The 2020 Iowa Caucuses will be here before you know it, kicking off the next Presidential election cycle. Before it arrives, the Perry Public Library invites you to learn more about how the Caucuses became so important.

This Thursday, the library will welcome Dr. Dennis Goldford of the Humanities Iowa Speakers Bureau. He will present “The Election of 2020: Looking Backward, Looking Forward” in the library’s large meeting room at 6:30 p.m. Library Director Mary Murphy says Dr. Goldford is a Political Science Professor at Drake University who has frequently served as a political analyst for various news outlets in the state. In the program, Goldford will examine the 2016 Presidential election and 2018 midterm election, and will explore the likely explanations for the results. Additionally, he will discuss the tasks ahead for both major political parties as they approach the 2020 Caucuses. Murphy encourages the public to attend the free program, particularly as a way to understand the state’s significance in the national political arena. “Iowa plays a major role in the Primaries, and he’s going to give us background of how we evolved to be that role: the Caucuses. So it’s probably going to be pretty educational and informative at the same time.”

The program has been funded by the Friends of the Perry Public Library, Humanities Iowa, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information, stop in or call the library at 515-465-3569.