Joe Biden is in the second tier of national polls, but his strongest precinct in the country may be under the golden dome of Iowa's Capitol. The Delaware senator has lined up endorsements from 10 of the 83 Democrats in the Iowa Legislature, trailing only Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. However, just under half of the legislative Democrats are still keeping their preferences to themselves.
Biden is actually leading on the House side of the dome with nine endorsements, while Clinton has the backing of nine state senators. Biden's backers were scattered in 2004.
Democratic legislators have thus far scattered their support more than they did four years ago. Prior to the 2004 caucuses, 55 of the then 68 Democratic legislators endorsed before the 2004 caucuses. Twenty-seven of them backed John Kerry. That early legislative support was a bulwark for the eventual caucus winner and nominee. Many legislators got behind Kerry early, even as he trailed Howard Dean in early polls. Dean rolled up eight 2004 endorsements, and Richard Gephardt had nine.
John Edwards had backing from six legislators in 2004. Four of those same legislators are backing Edwards again, while the two others have not publicly committed.
Joe Lieberman, who didn't even contest the Iowa caucuses, nevertheless had support from four legislators, including current majority leader Kevin McCarthy, who is backing Biden this year. A fifth Lieberman backer, Doug Struyk of Council Bluffs, left Lieberman late for Kerry. Then he left Kerry for George W. Bush, bolting the Democratic Party entirely (much as Lieberman did last year).
A lone legislator, Ed Fallon, backed Dennis Kucinich in 2004. Fallon, of course, left the legislature in his bid for governor. He is backing John Edwards this year. No other legislator has stepped forward to carry the Kucinich banner this year. Bill Richardson is also unendorsed under the dome thus far.
The firefighter connection has helped Chris Dodd win his one legislative endorsement so far, from firefighter and Sen. Jeff Danielson.
The box score:
| Total | Senate | House | |
| Clinton | 16 | 9 | 7 |
| Obama | 11 | 6 | 5 |
| Biden | 10 | 1 | 9 |
| Edwards | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| Dodd | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Uncommitted (so far) | 38 | 12 | 26 |
| Total | 83 | 30 | 53 |
And, for those of you playing at home, the roll call:
| Name | District | Home County | 2008 | 2004 |
| Sen. Dr. Joe M. Seng | Senate District 43 | Scott | Biden | none |
| Rep. Doris Kelley | House District 20 | Black Hawk | Biden | new |
| Rep. Roger Thomas | House District 24 | Clayton | Biden | Kerry |
| Rep. Polly Bukta | House District 26 | Clinton | Biden | Dean |
| Rep. Dick Taylor | House District 33 | Linn | Biden | Kerry |
| Rep. Lisa Heddens | House District 46 | Story | Biden | Kerry |
| Rep. Kevin McCarthy | House District 67 | Polk | Biden | Lieberman |
| Rep. Jim Lykam | House District 85 | Scott | Biden | none |
| Rep. John Whitaker | House District 90 | Van Buren | Biden | Gephardt |
| Rep. Mike Reasoner | House District 95 | Union | Biden | Lieberman |
| Sen. William A. Dotzler, Jr. | Senate District 11 | Black Hawk | Clinton | Gephardt |
| Sen. Roger Stewart | Senate District 13 | Jackson | Clinton | Kerry |
| Sen. Michael Connolly | Senate District 14 | Dubuque | Clinton | Kerry |
| Sen. Wally E. Horn | Senate District 17 | Linn | Clinton | none |
| Sen. Dennis H. Black | Senate District 21 | Jasper | Clinton | Kerry |
| Sen. Dick L. Dearden | Senate District 34 | Polk | Clinton | Gephardt |
| Sen. Staci Appel | Senate District 37 | Warren | Clinton | new |
| Sen. Becky Schmitz | Senate District 45 | Jefferson | Clinton | new |
| Sen. Gene Fraise | Senate District 46 | Lee | Clinton | none |
| Rep. Roger Wendt | House District 2 | Woodbury | Clinton | Kerry |
| Rep. Mark Kuhn | House District 14 | Floyd | Clinton | Gephardt |
| Rep. Swati Dandekar | House District 36 | Linn | Clinton | Kerry |
| Rep. Paul Bell | House District 41 | Jasper | Clinton | Kerry |
| Rep. Mary Mascher | House District 77 | Johnson | Clinton | Kerry |
| Rep. Vicki Lensing | House District 78 | Johnson | Clinton | none |
| Rep. Cindy Winckler | House District 86 | Scott | Clinton | Dean |
| Sen. Jeff Danielson | Senate District 10 | Black Hawk | Dodd | new |
| Sen. Keith A. Kreiman | Senate District 47 | Davis | Edwards | Edwards |
| Rep. Wes Whitead | House District 1 | Woodbury | Edwards | Gephardt |
| Rep. Andrew Wenthe | House District 18 | Fayette | Edwards | new |
| Rep. Ro Foege | House District 29 | Linn | Edwards | Edwards |
| Rep. Art Staed | House District 37 | Linn | Edwards | new |
| Rep. Geri Huser | House District 42 | Polk | Edwards | Edwards |
| Rep. Kurt Swaim | House District 94 | Davis | Edwards | Edwards |
| Sen. Steve Warnstadt | Senate District 1 | Woodbury | Obama | Kerry |
| Sen. Robert E. Dvorsky | Senate District 15 | Johnson | Obama | Gephardt |
| Sen. Tom Rielly | Senate District 38 | Mahaska | Obama | new |
| Sen. Frank Wood | Senate District 42 | Scott | Obama | new |
| Sen. Rich Olive | Senate District 5 | Story | Obama | new |
| Sen. Bill Heckroth | Senate District 9 | Bremer | Obama | new |
| Rep. Pam Jochum | House District 27 | Dubuque | Obama | Kerry |
| Rep. Tyler Olson | House District 38 | Linn | Obama | new |
| Rep. Helen Miller | House District 49 | Webster | Obama | Gephardt |
| Rep. Janet Petersen | House District 64 | Polk | Obama | Kerry |
| Rep. Elesha Gayman | House District 84 | Scott | Obama | new |
| Sen. John P. "Jack" Kibbie | Senate District 4 | Palo Alto | - | Kerry |
| Sen. Amanda Ragan | Senate District 7 | Cerro Gordo | - | none |
| Sen. Brian Schoenjahn | Senate District 12 | Fayette | - | new |
| Sen. Tom Hancock | Senate District 16 | Dubuque | - | new |
| Sen. Rob Hogg | Senate District 19 | Linn | - | none |
| Sen. Herman C. Quirmbach | Senate District 23 | Story | - | none |
| Sen. Daryl Beall | Senate District 25 | Webster | - | Dean |
| Sen. Matt McCoy | Senate District 31 | Polk | - | Kerry |
| Sen. Jack Hatch | Senate District 33 | Polk | - | Kerry |
| Sen. Joe Bolkcom | Senate District 39 | Johnson | - | Dean |
| Sen. Thomas G. Courtney | Senate District 44 | Des Moines | - | Gephardt |
| Sen. Michael E. Gronstal | Senate District 50 | Pottawattamie | - | none |
| Rep. Marcella Frevert | House District 7 | Palo Alto | - | Dean |
| Rep. Dolores Mertz | House District 8 | Kossuth | - | none |
| Rep. McKinley Bailey | House District 9 | Hamilton | - | new |
| Rep. Brian Quirk | House District 15 | Chickasaw | - | Kerry |
| Rep. Bob Kressig | House District 19 | Black Hawk | - | new |
| Rep. Deborah Berry | House District 22 | Black Hawk | - | Kerry |
| Rep. Tom Schueller | House District 25 | Jackson | - | new |
| Rep. Pat Murphy | House District 28 | Dubuque | - | none |
| Rep. David Jacoby | House District 30 | Johnson | - | Kerry |
| Rep. Ray Zirkelbach | House District 31 | Jones | - | new |
| Rep. Todd Taylor | House District 34 | Linn | - | none |
| Rep. Mark Smith | House District 43 | Marshall | - | Kerry |
| Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell | House District 45 | Story | - | new |
| Rep. Donovan Olson | House District 48 | Boone | - | Kerry |
| Rep. Jo Oldson | House District 61 | Polk | - | Kerry |
| Rep. Bruce Hunter | House District 62 | Polk | - | Dean |
| Rep. Wayne Ford | House District 65 | Polk | - | Edwards |
| Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad | House District 66 | Polk | - | new |
| Rep. Rick Olson | House District 68 | Polk | - | new |
| Rep. Mark Davitt | House District 74 | Warren | - | Kerry |
| Rep. Eric Palmer | House District 75 | Mahaska | - | new |
| Rep. Nathan Reichert | House District 80 | Muscatine | - | new |
| Rep. Dennis Cohoon | House District 88 | Des Moines | - | Edwards |
| Rep. Philip L. Wise | House District 92 | Lee | - | Lieberman |
| Rep. Mary Gaskill | House District 93 | Wapello | - | Kerry |
| Rep. Paul Shomshor | House District 100 | Pottawattamie | - | Lieberman |
Correction: The initial version of this story missed Rep. Pam Jochum's Obama endorsement.
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