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NOW. THE 2024 ELECTION SEASON IS WRAPPING UP, BUT LEADERS IN BOTH PARTIES SAY THEY’RE ALREADY LOOKING AHEAD TO THE NEXT ELECTION CYCLE. THEY SAY THIS YEAR’S RESULTS WILL INFLUENCE THE FUTURE OF IOWA’S CAUCUSES IN 2028. OUR CHIEF POLITICAL REPORTER, AMANDA ROOKER, HAS BEEN TALKING TO IOWA REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS WHO SAY THEY’RE GEARING UP TO FIGHT FOR THE FIRST IN THE NATION SPOT. AMANDA. WELL, STACY AND BEN, THIS ELECTION WAS THE FIRST TIME IN ABOUT 50 YEARS THAT IOWA DEMOCRATS DID NOT HOLD FIRST IN THE NATION CAUCUSES. THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE VOTED LAST YEAR TO BOOT IOWA FROM THAT SPOT. BUT WITH 2024 BEHIND US, BOTH PARTIES ARE ALREADY THINKING ABOUT 2028. THERE’S GOING TO BE A BRAND NEW CALENDAR, BRAND NEW FIGHT. AND AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED, WE SHOULD BE IN THERE FIGHTING. SCOTT BRENNAN, THE ONLY IOWAN ON THE DNC RULES AND BYLAWS COMMITTEE, SAYS IOWA DEMOCRATS SHOULD FIGHT TO WIN BACK THEIR FIRST IN THE NATION SPOT IN 2028. BUT TOUGH LOSSES THIS ELECTION MAKE THAT FIGHT MORE OF AN UPHILL BATTLE. IF WE HAD PICKED UP TWO CONGRESSIONAL SEATS ON TUESDAY NIGHT, I’D LIKE MY ARGUMENT A LOT MORE. WE MIGHT STILL PICK UP ONE OF THOSE. WE’LL FIND OUT FROM THE RECOUNT IN THE FIRST, BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE’LL HAVE WORK TO DO. BRENNAN IS REFERENCING TWO OF IOWA’S U.S. HOUSE SEATS. DEMOCRATS SPENT MILLIONS TRYING TO FLIP BOTH BLUE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. REPUBLICAN INCUMBENT ZACH NUNN WON REELECTION IN IOWA’S THIRD DISTRICT RACE. AND IN THE RACE FOR IOWA’S FIRST DISTRICT, RIGHT NOW, REPUBLICAN MARIANNETTE MILLER-MEEKS IS AHEAD BY ABOUT 800 VOTES. THE AP HAS YET TO CALL THAT RACE, BUT BRENNAN ALSO SAYS TRUMP’S PERFORMANCE NATIONALLY MAY HELP HIS CASE FOR IOWA’S CAUCUSES. IT’S VERY CLEAR THAT GETTING OUR CANDIDATES TESTED IN A PLACE LIKE IOWA, WHERE YOU CAN HAVE CHEAP MEDIA MARKETS AND TALK TO RURAL FOLKS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE OUR VAUNTED BLUE WALL DIDN’T HOLD UP ON TUESDAY NIGHT, WE LOST A BUNCH OF PLACES WHERE WE CAN’T. WE DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO TALK TO RURAL FOLKS. REPUBLICANS ALSO HAVE THEIR SIGHTS SET ON 2028. IT’S NOT TOO EARLY. I WILL GUARANTEE YOU WHEN WE HAVE OUR WINTER MEETING AT THE RNC, WE’RE GOING TO START TALKING ABOUT THIS REPUBLICAN PARTY OF IOWA CHAIR JEFF KAUFMAN FEELS CONFIDENT REPUBLICANS WILL KEEP IOWA FIRST IN THE NATION, THOUGH HE HOPES CANDIDATES FROM BOTH PARTIES NEXT CYCLE START THEIR QUEST FOR THE WHITE HOUSE IN IOWA. I WOULD RATHER DO THIS WITH THEM, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? WITH DONALD TRUMP IN THE WHITE HOUSE, WE’RE DOING IT REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE DEMOCRATS DO IT OR NOT. AND HE SAYS TRUMP’S SWEEPING VICTORY IN THE STATE HELPS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS A LOT OF IOWA FANS IN OUR CORNER, AND THAT MATTERS. I ASKED BOTH KAUFMAN AND BRENNAN WHEN THEIR PARTIES WILL START THE PROCESS OF DECIDING WHICH STATES WILL GO FIRST IN THEIR EARLY NOMINATING PROCESS. BOTH SAY THEY THINK THERE WILL BE INFORMAL CONVERSATIONS OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, BUT NEITHER HAD A FIRM TIMELIN