Dukakis Takes Lead in Iowa County Votes

Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis surged into first place among Iowa Democrats in conventions in all of the state’s 99 counties, reversing Missouri Rep. Richard A. Gephardt’s victory of seven weeks ago in precinct caucuses, results showed Sunday.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson also gained ground in the balloting, which went on until late Saturday as party activists continued the multistep process of selecting Democratic National Convention delegates.

With 97 of the state’s counties reporting, Dukakis had 29% of the county delegates to Gephardt’s 28%. Illinois Sen. Paul Simon was third with 26% on a strong showing in counties along the border of his home state.

13% for Jackson

Jackson pulled in 13% of the delegates, while 4% remained uncommitted.

Dukakis gained the most since February, 6%, and jumped from third place to first. Many of his new backers had been supporters of former Arizona Gov. Bruce Babbitt, who won 6% of the February votes but later dropped out of the race. Jackson gained more than 4% in the latest contest and remained in fourth place. Gephardt lost 3%.

“It looks like those people who defected, Dukakis picked up the lion’s share,” said Bonnie J. Campbell, chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party.

Party activists said Gephardt was also damaged by his weak third-place finish in Saturday’s caucuses in Michigan.

The totals included all but two tiny counties and represented 2,984 of the 3,001 delegates elected Saturday, or 99.4%.

52 to Be Elected

The party activists were electing delegates to congressional district conventions in May and the state convention this summer. At those meetings they will elect 52 of the state’s 58 delegates to the national convention in Atlanta.

The state has six “super delegates,” party leaders who automatically are delegates.

The county conventions were held in relative obscurity, in sharp contrast to the intense media attention given the state’s first-in-the-nation precinct caucuses Feb. 8.