Despite the worrisome economy, Iowans couldn’t be happier. It’s their turn – again.

Once every four years for about six months, Iowans get to showcase their state to a national audience, personally meet presidential candidates, and winnow down each party’s primary field.

Thursday night’s Fox News/Washington Examiner Iowa GOP debate kicked off this season’s festivities with a bang. The “all-American fun” continues today at the Iowa State Fair (with a cow carved out of butter and fried everything you can imagine, including a deep fried Snickers bar on-a-stick) and with the much-watched Ames Straw Poll (held on the campus of Iowa State University) which is, as Politico’s Roger Simon explained, “organized bribery on a grand scale.”

But Iowa has not traditionally been a “fun” state for women candidates.

In 2008, Senator Hillary Clinton’s campaign derailed (and never completely made it back on track) after she finished third in the Iowa caucuses. And during the 2000 presidential election, Senator Elizabeth Dole’s candidacy suffered its fatal blow when she placed third in the Ames Straw Poll. Her husband (Senator Bob Dole) had tied for first place in the straw poll in the previous election cycle most thought she would place a close second to Governor George W. Bush of Texas. But Iowans put wealthy businessman Steve Forbes in second place that year, ahead of Mrs. Dole.

Iowa is one of only two states in the country to have earned a “discrimination triple crown.” The Hawkeye State has never sent a woman to the U.S. Congress (House or Senate), or had a woman serve as governor. The other state to share this dismal distinction is Mississippi.

Although Delaware and Vermont also have never sent a woman to Congress (House or Senate), they have each had a women serve as governor.

So, why do I think that Iowa’s glass ceiling may fall in the 2012 cycle?

Because in the last election cycle, the glass shattered in three other states not known for electing women to statewide office. Before the 2010 elections, no woman had served as governor or senator in fourteen states (CO, IA, ID, IN, MS, NM, NV, OK, PA, SC, TN, VA, WI, and WVA).

But last time around, two of these states featured women gubernatorial nominees on both sides of the aisle. In New Mexico, Republican Susana Martinez defeated Democrat Diane Denish. In Oklahoma, Republican Mary Fallin bested Democrat Jari Askins. Further, in the third state, South Carolina, Republican Nikki Haley beat out three “good ole’ boys” in one of the toughest gubernatorial primary contests in the nation.

Beyond this, both Delaware and Nevada featured women as Republican nominees for the U.S. Senate (Christine O’Donnell and Sharon Angle, respectively), meaning these states moved one step closer to cracking through that “top statewide office glass ceiling.”

Iowa also got closer. In 2010, the state’s race for Lieutenant Governor was between two women: Republican Kim Reynolds and Democrat Patti Judge (Reynolds won). Iowans selected a U.S. Senate nominee (Democrat Roxanne Conlin) last time around  

Let’s hope this trend continues in the 2012 presidential election. Let’s hope Iowans seriously consider Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and former Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska (should she decide to jump into the race) and not dismiss them as they have other women candidates in the past. At minimum, let’s hope they seriously consider sending Christie Vilsack, wife of former Governor Tom Vilsack, to the U.S. House from Iowa’s 4th congressional district.

One way or another, we’ll have our first indicator tonight in Ames. My bet: Bachmann starts bringing that state’s ceiling down.