The secret to winning Iowa

Editor’s Note: Alice Stewart is a CNN political commentator, resident fellow at the Kennedy Institute of Politics at Harvard University and the former communications director for Ted Cruz for President. The views expressed in this commentary are her own. View more opinion on CNN.

It’s the bottom of the ninth in Iowa as Democratic candidates make their closing arguments before the all-important Iowa caucus on Monday. Having worked as the communications director for the presidential campaigns of Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum and Ted Cruz — the last three Republicans to win the Iowa caucuses — I have insight into what works in the Hawkeye State.

And if the Democratic candidates want to be competitive, I would encourage them to keep the following lessons in mind.

Alice Stewart

Presidential candidates can open the door by engaging with voters on policy but sealing the deal and winning those votes requires a display of character, consistency and an ability to connect.

In the 2016 race, Sen. Ted Cruz was neck-and-neck with then-candidate Donald Trump in the run-up to the Iowa caucuses.

Voters recognized Cruz’s genuine desire to truly connect with voters and to shake every hand.

He demonstrated that on an issue critical to people in Iowa: ethanol, an alcohol fuel made mostly of corn. Iowa is an agricultural state and ethanol and biodiesel production support tens of thousands of jobs. Iowans — and farmers in particular — largely support federal ethanol subsidies. But Cruz endorsed a plan to phase out these subsidies over a period of time. That was not a popular position in the state.

At an event just a few days before the caucuses, an angry farmer approached the senator and expressed his outrage over his stance on ethanol. It was a crowded room and I attempted to move the man along to make way for other people. Cruz waved me off and engaged with him. Really engaged.

He took his time and used his deep knowledge of the issue to explain how his policies would help farmers in the long run. He explained his goal was to eliminate other subsidies to level the playing field.

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The senator looked the man in the eye and said, “You are the backbone of this country,” and encouraged him to keep an open mind.

The man went from angry to understanding. As he left the conversation, he said he hoped voters would support Cruz.

When then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee ran for president in 2008, he worked his way to frontrunner status by subscribing to the notion that “slow and steady wins the race.” With limited funds, we were able to cash in on the governor’s retail politics skills. His signature black cowboy boots took a beating on the trail, but it proved to be a small price to pay to display his authenticity to voters.

The governor spent a lot of time campaigning at Pizza Ranch restaurants across the state since the party rooms were just the right size for a small crowd. As a former Baptist preacher seeking the evangelical vote, Huckabee was at home in the Christian-owned pizza chain amidst murals of cowboys in covered wagons and restrooms marked “Cowboys” and “Cowgirls.”

I recall a night in December 2007 when Huckabee spoke to a packed house of future caucusgoers at a Pizza Ranch in Pella, Iowa. Some were solid supporters, while others were still shopping around.

One woman named Sharon was trying to decide between Huckabee and his fellow presidential candidate, the late “Law and Order” actor Fred Thompson, whom she was going to see later that evening. Huckabee engaged the crowd on the issue of character, told them it comes from hardship in life, and shared his own experiences.

MIAMI, FL - AUGUST 17: People hold an American flag as they participate in a ceremony to become an American citizen during a U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services naturalization ceremony at the Miami Field Office on August 17, 2018 in Miami, Florida. The ceremony included 141 citizenship candidates that originated from the following 33 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungry, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Lithuania, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Phillippines, Slovakia, Spain, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Venezuela. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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“What do you get when you squeeze a lemon? Well, some of you would say lemon juice. Actually, the real answer is what you get is whatever is inside the lemon. Truth is what happens when you squeeze somebody under pressure. What comes out? I’ll tell you what comes out, whatever is within.”

That was it for Sharon. She threw her support behind Huckabee based on his genuine display of character and she never went to see Fred Thompson that night.

Sen. Rick Santorum took a similar path in his 2012 Iowa caucus victory. He, too, was doing the necessary work of meeting with voters. He campaigned harder in Iowa than his competitors. It didn’t matter if there were 200 people in the room or two, he talked with them all and swayed many with his consistency on the issues.

The day before the caucuses, Santorum was speaking to a crowd in Orange City and sharing his message of pro-life, individual liberty and support for blue-collar workers. A Rock Rapids voter named Randy made up his mind that night to support Santorum because he not only agreed with him on the issues, he appreciated the governor’s consistency on them. Randy had seen Santorum six months earlier and heard the same message. For him, consistency was key.

Voters appreciate candidates who do not stick their fingers in the wind and change their views based on the political whims of the day.

There’s another key to success in Iowa — Huckabee, Santorum, and Cruz made the commitment to complete the “full Grassley” (named after Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley), which means visiting all 99 counties in the state.

It’s not just about the optics of eating a pork chop on a stick at the Iowa State Fair or playing ball at the famous “Field of Dreams” baseball diamond in Dyersville. Successful campaigning in Iowa is about more than making a stop; it’s about making an impact. This means taking the time to listen to voters.

Presidential candidates who can demonstrate character, consistency and the ability to connect are well on their way to a grand slam on caucus night.