So, You Want to Be President  U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 1  Have a big bank account  Party affiliation is usually a must  Experience is preferred, but not required  Make friends with Special Interest Groups  Possess public speaking skills  Possess debate skills  Have a few friends on K Street  Can you think of a few more?

The Caucus  Caucuses are party meetings by precinct, district, or county, where registered party members gather to discuss the candidates and to select delegates to the next round of party conventions.  Caucuses are open to any registered voter in a party  Nineteen states hold caucuses, either for one party or for both  Depending on the party rules of a particular state, delegates selected at a caucus might go on to a county or state convention before attending the national convention in the summer.

The Caucus  A process of gathering and talking distinguishes caucuses from primaries, although they serve the same function.  Any voter registered with a party can participate in a caucus.  Fewer eligible voters take part in a caucus because it is a more time- consuming process  Research suggests that caucus-goers also tend to be “people who are more educated, affluent, and stronger partisans  Because of the amount of time involved, caucuses have a lower turnout than that of primaries

The Caucus  Upon arriving at a caucus, participants group themselves according to the candidate they support.  Undecided caucus-goers create their own group.  Decided participants then speak on behalf of their candidate, attempting to convince other attendees to join their group.  Caucus participants also “have the opportunity to change, if they want to switch camps before the final count is done  Whichever group of supporters literally has the most people will receive the largest number of delegate votes, which “are then tabulated from around the state.

The Caucus  Democratic caucuses function somewhat differently than Republican caucuses  Delegates in states with Democratic caucuses are generally distributed proportionally to the percent of support each candidate receives  In most Democratic caucuses, a candidate must receive at least 15 percent of the vote in that precinct for that candidate to earn delegates.  If a candidate does not receive 15 percent, his or her supporters have the opportunity to join together with supporters of some other candidate.  Most Republican caucuses, on the other hand, are winner-take-all.

Difference Between Caucus and Primary  In presidential campaigns, a caucus is a system of local gatherings where voters decide which candidate to support and select delegates for nominating conventions. A primary is a statewide voting process in which voters cast secret ballots for their preferred candidates.  As mentioned, caucus meetings are arranged by either the state or political party to take place at a certain place and time, where participants vote.  The results of the caucus are used to determine the delegates present at county, state and national nominating conventions of each political party.

Difference Between Caucus and Primary  Primaries are a direct, statewide process of selecting candidates and delegates.  The results of the primaries are used to determine the configuration of delegates at the national convention of each party.  Primaries come in two basic forms: In an open primary, all registered voters can vote for any candidate, regardless of their political affiliation and closed primaries, which voters may vote only for candidates of the party with which they are registered.  Primaries are much quicker and result in a higher turnout than that of Caucuses

Is The Iowa Caucus Relevant?  The caucus has been used since Iowa became a US state in It wasn't until 1972, however, that it took place in early January.  The Democrats were the first to move the caucus to the start of the year, in the hope of using the event to gain attention and influence for their candidates, who were seeking to challenge the then Republican president Richard Nixon. In 1976 the Republican party moved its Iowa caucus to fall on the same day.  According to Iowaian Party Leaders, the Iowa caucuses remain an important part of the presidential nominating process. “Iowa is a good place to begin the presidential campaign because it is a two-party state whose politics are competitive, clean and open.”

Is The Iowa Caucus Relevant?  “Moreover, Iowans are hardworking and fair, and take their duties as citizens very seriously.”  “Finally, the state is small enough that less well-known and less well-financed presidential hopefuls have a chance, through hard work and good organization, to establish themselves as viable candidates.”  “The results from the Iowa caucus tell a candidate whether his or her platform is desirable. It is the first chance for a campaign to find out if its message is affecting voters — should the campaign stay the course or change tactics? And the Iowa caucus is so important that some candidates bow out of the race if they do poorly in Iowa.”

Is The Iowa Caucus Relevant?  Party leaders believe that a strong showing in Iowa also sends a message to the national party leaders.  Being first in the nation certainly is important. In the history of these caucuses, no candidate who has ever finished worse than third among the candidates has gone on to win the nomination.

State PopulationWhiteBlackUnemploymentChristian 3M91.3%2.9%5.5%61% Household incomeNational Household income Below Poverty line National Poverty Line Politically 48K50K12%15.1Evenly split Small Group Activity Read article by Observations From 20 Years of Iowa Life by Stephen G. Bloom Analyze the chart above Summarize whether or not Iowa is a “true” indicator for the rest of the nation and whether or not caucuses should be taken seriously Iowa Stats