Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, secured a landslide victory in the Iowa caucuses on Monday, affirming his grip on the 2024 Republican presidential nominee. In what was the lowest-turnout caucus, Trump scored a roughly 30-point win, smashing the record for a contested Iowa Republican caucus, the Associated Press reported. Trump’s victory margin exceeded Bob Dole’s nearly 13-percentage-point victory in 1988.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis finished a distant second, just ahead of former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
While it could take months for anyone to formally become the party’s presidential nominee, this win has let Trump with a tighter grip on the GOP nomination.
Trump, who has repeatedly vowed vengeance against his political opponents, in his victory speech, said, “We want to come together, whether it’s Republican or Democrat or liberal or conservative. We’re going to come together. It’s going to happen soon.”
With Iowa done and dusted, the GOP contest now moves to New Hampshire, which will hold the first-in-the-nation primary on January 23. A small section will be competing there as conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy called off his presidential campaign after finishing fourth and endorsed Trump.
DeSantis will now make his way to South Carolina on Tuesday, which is a conservative stronghold, where the February 24 contest will be crucial. Later, he will head to New Hampshire.
“Because of your support, in spite of all of what they threw at us, we got our ticket punched out of Iowa,” Associated Press quoted DeSantis as telling his supporters.
As for Haley, she plans to put her foot down for the New Hampshire contest, and hopes to be successful with the state’s independent voters.
“When you look at how well we’re doing in New Hampshire and in South Carolina and beyond, I can safely say tonight Iowa made this Republican primary a two-person race,” she said.
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