Nearly two-thirds of Iowa Republicans say President Biden's victory in the 2020 election was not legitimate, according to a report Monday admission vote ahead of the state caucus.
According to the poll, about 66% of Iowa caucus-goers believe Biden's victory in the last election was not legitimate, while 29% said it was. Despite these numbers, allegations of voter fraud have been widely disproved.
The poll found that 69% of people who doubt the legitimacy of Biden's 2020 victory still supported former President Trump on Monday.
Among caucus participants who said the president is legitimately in the White House, 53% of respondents supported former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, with some calling themselves “moderates” or “liberals.” This included most of the people who claimed to be.
About 20 percent supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who came in second after the Iowa caucuses, according to election data from The Hill/Decision Desk headquarters.
The former president's various legal battles, ranging from four criminal charges to a civil lawsuit, did not appear to have much of an impact on his loyal base during the caucuses, which kicked off primary voting season.
The poll found that two-thirds of caucus attendees said they still think Trump is qualified for the role even if he is convicted. Roughly one-third of party members disagreed, and nearly half supported Haley.
The Associated Press VoteCast poll reflected similar sentiments among caucus attendees, with enthusiasm for the former president extremely high. Most Iowans (7 in 10) said they knew all along that they would support him on Monday.
By the end of the night, Trump had won 20 delegates in Iowa for a historic 51% support, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had 21.2% (8 delegates), and Haley had won 20 delegates. He received 19.1% (7 delegates). Mr. Trump also held significant leads in far-flung areas of the state.
Following the dismal poll numbers, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has called off his campaign and opted to support the former president.
Trump won 98 of Iowa's 99 counties, with only Johnson County siding with Haley, by just one vote.
The admissions poll was conducted by Edison Research across the Hawkeye State on Jan. 15 among 1,628 caucus attendees who were randomly selected as they entered to vote.
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