“The presidential candidate speed dating here in the state that will start balloting for the nomination in less than eight months showcased the challenges of managing the vast Democratic field,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The Iowa Democratic Party’s Hall of Fame fundraiser, which on Sunday attracted 19 of the 23 Democrats competing to challenge President Trump, offered a preview of the first candidate debates in Miami over two nights later this month. The challenges were clear: limited time to make pitches and the struggle to stand out in a crowd.”

Said Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH): “It’s been a pleasure speed dating with you tonight.”

“Marianne Williamson, author, lecturer and a Democrat running for president, grew up in Houston and has lived in Los Angeles and New York, but now she lives in Iowa,” the Gazette reports.

“Brent Roske, Williamson’s state director, said his boss signed a lease on a Des Moines condo and moved ‘her stuff’ there earlier this spring.”

Politico: “They’re shutting down the conspiracy theorists at local meetings who continue to insist the 2016 caucus outcome was rigged for Clinton. They’re holding back on candidate endorsements in the hopes of avoiding conflict. They’re even encouraging the individual candidates to save the aggression for the general election, while going so far as to hold social events to help rival Democratic campaign staffers build a rapport.”

“By exerting subtle but persistent pressure on the campaigns to remain respectful to each other, Iowa officials are aiming to keep Democrats focused on the prize — defeating Donald Trump — rather than risk a repeat of a destructive cycle three years ago that ultimately hobbled the party as it moved toward November.”

The Des Moines Register looked at the questions asked of Democratic presidential candidates at events across Iowa last month.

“Health care, climate change and education were asked about most and accounted for roughly a quarter of all questions asked in April.”

“Cable news staple topics, like Russia and presidential impeachment, rarely were brought up — just a couple of times.”

“The tradition-bound Iowa caucuses are set to allow some online voting next year and among the likely beneficiaries are older voters, who’ll press candidates to focus on issues such as prescription drug prices, Social Security and Medicare,” Bloomberg reports.

“Boosted participation by those 65 and older — a demographic that already accounts for more than a quarter of the Democratic turnout in the caucuses — could provide even more incentive for presidential hopefuls to pitch to voters who otherwise might not venture out on a winter night to attend in person.”

A new Monmouth poll in Iowa finds Joe Biden leads the Democratic presidential race with 27%, followed by Bernie Sanders at 16%, Pete Buttigieg at 9%, Elizabeth Warren at 7%, Kamala Harris at 7%, Beto O’Rourke at 6%, Amy Klobuchar at 4%, Cory Booker at 3% and Julián Castro at 2%.

Key findings: “Biden does especially well among voters age 65 and older (44%), those earning less than $50,000 a year (38%), and those without a college degree (34%). On the ideological spectrum, Biden’s support comes more from self-described moderates and conservatives (35%) than from liberals (20%), but the same is true for Sanders although to a lesser degree (20% non-liberals, 13% liberals).”

Said pollster Patrick Murray: “If Biden does get into this race, he’ll start out as a clear front-runner in Iowa. Not only does he garner support from crucial demographic groups but he is almost universally well-liked among all Democratic voters.”

A new Emerson poll in Iowa finds Joe Biden narrowly leads the Democratic field with 25%, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders at 24%, Mayor Pete Buttigieg at 11%, Sen. Kamala Harris at 10%, Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 9%, Sen. Cory Booker at 6% and Beto O’Rourke at 5%.

“The Iowa Democratic Party laid out a proposal Monday that would add a major change to its presidential caucuses, allowing for absentee voting by phone on six different days through virtual caucuses,” Politico reports.

“The proposed change… would allow Democrats to phone in absentee votes, rating their presidential preferences in a ranked choice style. Previously, only those who physically attended the Iowa caucuses could register their votes.”

Bloomberg: “Iowa’s well-established political infrastructure is at least partly frozen in place, awaiting clearer signals from a group one party veteran calls the ‘triumvirate’ — former Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Bernie Sanders and former Representative Beto O’Rourke, who gained a national attention with his ultimately unsuccessful bid last year to unseat Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.”

Walter Shapiro: “In prior years, the problem with handicapping the Iowa caucuses has been predicting who would show up in person to vote on a cold mid-winter Monday night. The assumption has always been that — unlike a primary — Iowa measures the enthusiasm of activists.”

“But party rules will now allow for absentee balloting at the caucuses. Does that argue that the participation will be even greater than the 240,000 Iowa Democrats who powered insurgent Barack Obama to victory in 2008? Does that mean that the caucus electorate will not tilt as far left (Bernie Sanders almost beat Hillary Clinton in 2016) as in prior years?”

Another change: “Until now, due to a quirk in caucus procedures, a Democratic candidate needed 15-percent support in any precinct to have his or her votes tallied at all. But in 2020, Iowa caucus votes will be counted just like they are in primaries. As a result, it is easy to envision a cluttered Iowa result with, say, a half-dozen candidates clustered around 8 percent.”

Washington Post: “In ways quiet and loud, the Iowa presidential contest is already underway, 14 months before the caucuses mark the official start of the 2020 race. Candidates are lining up state directors, planning a flurry of trips in January and jump-starting the fight for an extraordinarily small slice of voters who play one of the most outsize roles in American politics.”

“The state Democratic Party is also on the verge of making a dramatic change to the caucus process by allowing absentee voters to participate for the first time, a move that could dramatically increase the number of voters involved and bring more moderates into a process that for decades has been dominated by the most dedicated liberal activists.”

A new Focus on Rural America poll in Iowa finds Joe Biden leading the Democratic presidential field with 30%, followed by Bernie Sanders at 13%, Beto O’Rourke at 11%, Amy Klobuchar at 10% and Elizabeth Warren at 9%.

Key takeaway: Biden and Warren each saw seven-point drops in their performance since the poll was last in the field in September.

A new Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows President Trump has an 81% approval rating among registered Republicans in Iowa. Sixty-seven percent say they would definitely vote to re-elect Trump if the election were held today. Nineteen percent of Republicans say they would consider someone else, and 10% say they would definitely vote to elect someone else.

“Yet almost two-thirds — 63% — say Iowa should welcome challengers to Trump at the Republican Party of Iowa’s caucuses, scheduled for Feb. 3, 2020.”

A new Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom survey in Iowa finds Joe Biden beginning a potential presidential bid at 32%, more than a dozen points ahead of the second-place candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Outgoing Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke is in third place, at 11%, followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 8% and California Sen. Kamala Harris at 5%.