10 Facts about the Iowa Caucus
1. Iowa political leaders adopted the caucus system even before the region became a state in 1846.
2. The state's first caucuses were held in mid-spring, in the middle of the national presidential nominating schedule.
3. In its first and only primary election in 1916, only 25 percent of registered voters showed up. Iowa then reverted back to its caucus system. 4. In 1972, Iowa's Democratic Party moved its caucus date ahead of the New Hampshire primary making it the first nominating event in the nation.
6. In 1980 Carter beat Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts. Ronald Reagan didn't focus heavily on Iowa but Bush, Sr. did. Reagan ultimately beat Carter. The media began relying on results in Iowa as an indicator of how the presidential race would turn out.
7. In 1984 Mondale who won the Iowa caucuses and ultimately became the Democratic nominee but lost to Reagan in the general election.
8. In 1988 Republican Bob Dole of Kansas beat televangelist Pat Robertson and then-Vice President George Bush in the caucuses. Bush ultimately beat Democratic nominee Gov. Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts. Neither men won in Iowa. Shows you what the media knows.
9. In 1992, Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa ran and few other Democrats even bothered to compete. Bill Clinton went on to win the presidency.
10. In 1996, Bob Dole beat Pat Buchanan. Clinton beat Dole.
11. In 2000, Iowa winners Al Gore and George W. Bush went on to win their party's nomination.
12. In 2004, John Kerry won the caucuses but was defeated by Bush for the presidency.
Do you think that Iowa is a good place to predict who will be our next president?
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