Rural Iowans, days from caucus, talk about which Democratic candidates they like and why

The first major electoral event of 2020 will happen Monday evening as Iowa holds its caucuses. Rural Iowans helped put President Trump over the top, so their views on which Democratic candidate is "electable" may carry quite a bit of weight in the November election.

Alexi McCammond of Axios traveled with former Vice President Joe Biden on a recent swing through Iowa. The rural Iowans McCammond spoke to aren't fixated on impeachment or liberal notions such as the Green New Deal, he reports, though he notes: "There’s a danger in reading too much into any candidate's bus tour, because the people who show up are usually supportive of the candidate even if they're not yet committed."

The Democratic nominee should be someone who can "win over white working-class people who think that they were left behind, and they think that Donald Trump is doing it for them," voter Janet Abbas told McCammond. Abbas said she didn't think Trump was delivering on his promises, and said she couldn't understand why his fans are still backing him.

A Democrat could beat Trump and win some of his supporters if he or she touts their "ability to work with Republicans to get things done," voters Karen and Bernard Pratte told McCammond.

McCammond notes that many Iowans do want someone more liberal, but the Democrats he spoke with who seemed most focused on simply beating Trump tended to like Biden, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar. They liked Biden's centrist approach, experience and presence; praised Buttigieg's Midwestern roots and called him "down-to-earth"; and liked Klobuchar's sensible policy proposals.