Want to know what the NBC News Embeds saw? Follow their daily journey to the inside of the 2016 presidential campaign here:
Cruz completes the ‘Full Grassley’
JEFFERSON, Iowa — Hours before the Iowa caucuses, Ted Cruz visited his 99th county in the Hawkeye State and completed the “Full Grassley” — the name coming from longtime U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, who continues to visit all of the state’s counties every year.
Cruz said that this was his “final” time to stand in front of the people of Iowa and ask them for their support.
Iowa Caucus: Click here for complete coverage and live updates
Cruz is expected to visit a caucus location before returning to Des Moines for his caucus night watch party at the state fairgrounds tonight.
— Vaughn Hillyard covering the Iowa caucuses
Skipping school for the campaign trail
ANKENY, Iowa — What’s it like having your dad run for president?
“I think it’s really cool,” Amanda Rubio, 16, the eldest daughter of Sen. Marco Rubio, told NBC’s Hallie Jackson this morning at his headquarters in Ankeny.
She and the rest of the Rubio family joined their dad in Iowa late last night to show their support on Caucus Day. They spent the morning with him at a Cracker Barrel in Clive, Iowa, where the senator bought one of his kids a lightsaber after chatting with patrons at the diner, and then tagged along with him on a visit to his headquarters in Ankeny.
Amanda said it was “really extraordinary” to see her dad campaigning, and that she was “so proud” to see him out with supporters because it was a different side of him from what she normally sees.
“My dad, he is a great dad. And I don’t know, when I see him out there, I get so proud of him, because…It’s really different to be able to see him go and do all that stuff,” she said.
But the real advantage to being on the trail with her dad?
“It’s less stressful than school,” she said, “so I prefer it.”
For the Clintons, campaigning is a family business
DES MOINES, Iowa – When it comes to the Clintons, campaigning is a family business.
Hillary’s top surrogates, her husband and daughter, canvassed the state in a final push before the caucuses, culminating in two rallies this weekend that featured the three of them together for the first time since she announced her campaign in April.
Bill had a permanent smile on his face, often lingering with voters (and even reporters) so long that staffers had to push him along.
Hillary Clinton's last campaign rally before #iacaucus pic.twitter.com/SrjY7sbeXk
— Monica Alba (@AlbaMonica) February 1, 2016
Hillary has become so accustomed to selfies that she sometimes just grabs cell phones instinctively and takes the photos herself. (All those tips from Kim Kardashian paid off, I guess?)
And Chelsea, pregnant with her second child, worked the rope line as her husband, Mark Mezvinsky, looked on from backstage.









