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