Des Moines City Map Poster

About Des Moines

The Iowa caucuses are notable for the amount of attention they receive during U.S. presidential election years, and many political experts have noted the importance of winning the Iowa caucus to gaining national exposure and receiving media attention that can be helpful in getting one's message out to other states before primary season ends with each party's national convention. Des Moines is an important city in U.S. presidential politics; as the state's capital, it is a frequent stop for candidates seeking nomination or election to federal office (including every Republican candidate from 1980 through 2016). Many presidential candidates set up campaign headquarters in Des Moines; often, these offices remain when elections are over – former occupants include Bill Clinton and Barack Obama – who both went on to win their respective general elections after campaigning there successfully (Clinton was also re-elected after having previously campaigned from his post-presidential office there).