The Iowa Caucus set to take place on Monday, Jan. 15 represents the first major presidential contest of the long election season, and NBC News is preparing for it with Closing Arguments: Iowa, a series of in-depth interviews with a trio of Republican presidential candidates.
NBC News will co-moderate Closing Arguments: Iowa with The Des Moines Register, part of the USA Today Network, with the interviews airing across NBC News platforms beginning with Meet the Press Now on NBC News Now on Wednesday, Jan. 3 at 4 p.m. EST. NBCNews.com, DesMoinesRegister.com, and the print edition of the Register will also feature the interviews throughout the week.
NBC News correspondent Dasha Burns and The Des Moines Register chief politics reporter Brianne Pfannenstiel will conduct a series of 30-minute sit-downs in the Register newsroom with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former UN Amb. and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and businessman/entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy as each campaign makes its final pitch to caucus-goers.
NBC News and The Des Moines Register noted invitations were also sent to former President Donald Trump and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, but both candidates declined to participate.
NBC News says these sit-downs aim to foster substantive conversations and dig deep into the candidates’ stances on the issues driving caucus-goers’ decisions this year.
Burns and Pfannenstiel will also cover candidates’ endgame strategy in Iowa, early state prospects going into the New Hampshire primary, the continued polling strength of former President Trump, and more.
The network says that this interview series kicks off a concerted focus on Iowa for NBC News over the next two weeks, where correspondents, anchors, and campaign embed reporters will offer viewers and readers an unparalleled on-the-ground look at the final weeks of the race in the first state to cast votes in 2024.
The interviews continue an ongoing partnership between NBC News and the Register, who partnered with Mediacom in 2023 to produce the Iowa Poll ahead of the caucus.
The Des Moines Register, for its part, will provide comprehensive reporting from writers and editors who have covered the candidates in Iowa for months and know the state’s political players and the history of the caucuses.