(Radio Iowa) — An Iowa State University study explores the changing attitudes of Iowa voters in recent presidential elections. Ann Oberhauser, an I-S-U professor of sociology and director of Women’s and Gender Studies, says there was a big shift between the majority of Iowa voters picking Democrat Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 to backing Republican Donald Trump in 2016. “We’re interested in more local and county level aspects of that,” Oberhauser says. “We tuned in on morality as an explanatory factor. Race, ethnicity is also explanatory and some other social indicators, such as education.”

The study found white, rural voters without a college education were more likely to switch from voting Democrat to Republican. There were some researchers who suggested economic factors may have played a larger role in the decision, but she says that does not appear to have been the case. Oberhauser says it will be interesting to see how Iowans vote in 2020 with the Caucuses and the general election. “That makes it really exciting, right? It keeps us in business,” Oberhauser says. “With all of this and Iowa being the first primary caucus, for the last 30-40 years even, it’s been a focus. Some people have issues with that but that’s the way our system works.”

The study found Iowa had more counties flip from Democrat to Republican than any other state in the last presidential election. Oberhauser says it’s curious when so many rural, predominantly white counties that supported Obama for two straight election cycles made a dramatic shift to get behind Trump.  “Iowa is becoming much more diverse in its population, particularly in urban areas and larger populated areas, but also in some of these rural areas,” Oberhauser says. “As the demographics change in this state, we might begin to see more shifts in some of these attitudes and in looking ahead to 2020.”

The study is being published in The Sociological Quarterly.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports a deputy dispatched late Sunday night to the Hitchcock Nature Area for possible narcotics use, located a vehicle and arrested the passenger. 41-year old Jeffrey Clarke Blue, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Violation of a No Contact/Protective order at around 2-a.m., following an investigation into the incident. His bond was set at $300. At around 9:12-p.m. Sunday, a deputy in Council Bluffs observed a vehicle driven by 39-year old Robert Matthew Justice, operating without headlights. Justice tried to flee from law enforcement and was eventually stopped at West Graham and Fairmount Avenue. A license check revealed he was a barred driver in Iowa. The vehicle he was driving had a stolen registration plate sticker on it. Justice was arrested for Eluding, Driving While Barred and Theft in the 5th degree.

At around 11:30-a.m. Sunday, 51-year old Terri Virginia Hansen was arrested for Driving While Barred/Habitual offender, following an accident at Leisure Avenue and Old Lincoln Highway, near Honey Creek. And, at around 12:40-a.m. Sunday, 32-year old Christopher James Watson was arrested for OWI/1st offense, after the pickup he was driving was stopped in Avoca for having an excessively loud exhaust. Upon contact, authorities say Watson displayed signs of being impaired.

Friday afternoon, 25-year old Henry Thomas Beadle, of Omaha, turned himself-in to the Pott. County Sheriff’s Office. He was arrested on a Pott. County warrant for Harassment in the 3rd degree and transported to the jail, where he was being held on a $300 bond. Friday morning, 26-year old Ishmal Alie Jordan, an inmate at the jail, was presented with a Pott. County warrant for False Reporting. He was then returned to the custody of Corrections Staff. And, a Centerville man, 49-year old Jason Leroy Hogg, was transported from the Appanoose County Jail to the Pottawattamie County Jail, Thursday. Hogg was wanted for Contempt of Court on a 30-day mittimus through the State of Iowa. He was booked into the Pott. County Jail without incident.

MANCHESTER, Iowa (AP) — A trial is scheduled to begin June 5 for an eastern Iowa woman accused of fraudulently collecting more than $8,400 in unemployment benefits. Delaware County court records say 29-year-old Laura Heims, of Edgewood, has pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of fraudulent practice. Court documents say Heims received benefits between March 18 and Aug. 25, 2018, despite being employed by Dolgencorp LLC, which operates Dollar General stores.