Three Tickets: History and Culture of the Iowa Caucuses

So: just how have the caucuses changed since their inception in 1972? What are the ways they’ll never change? We learn about caucus history—also, Joe Trippi claims CNN is to blame for the infamous Dean Scream.

Social and religious conservatives exercise significant power and influence in Iowa's Republican caucuses. Here, you’ll meet some of Iowa’s the political powerhouses who use their evangelical faith to frame politics.

Not everyone comes in from out-of-state if they want to participate in the Iowa presidential caucuses — some of them start here. Former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, who kinda-sorta killed the 1992 caucuses, talks about his time as a presidential candidate and what it means to be an Iowan in the Iowa caucus.

Politicians, their staff, their fans and the reporters coming them all flock to Iowa every four years, and some Iowans are cashing in. In this episode, you get to meet some of the Midwestern entrepreneurs who see the first-in-the-nation caucuses as a business opportunity.

If you want to win in Iowa, it’s not enough to just run advertisements and talk in debates. You need boots on the ground, and this episode, we’ll show you why the first-in-the-nation state puts some much emphasis on grassroots, person-to-person campaigning. We talked to an expert of Iowa campaigning, the guy who invented the Full Grassley: U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley.

Following presidential candidates and their supporters around Iowa are the reporters documenting all of it. This episode reveals why national political reporters love covering politics in Iowa and describes what it's like to chase presidential candidates through the political cornfields.

People who care about politics aren’t shy about reaching out to politicians. In Iowa, that means potentially talking to future presidents. Meet four Iowans with incredible stories of how their Iowa caucuses activism led to unforgettable encounters and genuine friendships with national leaders like George W. Bush and Joe Biden.

So what’s it like running a caucus campaign? In this episode, you can hear directly from people who’ve ran — and won — in Iowa. Listen along as we talk with caucus winners Bob Dole and Walter Mondale.

How did the Iowa caucuses come to be? It’s a long story: but don’t worry—we can get you caught up. You’ll also hear the stories of Iowans who experienced Jimmy Carter's 1976 caucus campaign and George H.W. Bush's 1980 candidacy. This episode and others to come were originally recorded in 2015 and refreshed in 2019.

The caucuses are complicated. This episode will tell you how the caucuses work and explores how their complicated nature has occasionally created the controversies — including the uncertain results of the 2012 Republican race.

Three Tickets is back for 2020. In this brand-new episode, we talk to reporters and Iowans about what it's like to live in Iowa during a caucus year.

Three Tickets is back and better than ever. In January, we'll have a brand new episode about the 2020 race in Iowa, plus remastered episodes from 2015. Subscribe now for updates when new episodes go live.

The final episode of Three Tickets explores how the Iowa caucuses have changed -- and how they'll never change -- since their inception in the 1970s. Also: Joe Trippi claims CNN is to blame for the infamous Dean Scream.

"Evangelicals and the Caucuses" describes the power and influence social and religious conservatives have exercised in Iowa's Republican caucuses.

“Caucus Economics” explains how for some Iowans the first-in-the-nation caucuses are a business opportunity. Also featured in the episode: former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, who kinda-sorta killed the 1992 caucuses.

“Being There” explores the importance of grassroots, person-to-person campaigning in the Iowa caucuses, with an explanation from the guy who invented the Full Grassley: U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley.

“The Journalists” reveals why national political reporters love covering politics in Iowa and describes what it's like to chase presidential candidates through the political cornfields.

“The Activists” features four Iowans with incredible stories of how their Iowa caucuses activism led to unforgettable encounters and genuine friendships with national leaders like George W. Bush and Joe Biden.

“The Candidates” explores the Iowa caucuses experience from the candidates’ perspective with stories from caucus winners Bob Dole and Walter Mondale.

“Process and Controversy” describes how the caucuses work and explores the controversies they've created -- including the uncertain results of the 2012 Republican race.