When did Iowa hold its only presidential primary?

a) 1916

b) 1932

c) 1948

d) 1964

Answer: a) According to Congressional Quarterly’s Guide to U.S. Elections, Iowa held its only presidential primary on April 25, 1916. The first presidential primaries in any states were held one election earlier, in 1912.

The 1916 Iowa primary was not exactly an impactful affair, though. Incumbent President Woodrow Wilson ran unopposed in the Democratic contest. Iowa Republican Sen. Albert B. Cummins, a former governor of the state, was unopposed on the Republican side. Wilson would go on to win re-election over the Republican nominee, Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes.

In every other election before or since, Iowa’s national convention delegates and presidential candidates have been determined in party conventions or caucuses.