Jimmy Carter's 1976 Iowa Caucus win established the state as a proving ground for presidential hopefuls. Carter's team leveraged grassroots organizing and capitalized on media attention surrounding the caucuses. Carter's victory, aided by strategic maneuvering and media hype, solidified Iowa's role in shaping presidential races.

Jimmy Carter speaks at a campaign event Jan. 8, 1976 — 11 days before the Iowa caucuses that year — at the Jim Albright home in northwest Cedar Rapids. Carter's second-place finish in the Democratic caucuses in Iowa put him in the national spotlight, eventually propelling him to the White House. (Gazette archives)