The Iowa caucuses marked the beginning of the Republican Party's 2024 presidential nomination process, with former President Donald Trump fending off challenges from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Ron DeSantis as he seeks the Oval Office. They are about to accomplish the greatest reversal in modern political history by retaking the country. Nikki Haley.
The caucuses, which begin at 7 p.m. CT in the Hawkeye State, mark the beginning of a long process of caucuses and primaries nationwide. Results will begin streaming around 8:30 p.m. Eastern and 7:30 p.m. Central and are expected to continue into the evening.
The big question, of course, is whether Mr. Trump can win as decisively as polls suggest, and if he does, how much of a difference he can make to second place. But it also matters who will be his No. 2 between Haley and DeSantis, and what the difference is between No. 2 and his No. 3 candidate.
Two other candidates are also running: businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson. Mr. Ramaswamy's team claims that his support is stronger than Mr. Ramaswamy's. Opinion polls show Mr. Hutchinson's numbers are stagnant at around 1 to 2 percentage points, so it will be another story to see who can outperform expectations.
Iowa's well-below-freezing temperatures — with wind chills expected to reach tens of degrees below freezing in some parts of the state — could have a big impact on turnout. But in the end, this first contest, which is awarded 40 delegates proportionally based on the order in which the various candidates finish, meant that Mr. may end up determining how complex and demanding the calendar is. If Trump wins decisively in Iowa, and if he shows a similar performance in New Hampshire starting on Tuesday, eight days a week, then President Trump could easily win South Carolina as early as then, or later in February. It may be ready. There are also Nevada caucuses between New Hampshire and South Carolina, where Trump is expected to mount a major campaign based on polls showing him with an absolute lead.
But a closer-than-expected photo finish could force at least one of President Trump's two remaining primary challengers, DeSantis or Haley, to drag the race to Super Tuesday in March, and perhaps beyond. It will give you the courage you need. Delays in formal communication of Trump's Republican nomination for president could lead to the donor base supporting DeSantis and Haley extracting concessions from Trump should he arrive, resulting in Trump's victory. There is a possibility that the party will split in the lead-up to a high-stakes general election. He is expected to face Democratic President Joe Biden in a rematch unlike any other in U.S. history.
As results continue to pour in from the Iowa caucuses, follow Breitbart News for live updates and analysis.
Updated at 8:50 PM ET:
Team DeSantis ally Bill Mitchell has complained about networks and media rushing to summon Trump to the Iowa caucuses, calling it “election interference.”
Canceling this election while ignoring those who are still voting is pure bullshit and election interference. pic.twitter.com/m6VGK9MIug
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) January 16, 2024
Updated at 8:43 PM ET:
Trump's super PAC cited a top DeSantis surrogate as saying before the caucuses that Trump would be this year's Republican presidential nominee if he wins the election as he has now. I'm rubbing off on this idea.
Bob Vander Platz, a DeSantis supporter, told Fox News: “If President Trump wins here in Iowa, he can beat President Trump and ultimately make the case that he's the nominee.'' I think it's very difficult.” pic.twitter.com/lmzvmly4QS
— MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) January 16, 2024
Updated at 8:38 PM ET:
The fact that all networks and the Associated Press called Trump's race with less than 1 percent coverage is a scary sign for anyone other than Trump still trying to run for the Republican presidential nomination. Haley and DeSantis, who are clearly competing for a distant second place, will now face the big question of whether they can continue their campaigns beyond tonight.
Updated at 8:34 PM ET:
The Associated Press also called Trump's Iowa caucuses, where there were new signs Monday night of a landslide victory for Trump.
BREAKING: Donald Trump wins Iowa Republican presidential caucus. #APRaceCall 7:31pm CST. https://t.co/FjgpZFcJ4E
— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) January 16, 2024
Updated at 8:32pm ET:
CNN reported at 8:30 p.m. ET that Donald Trump won the Iowa caucuses, a sign of a major victory for the former president.
Updated at 8:25pm ET:
Initial results are trickling in from around Iowa, according to new york times, and Trump has an early lead of 151 votes to DeSantis' 24 and Haley's 13. It's still too early, but things look good for President Trump.
Updated at 8:22pm ET:
President Trump, speaking at his caucus in Clive, Iowa, slams the Chinese Communist Party in a speech pleading for the votes of Iowans, but also criticizing the billions of dollars it donated to Iowa farmers during his presidency. I also touched on it. Trump also talks about terrorists flowing across the border and tearing apart Biden's open border.
Updated at 8:13pm ET:
CNN reports that turnout in the Des Moines area is declining, which could be negative for DeSantis and Haley. “It's bad news for non-Trump candidates,” John King says, interpreting reports of low turnout in Iowa's largest city.
Updated at 8:08 PM ET:
Trump has an absolute lead among evangelicals, with 55 percent support, according to a CNN poll. This bodes very well for the former president.
Updated at 8:06 PM ET:
An NBC News entrance poll compiled by Chuck Todd on NBC News Now found 81 percent of caucus attendees were registered Republicans, 16 percent were independents and 3 percent were Democrats. This is a good sign for more hardline conservatives, but a bad sign for more moderate candidates.
Updated at 8pm ET:
The Iowa caucuses are now officially underway across the Hawkeye State.
CNN said in its entrance poll that Trump is the early leader among the candidates entering the caucus, with DeSantis and Haley in a tight race for second place.
Updated at 7:57pm ET:
According to CNN's Admissions poll, 54% of caucus attendees say they are “very conservative,” up from 40% eight years ago. The biggest issue is immigration and the economy.
Updated at 7:56 PM ET:
CNN reports that voter turnout in Council Bluffs was so high that caucus organizers in the area ran out of ballots and had to hand out legal forms to get people to vote. I had to.
Voting begins across the state within minutes.
update 7:48pm ET:
According to a CNN admissions poll, 53 percent said they considered themselves a member of the MAGA movement. And 63% said they would still be fit to serve as president even if Trump were found guilty of any of the charges he faces. A majority also believed that Democratic President Joe Biden did not legitimately win the 2020 election.
David Axelrod, a former adviser to Barack Obama, said the results of these early admissions polls look like a “popular electorate for Donald Trump.”
Updated at 7:42pm ET:
If Haley were to win the nomination, she would have serious problems strengthening the Republican Party.
According to Fox News, 40% of Trump voters in Iowa would not support Haley if she was the nominee.
— Political polls (@PpollingNumbers) January 16, 2024
Updated at 7:38pm ET:
People are now rushing to caucus locations across Iowa, checking in to make sure they're eligible to vote. CNN is currently interviewing people in various locations and has discovered one man who identifies himself as a Democrat and is switching parties to vote for Nikki Haley.
Updated at 7:22pm ET:
Caucus sites are starting to open across Iowa, and Trump supporters appear to be flocking to them.
One of the first people arrived at Western Iowa Tech's Sioux City Republican Precinct two and a half hours before the Iowa caucuses.
Duane Brown is wearing a Trump costume in a shirt and hat, ready to cheer on the former president.— Bret Hayworth (@SCJBretH) January 15, 2024
Trump's team also has an all-star pool of surrogates across the state.
https://t.co/adQk8w2suD pic.twitter.com/QeqhCXz4nl
— Vaughn Hillyard (@VaughnHillyard) January 15, 2024
In addition, as Breitbart News previously reported, Montana Senate candidate Tim Sheehy is in Iowa as President Trump's official representative.
