This is either completely demoralizing or a whack across the face (from the same Globe piece):

Kristen Scuderi, spokeswoman for the Iowa Republican Party, said embryonic stem cell research ”is definitely a charged issue, because it’s a life issue.” But Scuderi said Iowans would be hard-pressed to distinguish between the positions of Bush, Romney, and Hatch.
”If you went to the average Iowan on the street and asked them about it, I don’t think they’d know the difference,” she said.

I have no doubt that is true. Sigh. And Iowans pride themselves on being policy experts. Nevermind where the rest of the country is.