Rochester residents helping Iowa campaigns

P-B Political Reporter Matt Stolle and Photographer Brian Kilen are on the ground in Iowa through caucus night. Here's a quick report from Stolle that he filed Wednesday afternoon

MASON CITY, Iowa - It was the kind of cold that penetrates the fingertips, but Rochester resident Cathy Briese seemed to exult at being in Iowa early this afternoon, at the heart of the presidential campaign.

“This is so much fun,” Briese said on the eve of the Iowa’s caucus, as polls showed the race tightening among the leading contenders for both the Republican and Democratic candidates.

Briese, a stay-at-home mother and supporter of Republican candidate Mitt Romney, had entered Mason City in a caravan of buses and cars that started in St. Paul this morning. She was soon knocking on doors in this north-central Iowa city, urging residents identified as likely Romney supporters to attend Thursday’s evening caucuses. Door-knocking might not be everybody’s cup of tea, especially on a bitterly cold January day, but for Briese, there was a sense of festivity.

And also a sense of history in the making. The tightening polls also had people like Briese knocking on doors with an added bit of urgency.

“It depends on who shows up at the caucus, and they might forget, although I can’t imagine people in Iowa forgetting. Everything helps,” she said.

Look for another report later today. Stolle was headed next to a rally with some Rochester residents on Wednesday afternoon who were to see former President Bill Clinton in Mason City, campaigning on behalf of his wife, Sen. Hilary Clinton.