Images of Iowa: Gallery features iconic caucus moments
DES MOINES -- Winners and many losers adorn the walls of an exhibit at Grand View University in Des Moines. The photograph chronicles Iowa's caucuses, from Jimmy Carter to Ted Cruz.
There's photos of John Kerry on the floor, and the bench. Al Haig with a piglet. John McCain -- back and front.
Two Marco Rubios, and two Joe Bidens -- twenty years apart. Bushes -- father and son...and son. he clintons -- then and now.
The thing about Iowa is it can really make a candidate. It can bring somebody like Jimmy Carter to national prominence, or even Obama when he was here," said Doug Wells, a former Des Moines register photographer.
"With [Howard] Dean, it was the opposite. It sort of doomed his campaign."
He captured Dean hitting the highest note at his lowest point. Today, Wells is the curator for the Grandview exhibit.
"We just started shooting. We knew this was different. Something was happening," Wells said of the Dean photo.
Other photos show Mike Huckabee visiting the barber shop and jamming with the king. Michelle Bachmann beholds a side of beef in another.
"I think what we were all wondering is why she decided to visit the meat locker," said Wells.
There are protests, arrests, and the flag in abundance. Mitt Romney the candidate always seemed freshly pressed, and on caucus night four years ago, so was the flag at his premature victory rally.
Photographer Christopher Gannon spotted it.
"This gentleman came out and plugged in an iron and I'm thinking to myself 'what is going on here?'"
It's a question you can ask about a lot of the amazing photos. And one of the great things about the caucus is that there will be many more to come.
