Iowa's importance in the 2012 election was arguably more important than ever. IPR's news staff traveled the state and reported on the candidates' messages long before the Iowa caucuses. Here are some of the photos IPR reporters took along the campaign trail.
Senator Chuck Grassley and NASCAR Racing Legend Richard Petty welcome Mitt and Ann Romney to a rally at the Dubuque airport on November, 3 2012.
President Barack Obama hugs First Lady Michelle Obama at his final campaign stop of the race in downtown Des Moines on November 5, 2012.
Governor Romney holds a campaign rally at a farm near Van Meter, Iowa on October 9, 2012 where he talked primarily about agriculture policy.
Leonard Boswell stops by IPR studios in Des Moines on September 27, 2012 for an interview.
Republican Incumbent congressmen Tom Latham (left) and Steve King (right) address a crowd at a Mitt Romney rally near a farm near Van Meter, Iowa. October 9, 2012.
Minnesota congresswoman Michelle Bachmann announced her campaign for the Republican ticket in her hometown Waterloo in June, 2011.
Vice President Joe Biden stumps alongside 4th Congressional District candidate Christie Vilsack in Fort Dodge, Iowa on November 1, 2012
Republican Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan stopping by the Iowa State Fair the day after he was announced as Mitt Romney's running mate on August 13, 2012
President Obama speaks to supporters on the University of Iowa's campus on September 7, 2012.
Speaking to a crowd at the Hotel Fort Des Moines, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney told supporters a 'prairie fire of debt' was sweeping across Iowa and the rest of the country in May, 2012.
GOP VP candidate Paul Ryan speaks to a group of supporters at a rally in Cedar Falls on November, 2 2012.