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Political History:
1972 Iowa Caucuses

 

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 and cruised to his third presidential nomination (He lost the presidential election to John Kennedy in 1960, and won against Hubert Humphrey in 1968).

 

Iowa Caucus: What is a Caucus?


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

 


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