Will Iowa Determine The Winner? Some Caucus History Background

By Pat Rynard

January 31, 2016

Guest post from Andrew Deen

Caucuses were the original method for selecting candidates until the primary was introduced in the early 1900’s, but this doesn’t mean caucuses lost all their importance. Fourteen states are scheduled to hold caucuses this year with the first event right around the corner on February 1st in Iowa. There cannot be enough said about the results that come out of this first caucus. Since 1976, eight of the last ten Democratic presidential candidates who have won the state’s caucus have gone on to win their party’s nomination. Similar results have been seen in the Republican party with six of the last ten caucus winners becoming the GOP’s nominee.

As candidates prepare to make their last push across Iowa, caucus voters continue to change their minds leading up to the date. On January 28th, a new poll was released showing that Donald Trump has just pulled ahead of Ted Cruz with a seven-point lead and Hillary Clinton remains only three points in front of Bernie Sanders. So will the Iowa caucus determine the presidency? We will just have to wait and find out.

To learn more about the election year, primaries and caucuses read the New England College of Public Policy infographic below and do not forget to go VOTE.

caucus infographic

by Andrew Deen
Posted 1/31/16

Andrew Deen is reporting his discovering on the 2016 election. He is a political science enthusiast and loves presidential debates. Contact him by email or Twitter@AndrewDeen14

  • Pat Rynard

    Pat Rynard founded Iowa Starting Line in 2015. He is now Courier Newsroom's National Political Editor, where he oversees political reporters across the country. He still keeps a close eye on Iowa politics, his dog's name is Frank, and football season is his favorite time of year.

CATEGORIES: Iowa Caucus

Politics

Local News

Related Stories
Share This