CHRISTIAN OR TRUMPIST:

Sioux County rejected Trump in the 2016 caucuses and King the first time he faced a real primary for the same reason. It isn't because Sioux County Republicans are moderate. It's because Sioux County is so conservative in the way the word was used before Trump changed its meaning.

To give you an idea, back in 2012, Sioux County and neighboring Lyon County were Rick Santorum's best counties as he edged out Mitt Romney in the Iowa caucuses. Santorum pulled in 49% across those two counties, two of just three counties where he was above 40%. Back in 2008, Mike Huckabee also dominated in Sioux, Lyon, and O'Brien counties, posting about 50% there compared to 35% statewide.

According to the Association of Religious Data Archives, Sioux County has the highest portion of evangelicals in the state, and its rate of mainline Protestants is even higher.

Look at any data that measures the strength of family, faith, and work, and Sioux County tops the list of Iowa counties. Neighboring Lyon and O'Brien are very similar, and they also voted overwhelmingly for Feenstra and against King.

Sioux and Lyon counties are also the two counties with the highest portion of residents with Dutch ancestry. That's not a coincidence: What makes these communities so strong are the Dutch reformed churches and affiliated institutions.

Feenstra is Dutch. He represents Sioux County in the legislature, and so it's not surprising he was strongest here. But that the challenge to King emerged from this Dutch, churchgoing, family friendly corner of the state tells you something about the different types of politics that get called "far-right" or "archconservative."

King was no squish on abortion. He had a pro-life record and was mostly conservative on economic issues with some farm-area and Trumpian exceptions. But he was most widely known for his strident anti-immigration views, and he eventually got tossed overboard for his proximity to racist groups and racist ideas.

If strident on immigration and racially caustic sounds familiar, it's because King was a Trumpian conservative probably even before Trump. But some of you may be old enough to remember when that wasn't the only type of conservative.

The Dutch Reformed churches tend to be very conservative on marriage and abortion, and, in a Christian way, very welcoming to refugees. Love of neighbor is a higher good than nationalism -- or than owning the libs. All of these make Trump and King's style and priorities out of whack with the Christian conservative voters of northwest Iowa.

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