IOWA, USA — Former President Jimmy Carter is receiving hospice care at his home in Georgia. The 98-year-old is the oldest living president in US history.
"I met Jimmy Carter at the very beginning of the process when he was launching his campaign in 1975," said Steffen Schmidt, a professor of political science at Iowa State University. "We were cooking out in Story County at a friend's farm. And all of a sudden down this path to the farmhouse came three or four bicycles, and they stop and this guy got off and walked up to us and said, 'Hi, my name is Jimmy Carter, I'm running for president.'"
Schmidt recalls this spontaneous introduction to Carter as "charming", and knows it was one of the countless connections Carter made while campaigning in Iowa in the year leading up to the Iowa Caucuses.
"When Jimmy Carter comes in, he's first person to campaign actively in Iowa," said Leo Landis, curator at the Iowa State Historical Museum. "He comes in, in February of 1975, goes up to Le Mars and gives a speech in Le Mars in February 26, 1975. So almost a full year before the Iowa Caucus and he's here more than anyone."
Carter's hard work in Iowa seemed to pay off at the 1976 Iowa Caucuses. Going into the event, Carter was not a favorite among a packed slate of candidates. While "uncommitted" technically came in first, Carter surprised everyone coming in as the candidate with the most votes.
"He actually made the Iowa Caucuses famous because he was unknown," said Schmidt. "He had very little money. He started out his campaign, I think, with less than $20,000. But he went to every county, I think, in the state and communicated directly with people. And that was so charming."
Carter's focus on getting Iowans on board with the campaign became a strategy for many who followed in his footsteps.
"So when he gets the nomination and then wins the presidency, people start to say, 'Oh, Iowa could be a place for me to get my start'," said Landis. "So Jimmy Carter really did have a great relationship with Iowans in 1975 and 1976. And established Iowa as a place that really did matter."