The former President of the United States of America, Donald Trump achieved a record-setting triumph in the Iowa caucuses on Monday with his challengers trailing well behind, a result that confirmed his grasp on the 2024 Republican presidential candidature.
Those that went out for what was the lowest-turnout caucus in 25 years gave Trump an approximately 30-point victory, shattering the record for a contested Iowa Republican caucus with a margin of victory greater than Bob Dole’s 12.8 percentage-point triumph in 1988.
In Iowa, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, 45, came in well behind Trump in second place, defeating former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, 51, but neither candidate was able to establish themselves as the front-runner.
According to Edison Research, 99% of the predicted votes were counted, and Trump received 51%, DeSantis 21%, and Haley 19%. Bob Dole’s 1988 record winning margin of 12.8 percentage points was greatly eclipsed by that margin.
Trump now has a stronger hold on the GOP candidature as a consequence of the results, but it may still take many more months for anyone to officially become the forerunner for the party. However, the extent of Trump’s win raised serious concerns for DeSantis and Haley. Though they departed Iowa failing to claim any headway in trying to become Trump’s strongest opposition, neither contender looked ready to concede the contest.
In his victory address, Trump promoted togetherness despite his recent threats of retaliation against his political rivals.
Trump then commented on social media platform Truth Social after his win saying, “THANK YOU IOWA, I LOVE YOU ALL!!!”
The candidates immediately go on to New Hampshire on Tuesday. The more centrist Republicans in the state will select their nominee next Tuesday, and according to surveys, Trump has a slimmer advantage over Haley while DeSantis is well behind.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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