http://www.omaha.com/article/20110522/NEWS01/705229908#iowa-losing-power-positionCOUNCIL BLUFFS — Are the Republican caucuses in Iowa losing their potency?
Is the strength of the state's social conservatives giving fiscally focused candidates such as Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman a reason to give Nebraska's neighbor short shrift?
Iowans and national observers are debating these questions amid a slow-starting caucus season and a New Hampshire GOP leader's claim that Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses are no longer a “level playing field” for Republicans out of favor with the religious right.
Fergus Cullan, former chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party, questioned whether Iowa Republicans are out of step with the national party. He wrote that the state's strong evangelical wing puts too much emphasis on issues such as abortion and gay marriage, making it difficult for more “secular” candidates to succeed.