WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- Two Democrats seeking their party's nomination for president announced plans Sunday to skip Iowa's presidential caucuses.
Aides to Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., said they are pulling 16 of his 17 Iowa staffers and sending them to states more receptive to his appeal, The New York Times reported.
Gen. Wesley Clark's aides said they did not have enough time to assemble an Iowa campaign, so he too, would maintain only minimal presence in the state, the Times said.
The Jan. 9 Iowa caucuses are considered the first real test of a candidate's strength among voters and Sunday's announcements drew sharp reactions from party leaders and fellow candidates, the newspaper said.
Several predicted Clark and Lieberman would regret their decisions, since no one who skipped the caucuses has ever won the Democratic nomination.
Although polling in Iowa is notoriously unreliable, state party leaders said Rep. Richard Gephardt and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean were top contenders.
