Iowa (CNN) -- The day did not start well. Lightning, thunder and torrential rain poured down over Bloomfield, Iowa, where I had come to watch a civil war reenactment. In 1864, here in Davis County, the Confederates made one of their most daring and northerly guerrilla raids of the war. Each year, enthusiasts from the Unionists and Confederates remember that battle. Amtrak train: No better way to connect with U.S. voters I have chosen to leave Amtrak's California Zephyr train in Iowa, because this swing state is in play -- with President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney jockeying for the lead.
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CNN's Richard Quest is in Davis County, where in 1864 the Confederates made one of their most daring raids of the war
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He is in the U.S. as part of American Quest, a series on the election airing from October 29
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Quest stops in Iowa because it is a swing state which often votes for the election winner
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Quest finds the "role of government" theme is at the heart of the election, permeating all of the country's issues
Tomorrow it will be the @placeholder' turn to enjoy victory.