Doesn't mean much when it comes to being
elected President. It's a year out and issues change and candidates drop out. A
look at past caucus and actual winners who went on to become President.
Candidates in Bold RED went on to win their parties
nomination for the presidency.
Candidates in bold underlined
red italics
subsequently won the general election.
Those who won the Iowa caucus and went on to became
President are three for each party over a 32 year period. Of the six who won
the Iowa caucus only 2 Republicans served two terms as President: Ronald Reagan and George
W. Bush of the Democrats only one Bill
Clinton.
·
Republicans
- 2008 - Mike
Huckabee (34%), Mitt Romney (25%), Fred
Thompson (13%), John McCain
(13%), Ron
Paul (10%), Rudy Giuliani (4%), and Duncan
Hunter (1%)
- 2004 - George W. Bush
(unopposed)
- 2000 - George W. Bush (41%)[citation needed], Steve
Forbes (30%)[citation needed], Alan
Keyes (14%), Gary Bauer (9%), John
McCain (5%), and Orrin Hatch (1%)
- 1996 - Bob Dole
(26%), Pat Buchanan (23%), Lamar
Alexander (18%), Steve Forbes (10%), Phil
Gramm (9%), Alan Keyes (7%), Richard
Lugar (4%), and Morry Taylor (1%)
- 1992 - George H. W. Bush (unopposed)
- 1988 - Bob Dole
(37%), Pat Robertson (25%), George H. W. Bush (19%), Jack Kemp
(11%), and Pierre DuPont (7%)
- 1984 - Ronald Reagan
(unopposed)
- 1980 - George H. W. Bush (32%), Ronald Reagan
(30%), Howard Baker (15%), John
Connally (9%), Phil Crane (7%), John B. Anderson (4%), and Bob Dole
(2%)
- 1976 - Gerald Ford
and Ronald Reagan
·
Democrats
- January 3, 2008 - Barack Obama
(38%), John Edwards (30%), Hillary
Clinton (29%), Bill Richardson (2%), Joe Biden
(1%)[15]
- January 19, 2004 - John Kerry (38%), John
Edwards (32%), Howard Dean (18%), Dick
Gephardt (11%), and Dennis
Kucinich (1%)
- January 24, 2000 - Al Gore (63%) and Bill
Bradley (37%)
- February 12, 1996 - Bill Clinton
(unopposed)
- February 10, 1992 - Tom
Harkin (76%), "Uncommitted" (12%), Paul
Tsongas (4%), Bill Clinton (3%), Bob
Kerrey (2%), and Jerry Brown (2%)
- February 8, 1988 - Dick
Gephardt (31%), Paul Simon (27%), Michael
Dukakis (22%), and Bruce
Babbitt (6%)
- February 20, 1984 - Walter Mondale (49%), Gary Hart
(17%), George McGovern (10%), Alan
Cranston (7%), John Glenn (4%), Reubin Askew (3%), and Jesse
Jackson (2%)
- January 21, 1980 - Jimmy Carter (59%) and Ted
Kennedy (31%)
- January 19, 1976 -
"Uncommitted" (37%), Jimmy Carter (28%) Birch
Bayh (13%), Fred R. Harris (10%), Morris
Udall (6%), Sargent Shriver (3%), and Henry M. Jackson (1%)
There is a
debate over the effectiveness and usefulness of caucuses in Iowa. One criticism
is that the caucuses, especially the Democratic caucus, are a step backwards
from the right to a secret ballot.[citation
needed]
An Iowa caucus can last up around two
hours, preventing people who must work, who are sick, or must take care of
their children from casting their vote. Absentee voting is also barred, so
soldiers who come from Iowa, but must serve in the military, lose their vote.
The final criticism is the complexity of the rules in terms of how one's vote
counts, as it is not a simple popular vote.
Arguments in favor of caucuses include the
belief that they favor more motivated participants than simple ballots, and
that supporters of non-viable candidates are able to realign with a more
popular candidate and still make their vote count.
Each precinct's vote may be weighed
differently due to its past voting record. Ties can be solved by picking a name
out of a hat or a simple coin toss, leading to anger over the true democratic
nature of these caucuses.[17]
Additionally, the representation of the caucus has had a traditionally low
turnout.[18]
Others question the permanent feature of having caucuses in certain states,
while perpetually ignoring the rest of the country.[19]
