Turnout is name of the game in Monday’s Iowa caucuses

In a final frenzy to inspire supporters to turn out for Monday’s Iowa caucuses, the presidential contenders scrambled to close the deal with the first voters to have a say in the 2016 race for the White House. The result Sunday was a blur of sometimes conflicting messages. Even as the candidates begged backers to caucus, many hopefuls also tried to lower expectations and look ahead to the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 9 and later contests.

There’s no question we are feeling some wind at our back…(But) it’s very hard to compete with the greatest show on earth and the greatest ground game in Iowa history.

Marco Rubio strategist Todd Harris said the Iowa goal is to end up behind the flamboyant Trump and the highly organized Cruz.

Iowa offers only a small contingent of the delegates who will determine the nominees, but the game of expectations counts for far more than the electoral math in the state. Campaigns worked aggressively to set those expectations in their favor (read: lower them) for Iowa, New Hampshire and beyond. One development — the weather — was beyond the candidates’ control. A snowfall forecast to start Monday night appeared more likely to hinder the hopefuls in their rush out of Iowa than the voters.

If people come out to vote, I think you’re going to look at one of the biggest political upsets in the modern history of our country.

Buoyed by news of impressive fundraising efforts, Bernie Sanders was in bullish mood on CNN’s State of the Union

Iowa caucuses