GOP Leaders: Iowa Could Lose Presidential Selection Power

Is the Iowa GOP losing its lead on naming the presidential nominee?

The New York Times suggests party leaders fear the caucus has become merely a test of the party's right wing.

Rick Santorum said moderates won't play here. Some such as Gov. Terry Branstad want to end the Iowa Republican's Straw Poll and replace it with something more meaningful, (since winners rarely become caucus frontrunners anyway.)

The New York Times said at least two things should keep contenders coming to the state: early news attention and the fact that Iowa is usually a battle-ground state.

“For a candidate to suggest he can’t compete here is showing a red flag of weakness,” Matthew N. Strawn, a former chairman of the Iowa Republican Party, told the Times. “A strong candidate has the opportunity to change the makeup of the electorate. That’s what Barack Obama did in 2008, and even Ron Paul did to some extent in 2012.” 

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