The data shows that Iowa has a unique history in its preference for presidential candidates. No states have particularly similar voting records to Iowa. These states tend to swing back and forth between which political party they support over the years. Like Iowa, Ohio and Wisconsin used to be more liberal but have turned more conservative in recent years.
5 States with similar presidential preferences to Iowa
- Ohio and Iowa are both states in the Midwest. Since 1960, Iowa and Ohio have voted for the same presidential candidates in all but three elections. Recently Iowa had voted for more Democratic candidates, as it preferred Dukakis in 1988 and Gore in 2000, while Ohio voted for Republican candidates.
- Wisconsin borders Iowa. In general, the state favors Democratic candidates more than Iowa. 2020, 2004, 1976 are three elections where Wisconsin voted for a different candidate than Iowa. In each of these cases, a Republican was able to win Iowa. This may be because Wisconsin has larger urban areas than Iowa.
- Oregon is located on the West Coast, but it has voted for presidential candidates somewhat similarly to Iowa. However, it recent years Iowa has become more conservative while Oregon has become more liberal. Trump won the last two elections in Iowa, while the Democratic candidate won Oregon.
- Florida is in the South region, but the presidential candidates it has historically preferred somewhat overlap with Iowa’s. One big difference is that Iowa voted for Democrats in 1988 and 1992. Both states were closely contested in 2000, but Bush won Florida by less than 0.1% of the vote, while Gore won Iowa by less than 1.0% of the vote.
- New Mexico tends to lean Democratic in recent elections, but its past shows some similarities with Iowa. They voted for all the same candidates between 1964 and 1984. However, their demographics are extremely different since New Mexico is mostly Latino, while Iowa has a high percentage of White people.
5 States with least similar presidential preferences to Iowa
Iowa Presidential Voting History
2020: Donald Trump (R)
2016: Donald Trump (R)
2012: Barack Obama (D)
2008: Barack Obama (D)
2004: George W. Bush (R)
2000: Al Gore (D)
1996: Bill Clinton (D)
1992: Bill Clinton (D)
1988: Michael Dukakis (D)
1984: Ronald Reagan (R)
1980: Ronald Reagan (R)
1976: Gerald Ford (R)
1972: Richard Nixon (R)
1968: Richard Nixon (R)
1964: Lyndon B. Johnson (D)
1960: Richard Nixon (R)