‘A sad circus’: Iowa caucuses arrive with little doubt over likely Republican victor

Donald Trump’s celebrity status has overwhelmed his hard-toiling opponents and enabled him to campaign at arm’s length. Illustration: Guardian Design/Getty Images

Few people relish the Iowa caucuses, the first act of the greatest political show on earth, more than Mike Draper. Since 2008 the Iowa native has hosted US presidential candidates at his novelty retail store and made tongue-in-cheek political merchandise. But this time, he feels, something is missing.

“We’ve always had a fairly good finger on the pulse and it’s normally a circus but this year is just a sad circus,” said Draper, owner of Raygun in the state capital, Des Moines. “People are still going through the motions but there’s no real drama to it.”