The Iowa Caucuses: First Tests of Presidential Aspiration, 1964-2008

Smaller in population than several U.S. cities, the state of Iowa has become an unexpected and unparalleled proving ground for would-be presidential candidates just starting out on the road to the White House. Strange as they seem too many outside observers, the Iowa caucuses provide a unique brand of retail politics, a dying brand in the age of multi-million dollar advertising blitzes and a smothering national media. Potential candidates have gone to extraordinary lengths to impress Iowa’s voters, dying their hair, changing their wardrobes to look more ‘Iowan’, posing in front of giant sculptures made out of butter, and - last but far from least - giving speech after speech after speech. This book chronicles the most important events and influences of each Iowa caucus since 1972, describing in the process how the unassuming Midwestern state came to be an unlikely powerhouse in presidential politics.