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Iowa House Representative Swati Dandekar
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Iowa House Representative Swati Dandekar, co-chair of Senator John Kerry’s Democratic campaign for the Presidential nomination, says it was teamwork and down-home Iowan intelligence that secured the victory of her candidate at the Iowa Caucuses held on Jan. 19.
Sen. Kerry got 38 percent of the vote and his nearest Democratic rival Sen. John Edwards secured 32 percent, with the media-favorite and much-hyped Howard Dean, former Vermont governor, securing a distant third with 18 percent of the vote.
For the last few months that she held the co-chair position in Iowa for Kerry’s campaign, she spent her time rallying Democrats to his camp, Dandekar told News India-Times. “I would go with him to various events around Iowa and introduce him and say I supported him. I also organized the Asian Americans for Kerry meeting,” which, she said, was one of the largest.
Dandekar said her special brief was to bring the senator before women. “I attended a lot of women’s events with him.” Every one of the meetings she said, was attended by hundreds of Democrats. “I’ve lost count of the number of meetings where I would stand before hundreds and tell them why I supported him.”
Sen. Kerry’s fortunes seemingly changed in the last few days before Jan. 19, but Dandekar believes Iowans kept their own counsel and were not swayed by media hype over Dean. In those last few critical days, she was busy. “I was doing what all of us were doing ----- making lots of phone calls. If people needed rides to the Caucus meeting, we volunteered. Some of my frien-ds wanted me to drive their kids to college so th-ey could attend the Caucus meetings. I did that.”
Nearly 2000 Caucuses met around the state in local meetings on Jan. 19 to decide which of the five Democratic candidates they wanted to endorse for running against President George Bush in November. “It was very grassroots, pure legwork,” Dandekar said. “Last night after the victory, we all went to a bar. I, of course, just drink pop. But everyone stayed into the wee-hours. I left by midnight because I had to drive early morning all the way to Des Moines because the legislative session was starting.”
As for why Sen. Kerry’s fortunes changed in the last week, she said, “I think people were there behind him but they had not finalized their choice.”
The victory, she conceded, “makes us, the group that worked very hard to see him win, all feel we were part of making history. This is the first time I was involved in such a big way.”
“It proved to me what I already knew and what I told my husband Arvind, that Iowans are very intelligent. They have a mind of their own. This confirmed it,” she laughed. “I think we truly were looking for a leader ----- one who would be right for the President of the United States.”
The Iowa Caucuses are regarded as important as they are the first expression of grassroots choices in the long run to the general elections in November, and occasionally, they have predicted a winner for the White House.
Democratic candidates, including Sen. Kerry left for New Hampshire the same night results were declared to rally support at the primaries there scheduled for Jan. 27. New Hampshire is considered another landmark primary for the candidates who will make the final cut to face President Bush.
