More than 3 candidates won states during the Democratic primaries of 1968 , 1972 , 1976 , 1988 and 1992 .
The large field made possible the fact that the 2016 Republican primaries were the first since 1968 ( and the first in which every state held a contest ) in which more than three candidates won at least one state ( though in 2012 three candidates ( Mitt Romney , Rick Santorum , and Newt Gingrich ) won states and a fourth ( Ron Paul ) won a territory ( Virgin Islands ) and in 2004 four candidates ( John Kerry , John Edwards , Howard Dean , and Wesley Clark ) won states in the Democratic primaries ) .Prior to the Iowa caucuses on February 1 , Perry , Walker , Jindal , Graham and Pataki withdrew due to low polling numbers .
2016 Republican Party presidential primaries