Iowa caucus
First presidential contest
The Iowa caucus is a political event in which Iowa voters gather to select delegates for presidential candidates, traditionally the first contest in the U.S. presidential nomination process.
Unlike primaries where voters cast secret ballots, caucuses involve public discussion and sometimes physical grouping by candidate preference.
Iowa's early position gives it outsized influence in winnowing the field: He finished third in the Iowa caucus and dropped out the next week.
- Des MoinesCapital of Iowa
- ballotVoting document
- nominationFormal candidate selection
- rallyGathering for a cause
- precinctAdministrative jurisdiction zone
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Iowa caucusprimary election
Party candidate selection vote
secret ballot · mail-in voting · absentee voting · closed primary · general election