Updated 7:52 a.m. MST, 1-16-24
Former President Donald Trump has been declared the winner of the Iowa Caucus, with a distant second place finish by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and being closely followed by Former Ambassador Nikki Haley.
Results coming in on Jan. 15, Trump finished the race nearly 30 points ahead of all other challengers, securing 20 of the states 40 delegates. Delegates are essential in the Republican nomination process for President. Candidates must secure 1,215 delegates to secure the nomination outright, otherwise pledge delegates are let loose to choose who they please at the National Republican Convention.
Haley and DeSantis finished third and second, thus only securing 7 and 8 delegates respectfully. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy secured three delegates, however after the results in the Iowa Caucus Ramaswamy dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump.
“As of this moment we are going to suspend this presidential campaign,” Ramaswamy said to a crowd of supporters. “There’s is no path for me to be the next president absent things that we don’t want to see happen in this country.”
DeSantis’s campaign has called that election interference in the race due to the early call made by AP News as votes began to be tallied. “It is absolutely outrageous that the media would participate in election interference by calling the race before tens of thousands of Iowans even had a chance to vote. The Media is in the tank for Trump and this is the most egregious example yet,” Communications Director Andrew Romeo stated.
Haley left the night with optimism with her third-place finish, saying, “When you look at how well we’re doing in New Hampshire, in South Carolina and beyond, I can safely say tonight Iowa made this Republican Primary a two-person race.”
The next contest will be in New Hampshire on Jan. 23, as the path to 1,215 begins.
Updated 9:18 p.m. MST 1-15-24
The first delegates of the 2024 presidential campaign have begun to be allocated to Former President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and Former Ambassador Nikki Haley as a result of the Iowa Caucus.
As of writing this, current allocations are 16 delegates to Trump, 4 delegates to DeSantis and 4 to Haley.
“THANK YOU IOWA, I LOVE YOU ALL,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Trump’s predicted victory in Iowa has begun a race for second place among the Desantis and Haley. With both campaigns vying to secure as many delegates as possible.
Delegates are a crucial part of the nominating process in the Republican party’s system of choosing a nominee. Candidates must secure 1,215 delegate votes in the national convention to become the party’s nominee. If no candidate reaches that threshold, then all delegates are let lose in a second ballot at convention in which they can vote for whomever they choose.
However, during the state caucuses, candidates are given pledged delegates. These delegates are bound to vote for their assigned candidate. This is determined by who wins the state and by share of the vote. It is why it is so crucial candidates secure as many votes as possible.
Trump currently has secured a majority of each county within Iowa, and is currently on track to picking up the remainder of the 16 delegates within the state.
Updated 7:24 p.m. MST 1-15-24
Former President Trump has clenched an early projected victory in the Iowa Caucus, taking an early lead within the state.
As votes began to be counted Jan. 15 in Iowa, Trump rocketed passed opponents Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis. AP News and the New York Times declared that Trump was the projected winner of the state based on a lead of nearly 25 points, along with the polling data that had showed Trump ahead by double digits.
I would appreciate your vote. I think I deserve it,” Trump said to a group of voters at a caucus site. “We were a great nation three years ago, and today people are laughing at us.”
The Iowa Caucus has been closely watched as the date drew close to vote. Many campaigns had begun to struggle in organizing as a winter storm had struck the state as caucus meetings began.
As of this moment, 3% of the vote is in, with Trump leading DeSantis by 30 points. If Trump secures more than 50% of the vote, he will take all 40 delegates up for grabs there. Brining him closer to the 1,215 delegates needed to become the Republican Nominee outright.
This is a developing story and The Review will be updated as more information becomes available.
