Why Trump Lost in Iowa

New York Times: “Above all, Mr. Trump lacked a true get-out-the-vote operation in Iowa. Indeed, he never seemed fully committed to the state, visiting only sporadically and very rarely engaging in the type of intimate retail campaigning that is typically rewarded here. An infrequent churchgoer, he scarcely tried to win over the many Christian conservatives here, and occasionally stumbled when he did: At a nondenominational church service on Sunday, when the communion plate was passed around with wafers and wine, he reached for his wallet.”

“Indeed, the curious and star-struck people who filled Mr. Trump’s rallies often had not caucused before. Wooing people to show up for the caucuses has historically required candidates to hold smaller gatherings where they field direct questions and give in-depth answers. And many new voters who showed up chose to support another candidate.”

The Fix: “Donald Trump could still become the GOP standard-bearer and prove his media skeptics wrong. But the billionaire’s defeat in Monday’s Iowa caucuses confirms what much of the press has been saying for months — that Trump might not be as strong as his poll numbers suggest.”