Even as the coronavirus pandemic gradually wanes and President Joe Biden's job approval remains strong, Iowa Democrats say they can feel their party receding, particularly from the industrial river towns they once claimed as bastions. But I don’t think it’s going to make a difference for the next 20 years.”It took years to reach this point. Before that, Iowa Rep. Leonard Boswell, a Democrat, farmer and Vietnam War veteran, served for 16 years, carrying vast swaths of rural southern Iowa. But the once-robust Democratic union base has dwindled as manufacturing jobs have left cities such as Burlington, Fort Madison and Keokuk along the river. In 2016, Trump carried 9 of 10 Iowa counties along the river, only missing Scott County, the most metropolitan.

Source: ABC News June 01, 2021 09:42 UTC