In the 1970s, jeans weren’t considered presidential. Former President Gerald R. Ford, a square-jawed Republican, wore stocky suits, and while it’s possible that Lyndon Johnson or John F. Kennedy wore denim in the Oval Office, there is no record of them in Levi’s as they held the nation’s highest office. Then came President Jimmy Carter.

Jimmy Carter's 1976 Iowa Caucus win established the state as a proving ground for presidential hopefuls. Carter's team leveraged grassroots organizing and capitalized on media attention surrounding the caucuses. Carter's victory, aided by strategic maneuvering and media hype, solidified Iowa's role in shaping presidential races.