Seven times, Mike Day drove down to Iowa from Minneapolis to knock on doors and make the case for his candidate in the first state where it matters.
He was there, with an "observer" sticker on his chest, when Ankeny precinct 15A started caucusing, as a campaign volunteer, hoping enough of the 263 caucusgoers would walk over to join him under the Amy for America sign.
The caucus was orderly, organized and full of people who take the responsibility of casting the country's first votes for president seriously.
Like everything else about the 2020 Iowa caucuses, it ended in complete disaster.
"I saw a little piece of history," Day said. "The last Iowa caucus that will ever be held."
We still don't have a winner in Iowa. We still don't have an explanation.
What we do have is the bone-deep certainty that caucuses are a terrible way to pick a president. They are clunky, confusing, undemocratic antiques that work best when barely anyone participates.
Last Monday, as the caucuses crashed and the rest of the nation started questioning the whole Iowa-goes-first arrangement, Minnesota campaign volunteers were watching, with "observer" stickers on their chests.