Presidential candidates gear up for Iowa vote By Yael Kohen Daily Staff Reporter After nearly a year of campaigning across the country, Republican and Democratic presidential candidates will see their efforts finally translate into votes when Iowans meet at the Republican and Democratic caucuses today to elect their choices for the presidential nomination. The Iowa caucus is the first of many caucuses and primaries that will follow in coming months. Campaign coordinators expect the Iowa caucuses to give each campaign momentum as candidates continue to attract voters in other states. In the caucus system, registered voters gather in community centers throughout the state at 7 p.m. to hear about the various candidates. At the end, the voters choose who they want to nominate for president. Democratic presidential candidates former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley and Vice President Al Gore and Republican presidential candidates Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Texas Gov. George W. Bush, magazine editor Steve Forbes, Christian activist Gary Bauer and television commentator Alan Keyes have been traveling across Iowa for last-minute campaigning to bring out the vote. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz) opted not to campaign in Iowa and focus his attention on the upcoming New Hampshire primary. Bush is 23 points ahead of Forbes and Gore leads Bradley by 28 points, according to the latest polls conducted by The Des Moines Register. Because of the caucus system, "Iowa is a state where orga nization counts," said Iowa Democratic Party Communications Director Shannon Tesdahl. The system allows the candidates to get in touch with the voters, Tesdahl said. Other Republican candidates have fallen significantly behind both Bush and Forbes in the polls, but that has not halted their campaign efforts. McCain is 12 points behind Forbes, according to The Des Moines Register poll. In November, McCain announced that he would not be setting up an organized campaign office in Iowa because of financial restraints. Forbes, who is Bush's main opponent in Iowa, is hoping that a good showing in Iowa will propel his campaign to gather support next week in New Hampshire, said Kendrick Ashton, deputy press secretary for Forbes' Iowa campaign. Despite Gore's leading Democratic status in Iowa, he has continued to campaign in the state to maintain his support. "We're treating everyday like we are five points behind," said Julie Green, a Gore 2000 volunteer. "A caucus system is far more rewarding for someone who has institutional organization," said Tony Wyche, deputy press secretary for Bradley's Iowa campaign, criticizing the caucus system in relation to the primary system where voters cast their ballot at a poll. Volunteers have been strong in numbers, but Bradley still doesn't have the support that he needs to win Iowa, Wyche said. Other Republican candidates have been campaigning to gather more support for today's caucuses. During the weekend, Bauer participated in a pro-life rally and visited the graveyard for a memorial in honor of an infant that was found in a ditch, said Jonathan Coors, a Bauer campaign volunteer. Keyes is also participating in several rallies and attended church yesterday. More than 4,000 volunteers have joined Keyes' Iowa campaign, said Connie Hair, press secretary for Bauer's Iowa campaign. How Keyes will do in today's caucuses "is all in God's hands," Hair said. Originally on page 1A in the 1-24-2000 issue of the Daily.