[Kegger]

Iowa caucuses

2012 - Rick Santorum (25%), Mitt Romney (25%), Ron Paul (21%), Newt Gingrich (13%), Rick Perry (10%), Michele Bachmann (5%), and Jon Huntsman (0.6%)[16]
2008 – Mike Huckabee (34%), Mitt Romney (25%), Fred Thompson (13%), John McCain (13%), Ron Paul (10%), Rudy Giuliani (4%), and Duncan Hunter (1%)
2004 – George W. Bush (unopposed)
2000 – George W. Bush (41%), Steve Forbes (31%), Alan Keyes (14%), Gary Bauer (9%), John McCain (5%), and Orrin Hatch (1%)
1996 – Bob Dole (26%), Pat Buchanan (23%), Lamar Alexander (18%), Steve Forbes (10%), Phil Gramm (9%), Alan Keyes (7%), Richard Lugar (4%), and Morry Taylor (1%)
1992 – George H. W. Bush (unopposed)
1988 – Bob Dole (37%), Pat Robertson (25%), George H. W. Bush (19%), Jack Kemp (11%), and Pete DuPont (7%)
1984 – Ronald Reagan (unopposed)
1980 – George H. W. Bush (32%), Ronald Reagan (30%), Howard Baker (15%), John Connally (9%), Phil Crane (7%), John B. Anderson (4%), and Bob Dole (2%)
1976 – Gerald Ford (45%) and Ronald Reagan (43%)


Not a good track record as of late...

[I Hired Craig Livingstone]

The attention Iowa gets is rather bizarre when you look at it. Other than chronology, it really doesn’t have anything going for it.

[reed13k]

I don’t know the nomination winner got 1st or 2nd in every case but ‘88.

Though since Reagan all in 1st/2nd, except maybe Forbes in 2000, have been insider/GOPe. I consider Santorum/Huckabee to be that - though I know both are considered more conservative then the core group. They were both either a governor or a senator for too long not to be on the edge of the inner circles - though maybe not THE inner circle.