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The Iowa Caucuses Trivia Quiz

Starting with the 1976 Iowa Caucus and continuing through the 2016 election cycle, the Iowa Caucus was the first primary election for both the Democratic and the Republican political parties. This is a Player Author Challenge from Chessart.

A multiple-choice quiz by Shadowmyst2004. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
Shadowmyst2004

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
379,546

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
295

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Mike Huckabee bested five other candidates to win the Iowa Caucus by a wide margin in 2008. Which political party was he a member of?

Answer: (Democrat or Republican)

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Question 2 of 10

2. The year was 1992, Tom Harkin won his home state of Iowa with more than 76 percent of the vote. Who ended up winning the Democratic nomination later that year? Hint

Ross Perot

Paul Tsongas

George Bush

Bill Clinton

3. In the race to succeed Ronald Reagan, Iowa ended up not being all that vital to the Republicans. Which Senator, who shared a name with a banana (but likely couldn't spell it), won the Caucus? Hint

Bob Dole

George H.W. Bush

Jerry Chiquita

Alexander Haig

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Question 4 of 10

4. Michael Dukakis ended up winning the 1988 Democratic nomination, though only after finishing in the middle of the crowded pack in Iowa that year. Which candidate won the state? Hint

Al Gore

Garry Hart

Jesse Jackson

Dick Gephardt

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Question 5 of 10

5. Which Republican candidate won the Iowa Caucus in 1980, only to drop out of the race and be picked as the potential vice-president on the GOP ticket? Hint

Al Gore

George H.W. Bush

Ronald Reagan

Bob Dole

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Question 6 of 10

6. The same "candidate" won both the 1972 and 1976 Democratic Caucus in Iowa. The winner had no legal standing to compete for president though. Why? Hint

No candidate actually won, the Caucus was "uncommitted" both years.

The candidate was a write-in and not an official member of the Democratic party.

The candidate was already deceased and only on the ballot for ceremonial purposes.

The candidate had already served two terms as president and was ineligible to return to office.

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Question 7 of 10

7. Ron Paul and his son Rand Paul ran for president in consecutive elections. Did they both run from the same political party?

Yes

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Question 8 of 10

8. How many times has a candidate (not the same person) named "George Bush" won the Iowa Caucus for the Democratic Party? Hint

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Question 9 of 10

9. In 2008 he lost the Presidential nomination, in 2012 he earned it. Which Republican candidate but he failed to win the Iowa Caucus both years? Hint

John McCain

Mitt Romney

Mike Huckabee

Donald Trump

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Question 10 of 10

10. Dick Gephardt won the Iowa Caucus in 1988, and also competed but didn't win in 2004. Did he earn the Democratic nomination in either year?

Yes

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Mike Huckabee bested five other candidates to win the Iowa Caucus by a wide margin in 2008. Which political party was he a member of?

Answer: Republican

Huckabee, the former Arkansas Governor, earned nearly 35 percent of the vote while finishing first among the six Republican candidates.

He would lose the nomination to John McCain. Barack Obama would ultimately win the overall race and become president.

2. The year was 1992, Tom Harkin won his home state of Iowa with more than 76 percent of the vote. Who ended up winning the Democratic nomination later that year?

Answer: Bill Clinton

Clinton, who would serve 8 years as president, finished fourth in Iowa that year with just 2 percent of the vote.

Harkin had been a Senator from Iowa since 1985 and was well liked in the state. He retired from the Senate in 2015. Harkin also served in the House of Representatives from 1975 to 1985.

Eventually Harkin bowed out of the 1992 race for president before all of the primaries had taken place. He put his support behind Clinton once he had suspended his own campaign.

3. In the race to succeed Ronald Reagan, Iowa ended up not being all that vital to the Republicans. Which Senator, who shared a name with a banana (but likely couldn't spell it), won the Caucus?

Answer: Bob Dole

While eventual vice president Dan Quayle is more remembered for his spelling issues, 1988 candidate Bob Dole wasn't much better.

Dole misspelled the names of the cities, a sports team and two high profile supports in a release during his second attempt at becoming president in 1996.

Dole did win Iowa in 1988 before bowing to then-vice president George H.W. Bush for the Republican nomination.

4. Michael Dukakis ended up winning the 1988 Democratic nomination, though only after finishing in the middle of the crowded pack in Iowa that year. Which candidate won the state?

Answer: Dick Gephardt

It was a battle to find a viable candidate to replace the term limited Ronald Reagan. Dukakis won the eventual nomination, but fell to George H.W. Bush for the presidency.

That year Iowa falsely picked both nominees for president, picking Bob Dole on the GOP side.

5. Which Republican candidate won the Iowa Caucus in 1980, only to drop out of the race and be picked as the potential vice-president on the GOP ticket?

Answer: George H.W. Bush

Bush won the 1980 Iowa race, but few other states. Reagan agreed to pick him as his running mate and the two went on to win the presidency in both 1980 and 1984.

Bush would later become president in 1988, only after losing the Iowa Caucus that year.

6. The same "candidate" won both the 1972 and 1976 Democratic Caucus in Iowa. The winner had no legal standing to compete for president though. Why?

Answer: No candidate actually won, the Caucus was "uncommitted" both years.

Iowa uses a caucus rather than a traditional primary. Because of this, people who vote can choose "uncommitted", essentially casting their vote for none of the above.

In 1972 there were a few hundred more uncommitted voters than who chose for George McGovern, though both got about 36 percent of the the vote.

In 1976 there were 37 percent uncommitted voters and eventual president Jimmy Carter had 26 percent.

7. Ron Paul and his son Rand Paul ran for president in consecutive elections. Did they both run from the same political party?

Answer: Yes

Rand Paul ran as a Republican in 2016, as did Ron Paul in both 2008 and 2012. Neither won the Iowa Caucus.

Ron Paul also ran as a member of the Libertarian Party in 1988.

8. How many times has a candidate (not the same person) named "George Bush" won the Iowa Caucus for the Democratic Party?

Answer: 0

Both George H.W. Bush (1980, 1988, 1992) and George W. Bush (2000, 2004) won the Iowa Caucus multiple times. But neither won as a member of the Democratic Party.

They won a combined five times all as members of the Republican Party. Between them they served three terms as U.S. President.

9. In 2008 he lost the Presidential nomination, in 2012 he earned it. Which Republican candidate but he failed to win the Iowa Caucus both years?

Answer: Mitt Romney

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and son of the former Michigan governor (George Romney) was unsuccessful in both of his bids for the Presidency. In 2008 he lost the party nomination to John McCain.

In 2012 he won the Republican nomination, but failed to oust incumbent president Barack Obama.

In 2008 Mike Huckabee won the Caucus, McCain finished fourth. In 2012 Rick Santorum won the nomination by a narrow margin over Romney.

10. Dick Gephardt won the Iowa Caucus in 1988, and also competed but didn't win in 2004. Did he earn the Democratic nomination in either year?

Answer: No

Gephardt served as a U.S. Representative from 1977 to 2005. He represented Missouri.

In 1988 he won the Iowa Caucus but later lost the nomination to Michael Dukakis. In 2004 he placed fourth in Iowa and never truly contended with eventual nominee John Kerry.

Source: Author Shadowmyst2004

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor stedman before going online.
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