The state of Iowa holds a special place in the United States’ election process. Since 1972, the state’s caucuses have been the first major contest held in the Democratic and Republican primary season each election season. For the uninitiated, caucuses, or “neighborhood meetings,” are an objectively stupid alternative to actual voting that some states use to determine which candidate they would like to see represent their party in elections. I say this as a registered voter in Colorado, one of the US states that hold caucuses.
Anyway, the Triple-A Iowa Cubs will commemorate their state’s place in the election process by playing a game this season as the Iowa Caucuses. The red, white, and blue brand plays off a Stars and Stripes patriotic theme. Of particular note is the cap logo, in which an anthropomorphized outline of the state of Iowa is wielding a foam #1 finger featuring the word “1st,” as in, first state to vote (or if not vote, at least stand in amorphous groups in sweaty high school gymnasiums for three hours).
The Caucus identity is evocative of another political alternate ego in minor league baseball, the New Hampshire Primaries, whose logo, like the Caucuses’, was designed by Dan Simon of Studio Simon. The New Hampshire Fisher Cats were almost named the Primaries in 2003 because their home state is the first actual primary held in the election season (as opposed to caucuses). They changed course at the last minute due to a negative fan reaction but still use the nickname as a promotional alternate.
The Iowa Caucuses will take the field August 30.
