[BacardiJim]

The "primary" elections (which include the Iowa Caucus) are sort of like a miniature version of the presidential election, but for each of ther two major parties. In the summer, the Democrats and the Republicans will each nominate their candidate for the presidential election. It is already a foregone conclusoion that George W. will be the Republican candidate, so nobody is running against him in the Republican primaries. However, in those states holding Democratic primaries (not all states have primaries or caucuses) one candidate will "win" the popular vote of the registered and voting Democrats in that state. This summer, at the Democratic National Convention, those states will cast all of their votes (similar to Electoral College votes) for the winner of the primary in their state. So, for example, all of Iowa's votes (however many it has) will be cast for Kerry.

This process is much vaguer than the Electoral College vote because 1) not all states have primaries, thus allowing the party convention electors of those states to work out "deals" to vote any way they want, and 2) some states actually require their convention votes to be split up between different candidates in proportion to how each of them did in that state's primary. Unless there is a candidate with a clear majority of primary wins going into the National Convention, there is a lot of wheeling and dealing that goes on between the Party honchos of different states in order to select the Presidential candidate and his running mate.