After 1300+ miles, eight events, and more Bruce Springsteen than some of us ever thought we’d hear in one sitting, the Red Truck made its way to Iowa.
John’s father, a union electrician, always drove pickup trucks. When he passed a few years ago, John got his dad’s last truck.
It’ll be a great reminder of all the amazing lessons my dad taught me. I’m really happy I kept my dad’s last truck and I’m really proud to take it out to Iowa. It’ll be a great reminder of why I’m running for President.
The best omelets we’ve ever had
Wood-Ridge, NJ is a blue-collar borough in Bergen County with a spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline. No, really. Look:
John began the day with an interview over pancakes and bacon with ABC News at Bendix Diner on Route 17 just outside Wood-Ridge. No kidding, these were some of the best omelets Mike, our press secretary, and I ever had.
Along the way we jumped onto Facebook Live to pass the time and answer questions people asked using the hashtag #AskJKD.
Day 2: The Path to “Yes”
We started with a roundtable of minority entrepreneurs at Detroit Vegan Soul. These entrepreneurs all received loans from the Entrepreneurs of Color Fund, a public-private partnership that provides small businesses in Detroit with the capital they need to grow. In just a few short years, the businesses that were helped by these loans created just shy of 600 jobs in Detroit.
John and this group clicked right from the start when he talked about finding “the path to yes.” Take a listen:
From Detroit we made our way to Davenport, Iowa. As we drove across Michigan and along the coast of Lake Michigan, John jumped on Facebook Live to answer more of your questions.
Day 3: More pancakes, more questions, more Bruce
John met up with groups of Democrats in Dewitt and Tipton. Over (even more) pancakes, John answered questions about his campaign and gave out signed copies of his book, The Right Answer. Events like these are the backbone of campaigning for President in Iowa. Handshake by handshake, question by question, forkful by forkful.
John speaking with caucus-goers in Dewitt 
John speaking with caucus-goers in Tipton
America 2030 in Davenport
America 2030 is John’s multimedia presentation about the path our country is on and where he thinks we can go. Despite some nasty snow we had a packed house at the River Music Experience in Davenport.
John answering questions after the presentation 
John greeting people after the event 
John greeting people after the event 
You just knew he’d be in it, didn’t you?
Day 4: “This is real caucus weather!”
The nasty snow continued through the night and made our trek from Davenport to Cedar Rapids take longer than expected. The truck may have four wheel drive but that’s no reason to drive like a maniac.
We arrived to several dozen people at our new Cedar Rapids office ready for hot coffee and hotter questions, then it was off to Des Moines for another office opening, this time opened by 3rd District Democrats Chair, Al Womble.
Check out a full video recap of our trip here: