Not since George W. Bush claimed victory here in 2000 has the first-in-the-nation contest winner gone on to win the GOP nomination in a contested race.

And then there’s the Ames Straw Poll, a heavily hyped event held months before the caucuses. The last two winners? Romney in 2007 and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) in 2011. Neither went on to win Iowa or the nomination the following year. In fact, of the six Straw Poll winners, only three have gone on to win the caucuses, and only two have won the GOP nomination. So, it’s easy to see why some GOP leaders want to do away with it…

“Iowa has the privilege of punching one, two, maybe three tickets to New Hampshire,” said Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa.), later adding, “It doesn’t trouble me that Iowa’s decision doesn’t always end up in the White House because the process, I think, does stand out; not just first in the nation, but there’s no other contest like this.”