IOWA — In deeply Republican northwest Iowa, farmers have been struggling to stay afloat as the Trump administration engages in trade wars and hands out ethanol waivers to oil companies. But as one longtime corn and soybean farmer explains, who they support in 2020 goes beyond agriculture policy.

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 one 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.