Tuesday, January 9, 2024
Year : 1, Issue : 19
Donald Trump muscled past his rivals to capture the first 2024 Republican presidential contest in Iowa on Monday (January 15), according to Edison Research projections, once more asserting his dominance over the party as he seeks a third consecutive nomination.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley were in a battle for second place as they sought to emerge as the chief alternative to Trump, who served as president from 2017-2021, Edison projected.
Trump appeared likely to win by a record-setting margin, based on early results, which would bolster his argument that he is the only Republican candidate capable of taking on Democratic President Joe Biden, despite facing four criminal cases that could go to trial before the Nov 5 general election.
With 34% of the expected vote tallied, Trump had 51.9% of the vote, while DeSantis was at 20.7% and Haley 19%. The largest margin of victory for an Iowa Republican caucus was 12.8 percentage points for Bob Dole in 1988.
Both DeSantis and Haley were aiming for a strong second-place finish that could demonstrate they might prevent Trump’s march toward the nomination.
DeSantis in particular had wagered his campaign on Iowa, barnstorming all of its 99 counties, and a third-place finish could increase pressure for him to end his bid.
Polls show him far behind Trump and Haley in the more moderate Northeastern state of New Hampshire, where Republicans will choose their nominee eight days from now.
Iowans braved life-threatening temperatures to gather at more than 1,600 schools, community centers and other sites for the state’s first-in-the-nation caucus, as the 2024 presidential campaign officially got under way after months of debates, rallies and advertisements.
Caucus-goers appeared broadly supportive of Trump, according to an Edison entrance poll.
Source: Reuters
