The Economic Impact of the Iowa Caucus: Gauging the Worth of Its First-In-The-Nation Position?

This research is an analysis of third and fourthâ€quarter campaign filings by the major candidates for President in 2007. In specific, their declarations of spending are assessed broadly by category of spending, and more importantly for this analysis, by state of spending. This is not a complete assessment of spending leading up to the Iowa caucuses or the subsequent primaries that occurred in the first quarter of 2008. Rather it is simply a compilation of presidential candidate spending in the quarters running up to the first in the nation caucus in Iowa and primary in New Hampshire. While the numbers are substantial, all things equal, they are not as large as most people would assume.