You! This is now really underway.

This is Radio Atlantic. I'm Isaac Dauver.

The 2020 race is now really underway.

This past Sunday, 19 Democratic candidates descended on Cedar Rapids, Iowa

for the unofficial kickoff in the first caucus state.

Let me tell you, it was a wild scene. Pete

Buttigudge was playing the keyboard at a barbecue his campaign hosted. Bernie Sanders

was marching in with McDonald's striking workers. Elizabeth Warren supporters put on feather boas and were dancing to Dolly Parton in the streets.

Corey Booker's staff was banging on the ground with sticks covered in signs from his campaign.

John Delaney's folks even had a bagpipe player and a mini blimp.

So that's the Democrats.

And by the way, Joe Biden, the current frontrunner, was in Iowa this week too, though he skipped

that big event in Cedar Rapids.

I was there with him as he campaigned along the southeast side of the state on Tuesday,

trying to basically skip the primary and face off directly against President

Donald Trump, who was in Iowa himself that that day and eager to have the fight.

Now Trump is going to be the start of the show himself in a few days when he holds a rally

in Orlando to officially announce his re-election campaign.

So where do things stand?

Is the race working out so far how Trump wants or how the Democrats want?

With me in studio is Elena Plot, Atlantic Staff Writer, and my colleague here in the newsroom.

Hi Elena.

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