00:00 "The Iowa caucuses."
00:01 "Iowa caucuses."
00:02 "Iowa caucuses."
00:03 "What is his message to voters just ahead of the Iowa caucuses?"
00:06 The starting gun for the past half-century to the U.S. presidential election is the Iowa
00:10 caucus.
00:11 But what exactly is it, and how does it help determine who the next president of the United
00:16 States of America is?
00:18 This is Decomplicated.
00:22 What is a caucus?
00:23 A political caucus is defined as any gathering of people with a shared interest or goal.
00:28 Despite their importance, political caucuses are rarely given as much attention as a primary
00:33 election.
00:34 The term "caucus" originated in 18th-century Boston in reference to a political club, later
00:40 changing to define two distinct influential political organizations, party caucuses and
00:45 legislative caucuses.
00:47 Members of the public gather in caucuses to debate political topics and voice their concerns
00:52 with specific issues.
00:54 The Iowa caucuses are a series of local meetings held throughout the state at which participants
00:58 conduct party business and typically indicate their preference for the presidential nominee
01:03 their party will be placing on November's ballots.
01:08 It's also the first step in a months-long process to select people to serve as delegates
01:13 to the national party conventions in the summer.
01:16 However, don't confuse a caucus for a primary.
01:20 What's the difference?
01:22 Primary elections are conducted like the U.S. elections, at polling booths held throughout
01:26 the day and usually also with absentee and early voting.
01:30 The Iowa caucuses, however, are held in the evening and voters must attend in person to
01:34 take part.
01:39 With everyone there in person, it leads to a rather chaotic experience of trading and
01:43 bartering.
01:46 Caucuses are also run by political parties, whereas primaries are typically run by the
01:50 state itself.
01:52 So why the fuss over the Iowa caucus?
01:55 Since it isn't a traditional election, a candidate's performance in the rural Midwest
01:59 state is often viewed as a test of their campaign's organizational strength and ability to gather
02:04 momentum in attracting voters.
02:07 Why does Iowa go first?
02:10 After violence disrupted their 1968 primary in Chicago, Democrats tried to make the primary
02:15 process more Democratic.
02:17 That, combined with the Iowa legislature moving the caucuses earlier in the year, meant Democratic
02:22 candidate George McGovern won headlines and campaign buzz for winning the Iowa caucus.
02:32 He went on to win the Democratic nomination, but lost against Richard Nixon in the general
02:36 election.
02:37 Does Iowa often predict the eventual winner?
02:41 In what is pretty much a two-horse race for U.S. president, Iowa has a pretty poor record
02:45 for picking the nominees.
02:47 For proof, look at Donald Trump.
02:49 In 2016, he came second, languishing behind evangelical Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
02:57 Neither of Mr. Trump's two predecessors as Republican nominee won the state either.
03:01 George W. Bush was the last non-incumbent Republican president to win both the state
03:06 and the nomination in 2000.
03:08 (END VIDEO CLIP)
03:13 1
Comments