FACTBOX: Iowa caucuses: past results

(Reuters) - Iowa's caucuses, the first formal contest to select the Democratic and Republican nominees for the presidential election, will take place on January 3.

Following is a history of the Iowa caucuses since 1988 -- who won each and how the winner fared in the overall campaign.

2004

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry won the Democratic caucuses, 37.6 percent versus 31.9 percent for runner-up North Carolina Sen. John Edwards. Kerry wound up winning the Democratic presidential nomination and losing to Republican incumbent President George W. Bush in the general election. Bush was unopposed for renomination.

2000

Democratic Vice President Al Gore handily beat former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley, 63 percent to 35 percent. Gore went on to win his party's presidential nomination but lost to Bush in the general election. Bush won the Iowa Republican caucus 41 percent to 30 percent for billionaire publisher Steve Forbes.

1996

Kansas Republican Sen. Bob Dole narrowly defeated former presidential adviser Pat Buchanan 26 percent to 23 percent. Dole went on to win the Republican presidential nomination and lose in the general election to Democratic incumbent President Bill Clinton. There were no Democratic caucuses in Iowa in 1996 because Clinton ran unopposed.

1992

Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin won a landslide victory in the Democratic caucuses, collecting 76.4 percent of the vote versus 4.1 percent for former Massachusetts Sen. Paul Tsongas and 2.8 percent for Clinton. Clinton won the Democratic presidential nomination and defeated incumbent President George H.W. Bush in the general election. There were no Republican caucuses in 1992 because Bush ran unopposed.

1988

Bob Dole won the Republican caucuses, 37.4 percent to 24.6 percent for televangelist Pat Robertson and 18.6 percent for Vice President George H.W. Bush. Bush went on to win the Republican presidential nomination. In the Democratic caucuses, Missouri Rep. Richard Gephardt won with 31.3 percent, compared with 26.7 percent for Illinois Sen. Paul Simon and 22.2 percent for Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis. Dukakis won the Democratic nomination but lost to Bush in the general election.

Source: Des Moines Register

(Writing by Paul Grant, Washington Editorial Reference Unit)

(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)