By Shavonne Potts
Salisbury Post
Former Rowan Republicans Chairman Terry Osborne wasn’t surprised by the outcome of Thursday night’s Iowa caucus.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won for the Republicans and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama won at the Democratic caucuses. It was a close race between Obama, John Edwards and Hillary Clinton, while Huckabee clearly defeated early favorite Mitt Romney.
Surprised?
“Not really,” Osborne said from his Salisbury home. “This is sort of a unique election.”
Osborne, one of several local political activists the Post tried to contact regarding the caucuses, pointed out that in this election there are no incumbents.
“I think it’s evident that the country wants change,” he said.
One of the factors that made Huckabee a standout was that he could identify with most people, Osborne said.
“They feel like he can share in their values,” he said. “Someone in rural America can identify with him.”
Huckabee, like Ronald Reagan, is a great communicator, he added.
Although Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, outspent Huckabee, it didn’t matter in Iowa.
It brought back memories for Osborne of the 1968 presidential race in which George Romney went up against such heavyweights as Richard Nixon, who went on to be the 37th president. According to Osborne, Romney’s son, Mitt, just doesn’t identify with rural America.
Obama’s run is reminiscent of the support Eugene McCarthy gained in his 1968 quest for the White House, Osborne said.
“He established himself as a key player. I think it speaks for change,” he said.
Obama probably feels like he took on the Clinton machine, he added.
Clinton’s future in the upcoming primaries is uncertain, Osborne predicts.
“Obama has now caused her major problems. Who knows what will happen in New Hampshire and South Carolina?” he said.
In his opinion, Clinton’s failure to win is an indication that the Democrats are skeptical of her chance at winning the presidency.
“It’s a new ballgame,” Osborne said.
But do North Carolina voters really care about what happens in Iowa?
“I think so,” he answered.
Osborne points to the 1988 presidential election where Michael Dukakis placed third in Iowa, but received a Democratic nomination.
“A lot of things can turn around,” Osborne said.Contact Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253 or spotts@salisburypost.com.