Trump wins Iowa GOP caucuses as DeSantis ekes out a distant second over Haley
Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out of the Republican presidential race, which now moves to New Hampshire
Former President Donald Trump won a decisive victory in Monday's Iowa caucuses, getting the support of about 51% of caucus-goers in the first contest of the Republican presidential nominating contest. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who invested heavily in Iowa and staked his campaign on doing well in the state, came in a distant second place, The Associated Press projected, narrowly beating former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy placed fourth, with about 8% of caucus votes. He suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump.
Trump's victory in Iowa gave him at least 19 of the 1,215 delegates he will need to win the Republican nomination, and it reinforced the assumption that he is the commanding favorite in the race. DeSantis, with about 21% of the votes, will get at least 8 delegates; Haley, at 19%, will get at least 7 delegates.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
About 120,000 Iowans participated in the 2024 GOP caucus, roughly the same number as in 2012 but fewer than the 187,000 who participated in 2016, according to Edison Research. Temperatures fell below zero in much of the state on Monday, and the wind chill made it feel even more frigid.
"This was the least suspenseful Iowa caucus in the last 20 years because Trump has essentially been running as an incumbent," AP reports, and his win shows he maintains his "iron grip" on the Republican Party, especially in more rural, conservative states like Iowa. But he also showed a continuing weakness in the suburbs and among voters with at least a college degree, and New Hampshire, which votes next, "has famously delivered upsets in both parties," AP added.
Haley's campaign says she is "still in a strong position to rise in New Hampshire and her home state next month," The New York Times reports, but she did not knock DeSantis out of the race and both campaigns "are staring at an almost impossibly steep climb to the nomination."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
No Kings rally: What did it achieve?Feature The latest ‘No Kings’ march has become the largest protest in U.S. history
-
Push for Ukraine ceasefire collapsesFeature Talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin were called off after the Russian president refused to compromise on his demands
-
Trump eyes regime change in VenezuelaFeature Officials believe Trump’s ‘war on narco-terrorism’ is actually a push to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
‘Social media is the new tabloid’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How are ICE’s recruitment woes complicating Trump’s immigration agenda?TODAY’S BIG QUESTION Lowered training standards and ‘athletically allergic’ hopefuls are hindering the White House plan to turn the Department of Homeland Security into a federal police force
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
Donald Trump’s week in Asia: can he shift power away from China?Today's Big Question US president’s whirlwind week of diplomacy aims to bolster economic ties and de-escalate trade war with China
-
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s rebellion: Maga hardliner turns on TrumpIn the Spotlight The Georgia congresswoman’s independent streak has ‘not gone unnoticed’ by the president



