What's your take on last night's dramatic Iowa caucuses? Did the right person win? Are you inspired to get involved in 2012 campaigns?

Though the caucuses haven't historically predicted a presidential winner—Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan all lost in the Iowa caucuses, according to this Huffington Post story—local politicos see them as a whittling down of candidates and a start to local campaigns in 2012.

"It's clearly a kickoff to the election season, it knocks off some fringe candidates and it’s entertaining," said Bruce Yablon, chair of the Bedford Democratic Committee.

Eye on the caucuses

After Tuesday night’s contest, Yablon predicted the field eventually narrowing to Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney, whose slim victory (see chart below for numbers) has made a tougher path for him clinching the party nomination. For their part, Democrats are already strategizing for November—and if Romney wins, they’ve got a plan of attack.

“Romney is the polished panderer-in-chief,” he said. “He’s switched his position on women’s rights, gays…you never know which Mitt is running—he panders to whatever audience he is in front of. It’s great fodder for us this election season.”

Of course, local Republicans don’t see it that way.

"Personally I like Mitt Romney because he has a good background—both in government and the private sector,” said Don Scott, Bedford GOP chairman and district director for New York's 19th District Congresswoman, Nan Hayworth.

Romney's selection as the GOP candidate could give local Republican races a boost, added Scott. Because of his fiscal restraint and the likelihood of the economy emerging as the number one issue of the presidential elections, Scott predicted Romney will "play well in New York and help others down ticket."

Luke Vander Linden—who made his own political run for town board last November and lost to the incumbents—said the caucuses also showed the importance of "retail politics," or going door-to-door and meeting voters face-to-face, which he felt contributed to Santorum's success.

“It’s still wide open and we have a lot of states coming up that have different rules and different issues and I think that's great. We're having a great debate and discussion about the direction our country should be going in and that's a great thing for the Republican Party and for all of us who care about America,” he said.

How to Get Involved

Local political committees work to support candidates from congressional seats all the way down to municipal posts and can put interested volunteers in touch with presidential campaign contacts, said local chairs.

One of the most important roles a volunteer can play in the coming months is to canvass for signatures to put their party's presidential nominee on the ticket. Every signature matters, said Scott.

"Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry were not on the primary ballot in Virginia because they didn't have the signatures, so every congressional district counts," said Scott.

Both the Bedford Democrats and the Bedford Republicans Local political parties meet each month and welcome new members. Interested volunteers may contact the Bedford GOP by email at contact@bedfordgopny.com and the Bedford Democratic Committee at  info@bedforddemocrats.org.

Caucus results