Vilsack: Clinton, Cruz doing well in Iowa

Tom Vilsack -- the former governor of Iowa as well as current secretary of Agriculture -- doesn't want to make any predictions about his state's pivotal party caucuses, but he does have some observations.

Most of them involve Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Ted Cruz.

Vilsack, who still has strong connections in the Hawkeye State, said Clinton appears to be the best organized Democrat ahead of the Feb. 1 caucuses, while Cruz seems to have the most enthusiastic backers among the Republicans.

"Secretary Clinton's operation is one of the best operations I've seen," Vilsack said during an interview this week with Paste BN.

Vilsack has endorsed the former secretary of State -- a former colleague in President Obama's Cabinet -- but "I have respect for the other two guys" in the Democratic race, Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley.

Clinton, who lost the 2008 Iowa caucuses to Obama, has traveled the state extensively and enlisted a number of volunteers who will help turn out voters on caucus night, Vilsack said. She has stressed issues that are important to Iowans, from mental health and substance abuse to a rural economic agenda.

"So I think she's going to do well," Vilsack said, and Iowa should give her "momentum going into New Hampshire and South Carolina and Nevada" -- though he was careful not to predict victory.

"I'm predicting a strong showing," Vilsack said.

While less familiar with the Republican race in Iowa, Vilsack did say that "Sen. Cruz is going to do well."

The Texas senator is also building a strong Iowa organization, he said, relying on evangelicals and very conservative voters who have long played pivotal roles in the Iowa Republican caucuses, Vilsack said.

The former governor is less sure about the Iowa organization of the national Republican front-runner, Donald Trump.

"I see Cruz people," Vilsack said. "I'm not as connected as to what Trump's got in Iowa. So it will be interesting to see if he in fact has the organization that actually delivers people."

Commitment is key in Iowa, Vilsack said, and candidates need to count on backers who will definitely show up on caucus night.

"I know that Cruz has got those people," Vilsack said. "I don't know if Trump has got those folks."

The former governor said he did not know whether Cruz success in Iowa will translate down the line:  "He's pushing all the right buttons in Iowa -- I don't know about other states."

Not that he's predicting anything.

"You never want to make predictions," Vilsack said.