharp(ph) was one of them.
BLOCK: First, he was well-versed on his goals. And second, he's come a long way for our rights.
BLOCK: Who's she talking about there, Michele?
NORRIS: There, I was going to say, he, the person that she's talking to is Barack, talking about is Barack Obama. Edith Sharp is an African-American woman. She says that she was motivated to go to the caucus for the first time in years because she felt that it was a chance to make history. When we found her, she was eating lunch with her husband. It was pie day. Thursday is pie day at the senior center so they had a big crowd there for the chocolate cream pie that day. And her 79-year-old husband was there. And he said he had never caucused either. His name is William Sharp(ph). And he, too, was supporting Barack Obama.
BLOCK: Never paid no attention to them in the past. But this year, it really took a hold of me. We are in need for a change. I think the Democratic candidates running - they are very good. But I just favored Obama because he talks down there. He talks to the little people, big people, in between, all over, doesn't make any difference.
NORRIS: Now, you heard him say that he has not caucused in the past.
BLOCK: Yeah.
NORRIS: And after wavering back and forth between Huckabee and Romney, he finally settled on Romney and he said it was because of economics.
BLOCK: I run a small business here. I have a small lawn care business. And I settled on Mitt Romney because he's been a manager and he's run a company and he's worked in the private sector. And I just feel that he has the strengths from the private sector as a manager to come and manage one of the largest organizations in our country, the federal government.
NORRIS: Now, Melissa, Adam is young, only 20 years old. It'll be a sharp analysis of why interest in these races are so high on both sides. He said in past years, there has been someone - one candidate who has strong momentum. In this case, that wasn't the case so no one is essentially going with the flow. They had to do the work. Check out all the candidates. And he says that's why interest is so high.
BLOCK: Okay, Michele. Our colleague Michele Norris, thanks very much.
NORRIS: Thank you, Melissa.