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1972 Iowa
Caucuses
The Iowa caucuses were relatively unknown as a
part of the two main parties' nomination process.
Thus, the 1972 Iowa Caucuses were not well reported
by the media. Keep in mind that in 1972, the
"media" consisted of ABC, NBC, CBS, the major
newspapers, Time Magazine, Newsweek, and US News
and World Report. There was not CNN, no internet,
and certainly no continuous 24/7 news cycle.
Senator George McGovern of South Dakota and
Senator Edward Muskie of Maine were the two main
Democratic candidates. Muskie won the Iowa
Caucuses, the media declared him a loser because he
did not meet expectations, which is a common
problem for any front runner. McGovern, who was a
fairly unknown senator before the caucuses, later
went on to win his party's nomination. He lost the
November election to Nixon by a wide margin.
Democrats:
Winner(s) of the
January 24, 1972 Iowa Caucuses:
1st Place--"Uncommitted" (36%) and
Edmund Muskie (36%)
2nd Place-- George McGovern (23%)*
Later won the Democratic Nomination, Lost the
General Election to Richard Nixon.
3rd Place--Hubert Humphrey (2%)
4th Place-- Eugene McCarthy (1%)
5th Place-- Shirley Chisholm (1%) and
Henry M. Jackson (1%)
Republican-President
Nixon faced no real opposition
Facts and
Details on the Iowa Caucuses
What is a
caucus?
--The word caucus is a North
American Indian word, thought to be of Algonquin
origin, meaning a gathering of the ruling tribal
chiefs. The modern definition describes caucuses
as a process of political party members gathering
to make policy decisions and to select
candidates.
When is the 2008 Iowa
Caucus?
-- The 2008 Iowa Caucus will be
held January 3, 2008, at precincts across Iowa. To
find your caucus location, call the Iowa Democratic
Party or the Republican Party of Iowa.
How did the caucuses
begin?
-- Some form of caucus has
existed since the early 1800s, even before Iowa
became a state in 1846. Developing from the
congressional and legislative caucuses, the
pioneers of the Iowa constitution chose caucuses
rather than a primary to nominate candidates,
preferring the grass-roots democracy-in-action
approach.
When are the
caucuses?
-- The caucuses are held in Iowa
every two years. The caucuses held in the
off-presidential years are usually smaller and
focus on the party platform. The caucuses that
coincide with presidential elections are better
attended and receive more media
attention.
Who participates in the
caucuses?
--Any voter who is a registered
Republican or Democrat, and can prove residency in
Iowa, can participate in the caucus of their
party.
How did the Iowa caucus gain
its First in the Nation status?
-- In the early 1970s, the Iowa
Democratic Party made several reforms to their
delegate selection process. These reforms included
requiring a minimum of 30 days between the precinct
caucuses and the county, district and state
conventions, and publicizing the events to allow
more people to take part in the process. When the
1972 Democratic State Convention was set for May
20, the new rules dictated that the precinct caucus
would be January 24, thereby making it the first
statewide test for presidential candidates in the
nation. In 1976, recognizing the increased
exposure, the Republican Party of Iowa moved their
caucus to the same date as the Democrats. The
candidates and national media have observed the
Iowa caucuses as the "First in the Nation" ever
since.
How do the caucuses
work?
--On caucus night, Iowans gather
by party preference to elect delegates to the 99
county conventions. Presidential preference on the
Republican side is done with a straw vote of
those attending the caucus. This vote is sometimes
done by a show of hands or by dividing themselves
into groups according to candidate. In precincts
that elect only 1 delegate they choose the delegate
by majority vote and it must be a paper ballot.
Democratic candidates must receive at
least 15 percent of the votes in that precinct to
move on to the county convention. If a
candidate receives less than 15 percent of the
votes, supporters of non-viable candidates have the
option to join a viable candidate group, join
another non-viable candidate group to become
viable, join other groups to form an uncommitted
group or chose to go nowhere and not be counted.
Non-viable groups have up to 30 minutes to
realign, if they fail to do so in that time, they
can ask the for more time, which is voted on by the
caucus as a whole. If the caucus refuses,
re-alignment is done and delegates are awarded. A
"third party" may hold a convention to nominate one
candidate for president and one for vice president
as well. The results of this caucus activity on
both the Democratic and Republican sides are not
binding on the elected delegates, but the
delegates usually feel obligated to follow the
wishes expressed by the caucus-goers. Thus the
initial caucus results provide a good barometer of
the composition of Iowa's national
delegation.
Where are the caucuses
located?
-- Iowans gather by party
preference in designated schools, public buildings
or in private homes. The caucus location is
determined by the County Chairs of each political
party for all 1,784 precincts. The exact location
is determined by the expected turn-out of each
precinct and by availability.
What is the economic impact
of the Iowa Caucuses to the host
state?
-- In 2004, Iowa economist
Harvey Siegelman estimated that the economic impact
of 2004 Iowa Caucus was approximately $50 to $60
million.
Sources and
Links:
http://www.iowacaucus.org/
Iowa State & Local Party
Headquarters (Republicans and
Democrats)
Iowa
Democratic Party
5661 Fleur
Drive
Des Moines, IA
50321
515-244-7292
Republican
Party of Iowa &
Polk County Republicans
621 E. Ninth
St.
Des Moines, IA
50309
515-282-8105
Copyright
© 1998-2007 Roger A. Lee and History Guy
Media; Last Modified: 12.28.07
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