Americans Aren’t Actually Jealous of Iowa and New Hampshire

The most recent national phone survey conducted by Rasmussen found that just 24% of Americans believe Iowa and New Hampshire are lucky because of the attention they are getting from presidential candidates at this time of year. Nearly twice as many — 45% — think we are unlucky.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 24% of Americans believe that people in Iowa and New Hampshire are lucky because they get to vote first in the Presidential nominating process. Nearly twice as many, 45%, say those same voters are unlucky because they have to put up with the candidates and campaigns during the holiday season.

This year, with the Iowa caucuses scheduled for January 3 and the New Hampshire primaries set for January 8, candidates will be faced with the awkward necessity of reaching out to voters in those states during a time when many Americans would rather be with family and friends.

The prevailing view that early state voters are unlucky cuts across partisan and demographic lines. Younger voters are a bit more likely to consider those early voters lucky—27% of those under 30 hold that positive view while just 42% say they are unlucky. Among senior citizens, just 19% say the people of Iowa and New Hampshire are lucky while 51% take the opposite view.