SoPinesHeel - 04 February 2020 12:17 PM
I hope I do…it’s not like it’s ingrained in history. I’m pretty sure it only dates to the 70s as first.
Yep, here’s a quick snippet I found:
Political parties in the Hawkeye State have used caucuses to select candidates since the 19th century – but it wasn’t until 1972 that the state held the first contest in the presidential nominating calendar.
Here’s how it happened: After the violent protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, party leaders decided to spread out the nominating contest schedule in each state. Iowa – thanks to its long and complex nomination process – was the first state to hold a contest in the 1972 campaign. Four years later, the state also held the first Republican caucuses in the White House race.
And it was in that year that the Iowa caucuses grabbed the national spotlight.
Iowa needs to go back to a Primary system. I know that would create a conflict with New Hampshire, who wants to always be the first Primary, but it’s still the better way to go.
I do like all states and I would suggest a few smaller states going first gives those campaign with a smaller budget a chance to get traction. If a big State like California went first a lot of candidates simply couldn’t afford to sustain a campaign. Iowa’s a cheap state and NH is small which is why in part I like the smaller states getting an early shot.
