COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA — You know it’s bad when Cracker Barrel shuts down during the lunch hour.

The temperature was in single digits here on the western edge of Iowa on the Friday before the caucuses, which is typically a day when every corner of the state is crawling with presidential candidates. This year, though, the streets of Council Bluffs were empty except for the snow drifting across the lanes.

Recommended Stories

What to know ahead of Monday’s Iowa caucuses

DeSantis is first to reserve airtime through Iowa caucuses with $2 million ad buy

‘It’s all you hear about.’ What it’s like being an Iowan in a caucus year