Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucus kicks off the 2020 election season for real on Monday night, but NBC News’ Vaughn Hillyard wants viewers to know the network has been on the ground there since the last election.
“We’ve been on the ground over the weekend but our reporting from Iowa hasn’t stopped since the 2016 election,” Hillyard told TheWrap ahead of the big night. “But having the rest of the national press corps descend on the state really illustrates how pivotal this moment is.”
NBC News and MSNBC are tackling the caucus big time with over 30 anchors, correspondents and reporters on the ground. On Monday, they rolled out “Road to 270,” an interactive online tool to help voters visualize the paths 2020’s winner could take to secure the Electoral College, and brought back “Election Confessions,” a portal for voters to submit anonymous thoughts about the process.
“I’ve been reporting from Iowa for NBC News and MSNBC for close to last five years and this place has been the closest thing to home for me,” Hillyard said. “From the farmers to the politicos and press corps to the local restaurant owners, reporting from Iowa is a large reason I want to be on the road.”
He was not the only one on the road Monday: MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski did “Morning Joe” live from Iowa, Rachel Maddow will be there when her show airs, as will NBC News’ Savannah Guthrie and Chuck Todd.
The caucuses start Monday at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.