Former United States President Donald Trump won the Iowa Caucus with a dominating lead, which is unsurprising after he has been the frontrunner in the state polls for several months.
Trailing the Republican businessman are former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who are battling for second place. The runner-up race is expected to produce most of the controversy for the latest race as the two officials seek to come out as the chief alternative to Trump.
Voters from Iowa were subjected to life-threatening temperatures so that they could gather at more than 1,600 schools, community centers, and other sites. These were all meant to be used for the state's first-in-the-nation caucus. It comes as the 2024 presidential campaign officially got underway following months of debates, rallies, and campaigning.
Trump's commanding victory in the state would bolster his argument that he is the only Republican candidate capable of taking on Democratic President Joe Biden. This is despite the former president facing four criminal cases that could potentially turn him into a convicted felon before the general election scheduled on Nov. 5, as per Reuters.
In a statement, a supporter of Trump, 53-year-old Rita Stone, said that the former president is very "narcissistic and cocky" but gets the job done. She attended a caucus at a West Des Moines high school, and like many other voters, she noted that her top concern was the US-Mexico border.
Stone praised Trump's efforts to build a wall during his time as the president of the United States. There were only about one-third of caucus-goers who said that the Republican businessman would be unfit for the position of the nation if convicted of a crime.
Now, both DeSantis and Haley are looking to finish strong in second place to demonstrate their capabilities to prevent Trump's relentless march toward the Republican nomination.
Republican Primary Race
Near the end of the Iowa caucus, the former president's campaign shared a statement that slammed Biden and urged other Republican candidates to bow out of the race. MAGA communications director Alex Pfeiffer said that every dollar that Trump's campaign spends against the other candidates could be used to fight the Democratic leader, according to BBC.
Trump's victory in Iowa and how he fares against other Republican candidates could be viewed as how the situation would go in other state caucuses. If the former president's win is substantially smaller than 50%, it would raise questions about his support.
Furthermore, if he gets below 45%, it could be interpreted as a loss, subjective and determined by pundits and party leaders. On the other hand, if Haley secures second place, it would be harder for DeSantis to continue with the race.
If the Florida governor instead becomes the more likely alternative, he could continue to the New Hampshire primary scheduled next week. This particular outcome could be the best for Trump because Haley is poised to finish close to him in New Hampshire and could even come out on top, said Yahoo News.
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