Senator Barack Obama of Illinois received the most votes and was ultimately declared the winner of the Iowa Democratic Caucus of 2008, making him the first African American to win the caucus[1] and the first African American to win a primary state since Jesse Jackson in 1988.

[3] Barack Obama's victory in Iowa helped establish him as one of the Democratic frontrunners of 2008 and was a first step toward his eventual nomination.

All of these pledged delegates represent each congressional district independently; they are not affected by the results of the state convention.

[8] At the Iowa Democratic Party State Convention, on the other hand, 16 pledged delegates proportionally represented the candidates' support.

[8] Twelve delegates that did not represent caucus results were sent to the Democratic National Convention; they are referred to as unpledged.

Therefore, the results of the precinct caucuses provide a good measurement of Iowa's delegation to the Democratic National Convention.

This was in part a result of a "dramatic influx of first-time caucusgoers, including a sizable bloc of political independents.

"[5] Hillary Rodham Clinton remained at a constant 25%, while John Edwards was almost unchanged when his ratings increased to 24% from 23% in November.

[5] The December results of the Des Moines Register's poll also showed a widened gap between the three-way contest for the lead — Clinton, Edwards, and Obama — and the rest of the Democratic candidates.

Having the experience and competence to lead was considered the most important aspect of a candidate by 18 percent of the sample population; Hillary Clinton was rated best on this trait.

Only 6 percent of the sample population said that being best able to win the general election was the top priority; Clinton, again, was rated best on this trait.

According to a January 4, 2008 poll conducted by the Associated Press, most of the superdelegates were undecided, but 160 had endorsed Clinton, compared to 59 for Obama and 32 for Edwards.

Both had fought for the same priorities including ending the Iraq War, reforming Washington, D.C., and creating a better life for working families.

In the 2004 Iowa Democratic Caucuses, Kucinich made a similar announcement in favor of John Edwards.

[10] In the aftermath of the results from the Iowa Caucuses, Chris Dodd and Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race.

[10] As a result of the Iowa Caucus, Barack Obama received a significant surge of support in the next competition, the New Hampshire Democratic Primary five days after.

[18] Barack Obama scored a major victory in the Iowa Democratic Caucuses due to a number of factors.

Socioeconomic class was not really a factor in how voters made their decisions, as Obama won all groups of family incomes.