IOWA — By his mid-20s, Bryce Smith was a business owner in his small Iowa town and the chair of the county Democratic Party. As presidential candidates continue to make campaign stops at his bowling alley, Smith is hoping to lead by example that the urban/rural divide can be erased in politics. But caucusgoers across the state aren’t as optimistic.

Battleground 2020: Iowa. What the First Caucus Could Mean for the Rest of the Heartland

After Spectrum Washington bureau reporters Taurean Small and Taylor Popielarz completed their Battleground 2020 series last June, it became clear that a chapter two was warranted. This story is part three of a new four-part series focusing in on all the attention Iowa gets in presidential election years and trying to figure out what the results of the first caucus could mean for the rest of the Heartland.