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1976 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses

← 1972 January 19, 1976 1980 →

Candidate Uncommitted Jimmy Carter Birch Bayh Home state N/A Georgia Indiana Delegate count 1,070 940 257 Popular vote 14,508 10,764 5,148 Percentage 37.2% 27.6% 13.2%   Candidate Fred R. Harris Mo Udall Sargent Shriver Home state Oklahoma Arizona Maryland Delegate count 173 88 32 Popular vote 3,861 2,340 1,287 Percentage 9.9% 6.0% 3.3%

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v t e

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 Arizona's 2nd congressional district

Results

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.

References

1. "IA US President - D Caucuses Race - Jan 19, 1976". Our Campaigns. December 2, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
2. "CAUCUS RESULTS - Iowa Publications Online" (PDF). Retrieved August 28, 2022.
3. Jules Witcover, No Way to Pick A President: How Money and Hired Guns Have Debased American Elections, 2001, p.166
4. George C. Edwards, John Howard Kessel, Bert A. Rockman, Researching the presidency: vital questions, new approaches, 1993, p.60
5. "The Green Papers: Commentary".
6. "The Green Papers: Commentary".

Notes

1. The delegates given below are rough estimates and based on the strength shown at the caucuses

• 1976 United States Democratic presidential primaries by state
• 1976 Iowa elections
• Iowa Democratic caucuses