Iowa Progressives Weigh Clinton vs. Sanders as Presidential Race Kicks Off

"Democracy Now!" airs weekdays at 9 a.m. PT on KCET.

The road to the White House begins in Iowa today with the opening contest of the 2016 presidential campaign.

Polls show tight races on both sides. Republican front-runner Donald Trump holds a small lead over Texas Senator Ted Cruz. In the Democratic race, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has rallied to close what was once a 40-point deficit behind Hillary Clinton. Iowa is one of the whitest states in the country. But as the first to vote on presidential hopefuls, the Iowa caucus plays an outsize role in the election cycle. Presidential campaigning now starts a year before the opening Iowa contest -- that's nearly two years before the actual Election Day in November 2016. Voters have been treated to months of visits from candidates and more than $150 million in political advertising. "Democracy Now!" is joined from Des Moines, Iowa, by Ed Fallon, host of the radio show "Fallon Forum" and former member of the Iowa General Assembly; he is backing Bernie Sanders in the race. "Democracy Now!" is also joined by Wayne Ford, co-founder and co-chair of the Iowa Brown and Black Presidential Forum and a backer of Hillary Clinton. He is a former Iowa state representative and Iowa's longest-serving black legislator.