With the exception of George W. Bush's razor-thin victory over John Kerry in 2004, Iowa has been firmly in the Democratic column since it went for Michael Dukakis in 1988, continuing through Barack Obama's second campaign in 2012. But in 2016, Iowans voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump (51.1%) over Hillary Clinton (41.7%).
Since then the state has been piling up Republican victories statewide, to the point where despondent Democrats in the Hawkeye State are admitting the party is at its "lowest point in decades."
AFN spoke with Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of Iowa-based The Family Leader, about the sea-change in the state. The conservative Christian leader says the change coincides with the period he turned his policy organization into a gospel organization.
"Frankly, we've gotten it wrong," he states bluntly. "We've asked the Church to engage every other year by saying this is the most important election of our lifetime. And [in doing so], basically we've downgraded the Church … to a political vehicle versus a vehicle of the gospel."
Vander Plaats explains The Family Leader started pouring resources into the Great Commission, helping plant the gospel in communities and building up spiritual leaders.
"Instead of asking the Church to team with us on our political mission, we're [asking] How can we team with the Church in the Great Commission? The ripple effect has got to be a timeless voice to a culture," says the ministry leader.
Spirit-led Christians in Iowa started running for school boards, county commissions, state legislature seats, and even the governor's race.
"The elections then become something that we do, not everything that we do. So, you need to engage the Church on a 24/7/365 basis – not an every-other-year basis," he emphasizes.
They call it The Daniel Impact – and according to Vander Plaats, they're exporting the strategy. "The model that we implemented in Iowa – and now that we're doing in 18 other states – is a biblical model that's having dynamic, dynamic effect," he concludes.
