And now from the University of Chicago Institute of Politics, the Act Spiles, with your host, David Axelrod.

On Monday, the eyes of the world will be on Iowa when the Iowa caucuses take place.

But for the past four years, the candidates who are going to compete there have been making regular trips to the state.

And one of their must-stops has been at the Des Moines Register with Jennifer Jacobs, who's the lead political writer there.

Being the lead political writer at the Des Moines Register is a unique position in American politics.

You're the most sought after journalist in America until the caucuses, and then you have to go back in the pack and cover the campaign just like everyone else.

But for now, Jennifer Jacobs is still the most sought after journalist in America.

She came to the University of Chicago Institute of Politics today to speak about the caucuses, and we had a chance to sit down with her and get her sense of where things are as we speak.

Jennifer Jacobs, you're the focus of America's attention, at least for a few more days here before the Iowa caucuses.

You hold what is a really esteemed position.

I started when Jim Flansberg was the political editor of the Des Moines Register, and everybody who covered the Iowa caucuses, their first stop was to him.

And he was followed by my friend, David Yebson, who was there for what, 34 years or something.

And now you hold that position. Tell us a little bit about yourself and what path you took to being the guru of Iowa.

I was probably a reluctant politics reporter. I was always a general assignment reporter.

Why did you become a reporter at all?

I was going to school at Iowa State and a friend of mine.

You can hear it in your voice.

Almost. I was born across the river in Illinois, in actually Macomb, Illinois, and then grew up in the Quad Cities.

My God, why'd you leave? The land of Lincoln.

I know. It was just great. I followed my parents. They moved to Des Moines.

But a friend of mine, when I was in school, invited me to come write a story for the newspaper.

And then the very first time I saw my byline on the front page of the Iowa State Daily, and they say that the ink gets in your blood and that is so true.

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