Does Organization Matter? A Critical-Case Analysis from Recent Presidential Nomination Politics

This article examines presidential nomination politics in Iowa, considering the question of whether organization matters. It does so by analyzing the 1996 GOP nomination race in the state, with an eye toward the relationship between organization and caucus outcome. It approaches Iowa caucus politics as a critical case, that is, one for which the prospects for organizational impact are arguably as good as they get. Even so, the data suggest only conditional support for the proposition that organization matters, a finding that may call into question the presumed role of Iowa as the arena in which the underfunded and unknown nomination hopeful can succeed.