Iowa Caucus Winners

Here is a list of all the Iowa caucus winners since 1972, when it first began holding the earliest contest in the presidential primary nominating process. The results for Iowa caucus winners come from published reports, the state's elections office and other public sources.

2016 Iowa Caucus Winners

Ted Cruz

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Republicans: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz won the 2016 Iowa caucuses amid a crowded field of a dozen candidates. The results are: 

  1. Ted Cruz: 26.7 percent or 51,666 votes
  2. Donald Trump: 24.3 percent or 45,427 votes
  3. Marco Rubio: 23.1 percent or 43,165 votes
  4. Ben Carson: 9.3 percent or 17,395 votes
  5. Rand Paul: 4.5 percent or 8,481 votes
  6. : 2.8 percent or 5,238 votes
  7. Carly Fiorina: 1.9 percent or 3,485 votes
  8. John Kasich: 1.9 percent or 3,474 votes
  9. Mike Huckabee: 1.8 percent or 3,345 votes
  10. Chris Christie: 1.8 percent or 3,284 votes
  11. Rick Santorum: 1 percent or 1,783 votes
  12. Jim Gilmore: 0 percent or 12 votes

Democrats: Former U.S. Sen. and ex-secretary of the Department of State Hillary Clinton won the Iowa caucuses. The results are:

  1. Hillary Clinton: 49.9 percent or 701 votes
  2. Bernie Sanders: 49.6 percent or 697 votes
  3. Martin O'Malley: 0.6 percent or 8 votes

2012 Iowa Caucus Winners

Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum is pictured here after speaking to a conservative group in Washington, D.C., in February 2012.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images News

Republicans: Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum won the popular vote in the 2012 Iowa Republican caucuses. The results are:

  1. Rick Santorum: 24.6 percent or 29,839 votes
  2. Mitt Romney: 24.5 percent or 29,805 votes
  3. Ron Paul: 21.4 percent or 26,036 votes
  4. Newt Gingrich: 13.3 percent or 16,163 votes
  5. Rick Perry: 10.3 percent or 12,557 votes
  6. Michele Bachmann: 5 percent or 6,046 votes
  7. Jon Huntsman: 0.6 percent or 739 votes

Democrats: Incumbent President Barack Obama was unopposed for his party's nomination.

2008 Iowa Caucus Winners

Mike Huckabee
Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images News

Republicans: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won the popular vote in the 2008 Iowa Republican caucuses. U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona went on to win the Republican presidential nomination. The results are:

  1. Mike Huckabee: 34.4 percent or 40,954 votes
  2. Mitt Romney: 25.2 percent or 30,021 votes
  3. Fred Thompson: 13.4 percent or 15,960 votes
  4. John McCain: 13 percent or 15,536 votes
  5. Ron Paul: 9.9 percent or 11,841 votes
  6. Rudy Giuliani: 3.4 percent or 4,099 votes

Receiving less than 1 percent of the vote were Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo.

Democrats: U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois won the 2008 Iowa Democratic caucuses. The results are:

  1. Barack Obama: 37.6 percent
  2. John Edwards: 29.8 percent
  3. Hillary Clinton: 29.5 percent
  4. Bill Richardson: 2.1 percent
  5. Joe Biden: 0.9 percent

2004 Iowa Caucus Winners

John Kerry
Alex Wong/Getty Images News

Republicans: President George W. Bush was unopposed for renomination.

Democrats: U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts won the 2004 Iowa Democratic caucuses. He went on to win the Democratic presidential nomination. The results are:

  1. John Kerry: 37.6 percent
  2. John Edwards: 31.9 percent
  3. Howard Dean: 18 percent
  4. Dick Gephardt: 10.6 percent
  5. Dennis Kucinich: 1.3 percent
  6. Wesley Clark: 0.1 percent
  7. Uncommitted: 0.1 percent
  8. Joe Lieberman: 0 percent
  9. Al Sharpton: 0 percent

2000 Iowa Caucus Winners

Al Gore
Andy Kropa/Getty Images Entertainment

Republicans: Former Texas Gov. George W. Bush won the popular vote in the 2000 Iowa Republican caucuses. He went on to win the Republican presidential nomination. The results are:

  1. George W. Bush: 41 percent or 35,231 votes
  2. Steve Forbes: 30 percent or 26,198 votes
  3. Alan Keyes: 14 percent or 12,268 votes
  4. Gary Bauer: 9 percent or 7,323 votes
  5. John McCain: 5 percent or 4,045 votes
  6. Orrin Hatch: 1 percent or 882 votes

Democrats: Former U.S. Sen. Al Gore of Tennessee won the 2000 Iowa Democratic caucuses. He went on to win the Democratic presidential nomination. The results are:

  1. Al Gore: 63 percent
  2. Bill Bradley: 35 percent
  3. Uncommitted: 2 percent

1996 Iowa Caucus Winners

Bob Dole
Chris Hondros/Getty Images News

Republicans: Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas won the popular vote in the 1996 Iowa Republican caucuses. He went on to win the Republican presidential nomination. The results are:

  1. Bob Dole: 26 percent or 25,378 votes
  2. Pat Buchanan: 23 percent or 22,512 votes
  3. Lamar Alexander: 17.6 percent or 17,003 votes
  4. Steve Forbes: 10.1 percent or 9,816 votes
  5. Phil Gramm: 9.3 percent or 9,001 votes
  6. Alan Keyes: 7.4 percent or 7,179 votes
  7. Richard Lugar: 3.7 percent or 3,576 votes
  8. Maurice Taylor: 1.4 percent or 1,380 votes
  9. No preference: 0.4 percent or 428 votes
  10. Robert Dornan: 0.14 percent or 131 votes
  11. Other: 0.04 percent or 47 votes

Democrats: Incumbent President Bill Clinton was unopposed for his party's nomination.

1992 Iowa Caucus Winners

Tom Harkin
Amanda Edwards/Getty Images Entertainment

Republicans: Incumbent President George H.W. Bush was unopposed for his party's nomination.

Democrats: U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa won the 1992 Iowa Democratic caucuses. Former Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton went on to win Democratic presidential nomination. The results are:

  1. Tom Harkin: 76.4 percent
  2. Uncommitted: 11.9 percent
  3. Paul Tsongas: 4.1 percent
  4. Bill Clinton: 2.8 percent
  5. Bob Kerrey: 2.4 percent
  6. Jerry Brown: 1.6 percent
  7. Other: 0.6 percent

1988 Iowa Caucus Winners

Dick Gephardt
Mark Kegans/Getty Images News

Republicans: Then-U.S. Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas won the popular vote in the 1988 Iowa Republican caucuses. George H.W. Bush went on to win the Republican presidential nomination. The results are:

  1. Bob Dole: 37.4 percent or 40,661 votes
  2. Pat Robertson: 24.6 percent or 26,761 votes
  3. George H.W. Bush: 18.6 percent or 20,194 votes
  4. Jack Kemp: 11.1 percent or 12,088 votes
  5. Pete DuPont: 7.3 percent or 7,999 votes
  6. No preference: 0.7 percent or 739 votes
  7. Alexander Haig: 0.3 percent or 364 votes

Democrats: Former U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt won the 1988 Iowa Democratic caucuses. Former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis went on to win Democratic presidential nomination. The results are:

  1. Dick Gephardt: 31.3 percent
  2. Paul Simon: 26.7 percent
  3. Michael Dukakis: 22.2 percent
  4. Jesse Jackson: 8.8 percent
  5. Bruce Babbitt: 6.1 percent
  6. Uncommitted: 4.5 percent
  7. Gary Hart: 0.3 percent
  8. Al Gore: 0 percent

1984 Iowa Caucus Winners

Ronald Reagan Campaigns in 1984
Dirck Halstead / Getty Images Contributor

Republicans: Incumbent President Ronald Reagan was unopposed for his party's nomination.

Democrats: Former Vice President Walter Mondale won the 1984 Iowa Democratic caucuses. He went on to win Democratic presidential nomination. The results are:

  1. Walter Mondale: 48.9 percent
  2. Gary Hart: 16.5 percent
  3. George McGovern: 10.3 percent
  4. Uncommitted: 9.4 percent
  5. Alan Cranston: 7.4 percent
  6. John Glenn: 3.5 percent
  7. Reuben Askew: 2.5 percent
  8. Jesse Jackson: 1.5 percent
  9. Ernest Hollings: 0 percent

1980 Iowa Caucus Winners

Jimmy Carter

Library of Congress/Wikimedia Commons 

Republicans: George H.W. Bush won the popular vote in the 1980 Iowa Republican caucuses. Ronald Reagan went on to win the Republican presidential nomination. The results are:

  1. George Bush: 31.6 percent or 33,530 votes
  2. Ronald Reagan: 29.5 percent or 31,348 votes
  3. Howard Baker: 15.3 percent or 16,216 votes
  4. John Connally: 9.3 percent or 9,861 votes
  5. Phil Crane: 6.7 percent or 7,135 votes
  6. John Anderson: 4.3 percent or 4,585 votes
  7. No Preference: 1.7 percent or 1,800 votes
  8. Bob Dole: 1.5 percent or 1,576 votes

Democrats: Incumbent President Jimmy Carter won the 1980 Iowa Democratic caucuses after facing a rare challenge to an incumbent by U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy. Carter went on to win Democratic presidential nomination. The results are:

  1. Jimmy Carter: 59.1 percent
  2. Ted Kennedy: 31.2 percent
  3. Uncommitted: 9.6 percent

1976 Iowa Caucus Winners

Gerald Ford
Chris Polk/FilmMagic

Republicans: President Gerald Ford won a straw poll taken in Iowa precincts and was the party's nominee that year.

Democrats: Former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter fared the best of any candidate in the 1976 Iowa Democratic caucuses, but most voters were uncommitted. Carter went on to win Democratic presidential nomination. The results are:

  1. Uncommitted: 37.2 percent
  2. Jimmy Carter: 27.6 percent
  3. Birch Bayh: 13.2 percent
  4. Fred Harris: 9.9 percent
  5. Morris Udall: 6 percent
  6. Sargent Shriver: 3.3 percent
  7. Other: 1.8 percent
  8. Henry Jackson: 1.1 percent

1972 Iowa Caucus Winners

Edmund Muskie
Underwood Archives/Getty Images

Democrats: U.S. Sen. Edmund Muskie of Maine fared the best of any candidate in the 1972 Iowa Democratic caucuses, but most voters were uncommitted. George McGovern went on to become the Democratic presidential nominee. The results are:

  1. Uncommitted: 35.8 percent
  2. Edmund Muskie: 35.5 percent
  3. George McGovern: 22.6 percent
  4. Other: 7 percent
  5. Hubert Humphrey: 1.6 percent
  6. Eugene McCarthy: 1.4 percent
  7. Shirley Chisolm: 1.3 percent
  8. Henry Jackson: 1.1 percent

Republicans: President Richard M. Nixon was unopposed for his party's nomination.

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Murse, Tom. "Iowa Caucus Winners." ThoughtCo, Sep. 4, 2021, thoughtco.com/iowa-caucus-winners-3367535. Murse, Tom. (2021, September 4). Iowa Caucus Winners. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/iowa-caucus-winners-3367535 Murse, Tom. "Iowa Caucus Winners." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/iowa-caucus-winners-3367535 (accessed March 19, 2024).