Presidential Hopefuls Focus On Iowa

U.S. Republican presidential candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee speaks to supporters during his caucus night event at the Embassy Suites January 3, 2008 in Des Moines, Iowa. According to early results Huckabee is leading the race over U.S. Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)

The Iowa caucuses, the first major electoral event in figuring out who to nominate for president for both Republicans and Democrats, are set to begin on Jan. 3.

The caucuses gain a huge amount of media attention and for some presidential hopefuls, can make or break their campaigns; They serve as an early indicator of who might win the nomination of their political party.

Four years ago, President Barack Obama won the Democratic nomination in the last caucuses. Since 1980, four presidential candidates with both the Democrats and the GOP have won the Iowa caucus and eventually become president.

2008: The winners of the caucuses were Barack Obama, a former Illinois senator, for the Democrats with 38 percent and eventually won the presidency. Then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won the caucuses with 34 percent on the Republican side. Arizona Sen. John McCain, who received 13 percent, eventually took the GOP nomination for president.

2004: Sen. John Kerry won the Democratic nomination with 38 percent, while incumbent President George W. Bush ran unopposed for the Republicans and eventually won.

2000: Former Vice President Al Gore took the Democratic nomination with 63 percent, and eventually won the primaries. Ex-Texas Gov. George W. Bush took 41 percent, before eventually winning the presidency.

1996: Kansas Sen. Bob Dole won the caucuses for the Republicans with 26 percent while incumbent President Bill Clinton ran unopposed for the Democrats.

1992: Former Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton took only 3 percent of the votes during the caucuses, while Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin took 76 percent of the vote for the Democrats. Clinton eventually won the primary and then the presidency. Incumbent President George H. W. Bush ran unopposed for the Republicans.

1988: Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt won 31 percent of the votes for the Democratic Party during the caucuses, while former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis took 22 percent of the vote, ultimately winning his party’s nominations. Kansas Sen. Bob Dole won 26 percent of the Republican vote and Vice President George H. W. Bush took only 19 percent of the vote, but ultimately won the primary and eventually the presidency.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, both Republicans, ran in 2008’s caucuses and will be a part of the process in this year’s caucuses.