While the winner of the Iowa Caucus doesn’t always go on to win their party’s nomination, there are many reasons the candidates put so much effort into campaigning in Iowa.   According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, the most important reason is that the winner of the Caucus gets a significant boost going forward.   And more than anything, Iowa becomes a critical first test – where losers often have to go home!

Here’s a link to the article.