In Iowa, the cold dips to minus 40 degrees and those brave enough to go outside do so warned they could get frostbite in 10 minutes.
The life-threatening subzero temperatures mean most are wearing multiple layers and will gather to vote in the crucial Republican caucus on Monday.
For Rocky, this means putting on a lot of clothes.
The 69-year-old retiree from Davenport is a practicing nudist who fully intends to participate in his first caucus in support of Donald Trump. He will brave the snow left behind by blizzards this weekend to join the democratic tradition that dates back to 1972.
It’s personal for Rocky. He believes Trump is a “survivor,” something he knows all too well after a massive stroke, thirteen stints and open-heart surgery.
James Johnson, DailyMail.com pollster and co-founder of JL Partners, spoke with Rocky at his home last week with his wife of 40 years next to him.
Below, he describes his confrontation with one of the many eccentric characters that make the Iowa caucuses a unique political event.
Johnson also shares his thoughts on the key polls heading into the first official Republican primary election.
On Wednesday afternoon I briefly wondered what I do for a living.
This past week I’ve been wading through snowstorms and truckloads of knives to interview Republican voters ahead of the first caucus of 2024.
I had ended up in Davenport, a city on the eastern edge of the state. I had just arrived at a suburban bungalow draped in American flags.
Two minutes later I was sitting across from a naked man.
Rocky, a 69-year-old retiree from Davenport, is a practicing nudist who fully intends to participate in his first Iowa caucus to support Donald Trump
Sitting on his couch on a small towel, without any clothes except some blue slippers, this is Rocky, a 69-year-old retiree and a full-fledged nudist.
It stems from his childhood, growing up in the woods of California. After years of working as a caregiver, he has stripped naked since retirement – and he has never felt so free.
He has had a few complaints and the police were called once.
His wife of forty years doesn’t like it very much. But after a serious stroke, thirteen stints and open heart surgery, life is too short for Rocky to hide.
We settle down.
“Can I audio record this, Rocky?” I ask.
I didn’t have to worry, ‘You can film it if you want.’
After a moment of surprise when he leaned back and rested his left leg on a footstool (looks like I scribbled “FULLY NAKED” in my notes when reality hit me), we start a conversation about the race to become the Republican nominee for to be 2024. .
Despite his unusual dressing habits, Rocky is a middle-of-the-road Republican.
He has voted for the party since 1972.
For Rocky it’s personal. He believes Trump is a “survivor,” something he knows all too well, after a massive stroke, thirteen stints and open-heart surgery.
He doesn’t think the 2020 election was stolen. He also does not believe that the events of January 6 were legal or permissible.
But on Monday he will go to the caucus for the first time in his life. And he will support Donald Trump.
The reason is the same as for many Republicans who will brave the snow on Monday evening and give the former president the most votes.
Despite his faults, Trump is strong, can get things done and has a proven track record.
Rocky leans forward. His voice – clear, confident and to the point – is as steadfast as his dressing sense. ‘I don’t like his style, but I like what he has achieved.’
Trump left his first term with “lower prices,” a “good economy” and a “tough” approach to foreign affairs.
Rocky is a centrist Republican. He doesn’t think the 2020 election was stolen. He also does not believe that the events of January 6 were legal or permissible
Rocky and his wife now pay 50 percent more for basic goods; Trump will solve it.
Rocky is desperate about the situation at the southern border where hundreds of thousands of people cross illegally every month: Trump will finish the wall.
Rocky worries that we will have to ‘prepare for war’ during a second Biden term, as aggressors like Russia and North Korea notice our weakness: Trump has the ‘strong hand’ to face them.
Why is he so sure Trump will do that? “Trump continues. Unlike other politicians, he doesn’t make jokes***. He would make good on his word.” It’s not about the money for him. He just wants to serve.”
Polls show that it is precisely this sense of Trump’s strength that is so important for his support.
The clear language, telling it like it is, no fuss. Many Iowans I spoke with see not just a desirable politician, but an archetype of what Americans should be in the 21st century.
Trump embodies an old-fashioned candor that they have seen disappear from society and their politics, replaced by woke softness and political spin.
These feelings have only been reinforced by what people see as political persecution through numerous criminal charges.
That makes it personal for Rocky. He has also been chased and fired three times in the past because – he says – people were threatened by his workplace ambitions.
Rocky, who has been married for forty years, is desperate about the situation at the southern border, where hundreds of thousands of people cross illegally every month. But he believes Trump will finish the wall
“You don’t chase someone if you’re not afraid of him or her.” The same logic applies to Trump: lawsuit after lawsuit simply shows that if Trump were to come to power, he would face his political opponents like no one has ever done before.
Rocky speaks more quietly: “I survived. Trump is going to survive.”
Ron DeSantis, with a strong ground game in Iowa, could very well finish second in the state but will have a hard time catching Trump.
His approval ratings in Iowa are strong, almost as high as Trump’s with a net positivity of about +40. But that doesn’t translate into votes.
If Trump didn’t enter the race, Rocky thinks DeSantis would win by a wide margin.
He started to like him. But he’s disappointed with how easily DeSantis has “allowed people to lead him.”
He went to a DeSantis event (he tried to ask the governor of Florida for his opinion on social nudity, but couldn’t reach him in time). Rocky felt he was a classic politician, eager to please those in attendance.
Vivek Ramaswamy’s presence in the race has cemented this. His impact has been limited: he is on track to achieve less than 10 percent.
But the only legacy of his outspoken campaign, anchored by the slogan “TRUTH,” is to further expose Ron DeSantis’ relatively polished methods. That polish is not an asset in the 2020s, but a weakness.
What about the other candidates? Rocky fidgets (I won’t tell you what with). He thinks Chris Christie, who dropped out that day, is a ‘gangster’. Nikki Haley is a blowhard who “doesn’t have the experience.”
The latest Selzer Iowa Poll shows there are many more Rockies in Iowa.
Although Haley receives 20 percent of the vote in the survey, half of her support comes from Democrats and Independents.
Her overall approval rating is a measly +2. With those numbers, I would be surprised if she came in second.
She may perform well in New Hampshire, where independent voters are voting in large numbers, but she is unlikely to gain the support to take on Trump in later states.
For all his current support in Iowa, Trump was beatable 12 months ago. Doubts about his temperament were widespread and DeSantis was hot on his heels in the polls.
But the charges changed everything when voters rallied behind their man. His support skyrocketed overnight and has only increased since.
Rocky may be a nudist, but when it comes to politics, he speaks for many other Iowans.
On Monday evening he will put on some clothes and travel through the arctic temperatures to a community center. And there, among those many, he will crown Donald Trump.