HOWARD DEAN

The Iowa caucuses and their outsize importance have largely been an exercise in myth-making.

The leader of the Vermont state Senate Becca Balint could become the first woman and the first openly gay person to represent the state in Congress.

Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar won a closer-than-expected Democratic primary race against a centrist challenger who questioned Omar's support for the “defund the police” movement.

Vermont Lt. Gov. Molly Gray and Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint are the leading candidates in a Democratic U.S. House primary that could make either of them the first female member of the state's congressional delegation.

Passenger rail service is returning to Vermont's largest city after an absence of almost 70 years as part of a renewal in interest in passenger rail service nationwide.

People in the crowd hold up an image of Stacey Abrams as President-elect Joe Biden speaks in Atlanta, Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, to campaign for Georgia Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate, Rev. “I think what’s next for Stacey is whatever Stacey wants to be next," said Leah Daughtry, a former chief of staff at the Democratic National Committee. “Stacey Abrams (that’s the tweet),” wrote Karine Jean-Pierre, incoming deputy White House press secretary. At the same time, Abrams never stopped pushing Democrats to support her Georgia efforts and copy them nationally. Groh-Wargo emphasized this week that one difference between 2018 and 2020 was the success at turning out Black voters in rural areas.

In this Nov. 4, 2016, photo, Nebraska Democratic Party chairwoman Jane Kleeb is about to introduce Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., during a rally for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, in Omaha, Neb. The 29% of Nebraska voters registered as Democrats is the smallest in at least 50 years, and thats only one indication of the partys problems. The local Republican Party chapter in Omaha put it bluntly in a recent tweet: Nebraska Dems have a dumpster fire on their hands." Or as former Nebraska Democratic Party executive director Paul Landow noted, For a Democrat to win statewide office, something really crazy would have to happen.It wasn't always this way. Nebraska Democrats have fared somewhat better in local elections and the nonpartisan Legislature, but theyre still relegated to the minority.

For some candidates, surrogates help keep their hands clean of controversy by acting as an attack dog. He called out her rivals by name during a recent campaign swing through Iowa, saying neither Sanders nor Joe Biden are as widely acceptable to Democrats. Surrogates also offer reassurance to voters that the candidate understands and will pay attention to local issues. Jane O'Meara Sanders will campaign on behalf of her husband next weekend in Nevada while he is likely stuck in Washington. Surrogates can also bring a dash of star power to the campaign trail to keep voters engaged.