Are Obama's Supporters Still Strong in Cedar Falls? They Say Yes.

After months of media attention focused on Republicans who descended on Iowa to campaign for president, President Barack Obama addressed the nation Tuesday, delivering his yearly State of the Union address.

For the 35 Obama supporters gathered at Natalie Sugira and Pierre-Damien Mvuyekure's home in Cedar Falls Tuesday, it was a welcome moment of media focus for their favored politician, who .

The watch party, one of 2,500 such gatherings held across the country Tuesday night, was a chance for the Democratic Party faithful to not only listen to the president's speech but to gather their strength and enthusiasm for the coming general election battle.

Lynn Bakala, 60, of Cedar Falls, said she has also hosted volunteer parties recently and was pleased with their turnouts.

"We've seen how much support there is," she said. "The purpose is to get people together, to see other faces and get motivated and get ready for the election."

Mvuyekure, 50, a professor at the , agreed.

"We are team leaders for Obama," he said. "In 2008 we were Obama precinct captains, and we want him to be reelected."

He scoffed at the idea the president has lost support from four years ago, pointing to the recent Caucus, in which several hundred Black Hawk County Democrats participated at Central Middle School in Waterloo.

"Look at us tonight," he said. "This is winter, it's after 5 p.m. My sense is that we're still as supportive of the president as ever."

Most of those gathered seemed to be over 50, but a handful of younger Obama enthusiasts also attended. Mvuyekure said he was concerned about recapturing the enthusiasm the younger generation showed for Obama four years ago.

"I think the next phase is to make sure those young people are still involved," he said.

Andrew Dunbar, 27, of Cedar Falls, was one of those younger voters.

He said the watch party served as a chance to, "Rally around the campfire and hear stories. I've been listening to a lot of the stories from party elders, and it's interesting. I like it."