| Caucus History in Iowa Iowa flirted with the possibility of holding primary elections in 1913, but returned to the caucus system after 25 percent of registered voters attended its first and only primary election held April 10, 1916. The state remained important throughout the remainder of the century, but took the spotlight after the reform of 1968. Since then, the Iowa caucuses have held one of the most important roles in the presidential elections. 1972
II 1976 II 1980 II 1984
Back to the Caucus and the Nation
1972 The caucuses received little media attention in 1972. Sen. George McGovern of South Dakota and Sen. Edward Muskie of Maine were the two main Democratic candidates. Although Muskie won the caucuses, the media reported it as a loss because he did worse than expected. McGovern, who was relatively unknown before the caucuses, went on to be the Democratic presidential nominee. Incumbent President Richard Nixon left little room for competition in the Republican caucuses. On election day, Nixon beat McGovern and later was sworn in for his second term. With no incumbent in office, both parties were left wide open for competition in the 1976 caucuses. Several Democrats came to the caucuses but a little known Southern Baptist, Jimmy Carter, came out of hiding and campaigned heavily in Iowa. He ended up capturing 27.7 percent of the vote, the highest among five candidates. Soon, an outpouring of media coverage on Carter emerged. On the Republican side, Gerald Ford, who replaced Richard Nixon as president after Watergate, won 51.6 percent of the vote from the Iowa caucuses, followed closely by Gov. Ronald Reagan of California with 48.4 percent of the vote. Carter eventually won the Democratic nomination and beat Ford to the presidency. By 1980, primaries in 37 states determined 75 percent of the delegates. This placed a heavy responsibility on the first-in-the-nation caucuses in Iowa. The Democrats introduced a major change to the caucus system. Proportional representation required division of the delegates in proportion to the support each candidate demonstrated. The Democrats chose 91 percent of their delegates by this system of proportional representation while Republicans chose 31 percent. The system is advantageous for candidates who do not have strong support in a single area but could do well in the nation as a whole. Carter held the incumbent position in 1980 so there was limited Democratic competition in the caucuses. He ended with a two-to-one win in Iowa over Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts. Among Republicans, Reagan maintained a strategy of keeping the frontrunner position in the nation, but did not devote himself to Iowa. George Bush, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, campaigned heavily in Iowa for many months. Bush ended up capturing 31.6 percent of the vote followed closely by Reagan at 29.5 percent. The overall turnout was three times the level in 1976, and the media placed a much larger emphasis on the results. Reagan ended up going to the White House by beating Carter.
A new commission headed by N.C. Gov. Jim Hunt began redoing the nomination process for the 1984 election. The commission wanted to shorten the nomination process to extend from March to June. The change did not affect Iowa, which was allowed to make the selection in late February. Reagan, the incumbent president, was the central Republican player. There was no frontrunner on the Democratic side, however. Sen. Gary Hart of Colorado, former Vice President Walter Mondale, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Sen. John Glenn of Ohio were the leading candidates. Hart received a lot of coverage after the caucuses, which elevated him to a national figure. Mondale gained 45 percent of the vote in Iowa, winning the caucuses. Reagan was eventually elected president for his second term, beating Walter Mondale. With no incumbent once again, both parties were open for competition in 1988. There were several major Democratic candidates, including Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri., Rev. Jesse Jackson and Gov. Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts Gephardt won the Iowa caucuses in a close competition. On the Republican side, Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas won the caucuses. The major story, however, was Pat Robertson, a television evangelist, who came in second behind Dole, beating then Vice President Bush. Bush eventually won the nomination and beat Dukakis in the presidential election. Further changes were made in the election process in 1992. Under the Jim Hunt commission, in 1992, 66 percent of delegates were selected by the end of March while in 1980 only 42 percent were selected. Hunt's original goal to limit the election process from March to June was not working, and many states began fighting for earlier selections. There was little competition in Iowa during the caucuses of 1992. Bush held the incumbent seat for the Republicans, and few out-of-state Democrats were willing to attend the caucuses and compete against Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, at that time a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. President Bill Clinton held the incumbent seat during the 1996 caucuses. A mere 50,000 Democratic voters turned out. More than 96,000 Republicans participated in the 1996 caucuses, a number which dropped from past years. During the caucuses, advertising began to play a much bigger role. Steve Forbes, who spent millions of dollars on campaigning prior to the caucuses, ended with 10 percent of the vote at fourth place, weakening the idea that money served as a primary reason for nomination. Bob Dole won the caucuses with 26 percent of the vote followed closely by Pat Buchanan with 23 percent of the vote. Clinton beat Dole for the presidency later that year. |
Story Index Caucus History in Iowa
1972
II 1976 II 1980 Back to the Caucus and the Nation
1972
II 1976 II 1980 Back to the Caucus and the Nation
1972
II 1976 II 1980 Back to the Caucus and the Nation
|