The 1976 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses were held on January 19, 1976, the first nominating contest in the Democratic presidential primaries for the 1976 presidential election. It had the little-known Governor of Georgia Jimmy Carter campaign heavily and end up capturing 27.7% of the vote, the highest of the five candidates. An outpouring of media coverage of Carter soon emerged.
Candidates Birch Bayh, U.S. Senator from Indiana Jimmy Carter, Governor of Georgia Fred R. Harris, former U.S. Senator from Oklahoma Henry M. Jackson, U.S. Senator from Washington Sargent Shriver, former U.S. Ambassador to France Mo Udall, U.S. Representative for
Results 1976 Iowa Democratic presidential caucusesCandidateState DelegatesPopular votePercentageDelegates Uncommitted 1,070 14,508 37.16% 18 Jimmy Carter 940 10,764 27.57% 13 Birch Bayh 257 5,148 13.19% 6 Fred R. Harris 173 3,861 9.89% 5 Mo Udall 88 2,340 5.99% 3 Sargent Shriver 32 1,287 3.30% 2 Henry M. Jackson 0 429 1.10% 0 Other 0 702 1.80% 0 2,560 39,039 100.00% 47
Uncommitted won 14,508 votes (37%) and Carter 10,764 votes (27%). Birch Bayh, a Senator from Indiana got 5,148 (13%). Udall dropped to 5th place with only 6%, behind Fred R. Harris of Oklahoma, which led to Harris coining the term "winnowed in" to refer to his surprisingly-strong showing.Jules Witcover, No Way to Pick A President: How Money and Hired Guns Have Debased American Elections, 2001, p.166George C. Edwards, John Howard Kessel, Bert A. Rockman, Researching the presidency: vital questions, new approaches, 1993, p.60
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