Those Who Win Both Iowa and New Hampshire Share a Title: ‘Nominee’

[babylonsister]

http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=cqmidday-000002652584

Those Who Win Both Iowa and New Hampshire Share a Title: ‘Nominee’

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton , D-N.Y., is counting on the “Super-Duper Tuesday” primaries Feb. 5 to rescue her presidential campaign if she falters again in New Hampshire. But history offers her little cause for optimisim.

In competitive races over the past three and a half decades, every candidate who won both the Iowa precinct caucuses and the New Hampshire primary went on to win his party’s nomination. If the latest tracking polls are accurate and the historical pattern holds true, Sen. Barack Obama , D-Ill., could be one day away from clinching the Democratic nomination. Only a major stumble appears likely to break his grip if he wins New Hampshire on Tuesday.

Five candidates in recent decades won both Iowa and New Hampshire, and each became their party’s nominee: Jimmy Carter in 1976 and 1980, Gerald Ford in 1976, Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004.

Since 1972, all but two major party nominees won either Iowa or New Hampshire, or both, en route to becoming the nominee. The exceptions were Democrats George McGovern in 1972 and Bill Clinton in 1992.