Trump wins Iowa Caucus

Trump wins Iowa Caucus, per CBS.

According to projections from Edison Research on Monday, Donald Trump emerged victorious in the first 2024 Republican presidential contest in Iowa, underscoring his continued influence within the party as he pursues a third consecutive nomination.

Edison projected that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley were engaged in a tight race for second place.

Given Trump's significant lead in public polls, the focus of the evening was expected to be on the competition for the runner-up position, as DeSantis and Haley aimed to position themselves as the primary alternatives to the former president.

Despite life-threatening temperatures, Iowans gathered at over 1,600 locations for the state's first-in-the-nation caucus, marking the official start of the 2024 presidential campaign after months of debates, rallies, and advertisements.

A decisive victory for Trump in Iowa would reinforce his claim that he is the sole Republican candidate capable of challenging Democratic President Joe Biden, despite facing four criminal cases that could potentially result in him being a convicted felon before the November 5 general election.

"Trump is very narcissistic, he's very cocky, but he's going to get stuff done," said Rita Stone, a 53-year-old Trump supporter at a West Des Moines high school caucus. Like many voters, Stone cited the U.S. southern border as her top concern and praised Trump's efforts to build a wall during his presidency.

According to an Edison entrance poll, only one-third of caucus-goers believed that Trump would be unfit for president if convicted of a crime.

Both DeSantis and Haley aimed for a strong second-place finish that could indicate their ability to impede Trump's seemingly unstoppable path to the nomination.

DeSantis had particularly invested in Iowa, touring all 99 counties, and a third-place finish could increase pressure on him to end his campaign, especially since polls show him trailing behind Trump and Haley in the more moderate state of New Hampshire.

In contrast to a regular election, Iowa's caucus requires voters to gather in person in small groups, cast secret ballots after speeches from campaign representatives, and engage in a more participatory process.

The challenging weather conditions, with a forecasted wind chill of minus 45 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 43 degrees Celsius), could potentially impact turnout. If so, Trump's strong connection with his loyal supporters might have given him an advantage.

DeSantis and Haley expressed confidence in exceeding expectations in Iowa, with neither predicting an outright victory.

While Trump did not attend many campaign events, relying on others to rally his supporters, his rivals, including entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, ran campaigns in Iowa, though they were not expected to garner significant support.