Tuesday’s Iowa caucus goes down in the history books as a photo finish for an epic race. Mitt Romney edged out victory over Rick Santorum by just eight votes, with Ron Paul finishing not far behind. Iowa City photographer Danny Wilcox Frazier, who has been covering the race in the Hawkeye State for TIME, offers an inside look at this the quintessential American saga from its early to final days, and in chronicling this path, he sheds light on a Republican spirit ready to take on Barack Obama.
Frazier’s lens captures the sentiments not just of the candidates but also of the voters, as well as the reporters who’ve covered them both. For Frazier, the Iowa path is well-worn. He traced the campaign trail for the magazine in 2008, and now, four years and a recession later, the state’s mood appears expectant and committed. The Tea Party vigor has muted, but the determination for change has not. It is apparent in the eyes of those he photographed, from Occupy Des Moines protesters to Faith and Freedom Coalition banqueters to veterans at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, all of whom were preparing to make 2012’s first great decision. And when you behold his images of empty audience chairs after campaign stops and candidate speeches, you can’t help but feel the present investment Iowans—and all the nation’s Republicans—feel in their political future.
“I followed Republican presidential hopefuls as they addressed voters in kitchens, cafes, and town halls—candidates opening themselves up to unexpected questions as they met face to face with factory workers, farmers and residents of a state that is questioned over its first in the nation status once every four years,” Frazier said. “Attack ads paid off, as did the traditional formula of visiting all 99 counties and doing the ‘work’ that wins Iowa.”
Several of Frazier’s photos have already become some of the election’s most memorable. He snapped Michele Bachmann moments after she declared her candidacy in June, and Newt Gingrich as he was getting his makeup done for a November interview—both of which were featured in the pages of TIME last year. Then there are his images of Rick Perry hunting pheasants with Rep. Steve King (R-IA) in October and Rick Santorum following suit two months later. Some things never change—you have to know the game to play the race.
Elizabeth Dias is a reporter in TIME’s Washington bureau. Find her on Twitter @elizabethjdias.
November 7, 2011. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks to supporters during a campaign stop at Giese Manufacturing Co. in Dubuque, Iowa. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEJanuary 3, 2012. Iowa republican caucus goers listen to candidate representatives at an elementary school in West Des Moines, Iowa. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMENovember 14, 2011. Cookies with decorative American flags sit on a table at a campaign stop in Jefferson, Iowa, where Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich spoke. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEThe Independence Day parade in Clear Lake, Iowa on the July 4, 2011.
Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEChairs along the Independence Day parade route in Clear Lake, Iowa on the July 4, 2011.Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEJune 27, 2011. Chairs and signs litter the scene where Congresswoman Michele Bachmann formally announced her candidacy for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination in her childhood home of Waterloo, Iowa. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEJanuary 3, 2012. Supporters of Rick Santorum, who had a strong showing placing second to Mich Romney in the Iowa caucus Tuesday night. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEJanuary 3, 2012. Supporters gathered in Johnston, Iowa, to hear former us Rick Santorum speak after his strong showing in the Iowa caucus. Santorum lost to Mitt Romney by just eight votes, giving the former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania much needed momentum to continue on in the race. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEJanuary 3, 2012. Ron Paul supporters rally outside of the Rock the Caucus event at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa.Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMENovember 7, 2011. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney campaigns during a stop at Iowa American Water in Davenport, Iowa. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEDecember 26, 2011. Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum hunts with Representative Steve King, the prominent social conservative in Iowa. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEDecember 26, 2011. A shot from Santorum's hunting trip with Representative Steve King.Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEDecember 29, 2011. A scene from a Romney campaign event in Mason City, Iowa, just days before the Tuesday caucuses. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEDecember 28, 2011. Ron Paul poses for photos with supporter at an event for veterans at the State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa.Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEDecember 28, 2011. Shadows of reporters line the walls where Ron Paul spoke to veterans at a campaign stop at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEDecember 27, 2011. Chairs at a Mitt Romney event at Hotel Blackhawk in downtown Davenport, Iowa. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEJune 26, 2011. Representative Michele Bachmann has a radio interview after formally announcing her bid for the Republican presidential nomination in Waterloo, Iowa, her childhood home. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEOctober 22, 2011. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann visits Creston, Iowa, for a town hall meeting. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEOctober 22, 2011. Shoppers enjoy the quiet streets in Creston, Iowa on the day Bachmann visited for a town hall meeting.
Iowans attend a Bachmann town hall meeting in the central Iowa town of Creston. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEOctober 21, 2011. A Davenport, Iowa campaign event for Congressman Ron Paul.Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEOctober 22, 2011. The scene after the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition fall banquet in Des Moines. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEOctober 22, 2011. Audience members at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition fall banquet in Des Moines, Iowa. Candidates speaking at the event included Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEOctober 21, 2011. Congressman Ron Paul holds a town hall meeting at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMENovember 14, 2011. Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich appears on a cable news program shortly after speaking at a campaign stop in Carroll, Iowa. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEOctober 22, 2011. Protesters from Occupy Des Moines picketed outside the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition fall banquet in Des Moines. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEDecember 28, 2011. Ron Paul speaks to veterans at a campaign stop at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines.Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEDecember 28, 2011. After Ron Paul's campaign stop at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines.Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEOctober 22, 2011. Hunting dogs get excited as they hear shots from a hunting party which included Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry and Iowa Rep. Steve King, near Merrill, Iowa. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMEOctober 21, 2011. Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry addresses the press before hunting pheasants with Rep. Steve King near Merrill, Iowa. Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIMENovember 7, 2011. Press members before a campaign stop by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney at Iowa American Water in Davenport.Danny Wilcox Frazier—Redux for TIME
