Today, amid an intense cold snap, the 2024 Republican Party primaries were held in Iowa, the first major battle between Republican candidates.
The result was overwhelming: former President Donald Trump swept the caucuses, surpassing the rest of the candidates by a historic margin, including Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, who competed for second and third place throughout the day.
In total, with 97% of the votes counted, Trump won 51.1% of the votes. Never before had a Republican candidate won the Iowa caucuses with such a difference. DeSantis (21.2%), Haley (19.1%) and Ramaswamy (7.7%), followed.
Although what happened in Iowa is historically not definitive for the rest of the presidential elections, on this occasion former President Trump confirmed his place on top by a wide margin, exceeding poll expectations, an achievement that undoubtedly sends a clear message to the other candidates as well as the Republican party as a whole.
Follow all the events of election day live.
Trump after his historic victory: “I really think this is time now for our country to come together”
Former President Trump made history in a big way in Iowa by winning with more than 50% of the vote.
Once his wide-margin victory was confirmed, Trump addressed his supporters and the country with a triumphant, affable and at the same time joking tone, thanking the voters of Iowa for their trust and advocating for the unity of Americans.
“I really think this is time now for our country to come together,” said the former president, before mentioning the other candidates, about whom he made jokes while offering praise.
“I would like to thank Ron and Nikki... They were having a good time together,” said Trump, who later at another point clarified that the other candidates made for good competition.
He also dedicated words to young Ramaswamy, highlighting his intelligence and his ability to reach fourth place in Iowa.
Finally, after making some campaign promises on security, migration and energy, Trump dedicated a few choice words to President Joe Biden: “I don't want to be overly rough on the President but I have to say that he is the worst President we have had in the history of our country!”
Ramaswamy endorses Trump
The young businessman, after announcing his withdrawal from the primaries, asked his voters to vote for the former Republican president.
🚨 #ULTIMAHORA | Vivek Ramaswamy manifiesta su apoyo a Donald Trump para presidente. pic.twitter.com/Km8pNnyt8L
— VOZ (@VozMediaUSA) January 16, 2024
BREAKING NEWS: Vivek Ramaswamy drops out
The presidential dream of young businessman Vivek Ramaswamy has ended.
The candidate announced that he is suspending his campaign after placing fourth in the Iowa caucuses, earning just over 7% of the vote.
🚨 #ULTIMAHORA | Según informes, Vivek Ramaswamy suspende su campaña. pic.twitter.com/rACXo4kjwl
— VOZ (@VozMediaUSA) January 16, 2024
Confirmed: DeSantis takes second place
With 90% of the votes counted, the governor of Florida has won a consolation prize: snatching second place from Nikki Haley.
Even so, former President Trump maintains a gigantic lead, exceeding 50% of the votes.
#ULTIMAHORA | Se confirma que Ron DeSantis queda en segundo lugar en los caucus de Iowa. pic.twitter.com/SIvrlm1PFB
— VOZ (@VozMediaUSA) January 16, 2024
DeSantis campaign denounces "election interference"
There is outrage in the Florida governor's campaign.
In the last hour, various members of DeSantis' team publicly denounced that the corporate media interfered with the Iowa elections by projecting Trump's victory with less than one percent of the votes counted.
According to the DeSantis campaign, there were still voters in the caucuses when the media began projecting the victory of former President Trump, who is now marching towards a historic victory in Iowa.
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.
— Andrew Romeo (@andrewromeo33) January 16, 2024
When Fox sent out this “breaking news” people in the precinct I was monitoring in Des Moines were still speaking and had not even cast votes. Corporate media election interference. https://t.co/0SpmGfojsq
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) January 16, 2024
DeSantis stays in second place, Trump is on his way to making history
Former President Trump, with 39% of the votes counted, remains above 50% of the votes in the Iowa primary elections.
If this trend continues, Trump would be the first Republican in history to obtain 50% of the votes in these caucuses.
Meanwhile, DeSantis remains in second place, with 20% of the vote. Haley is close behind with 18.7%. The NYT projects that the Florida governor has a 57% chance of coming in second when the vote counting is complete.
DeSantis begins to gain ground in the race for second place
The governor of Florida begins to gain percentage points over Haley in the battle for second place. With 3% of the votes counted, DeSantis has earned 21% of the votes compared to 17% for the former UN ambassador.
If this trend continues, DeSantis will slightly exceed polling expectations.
🚨 #ULTIMAHORA | Última actualización de los caucus de Iowa:
📌 Trump: 52.8%
📌 DeSantis: 21.4%
📌 Haley: 17.7%
📌 Vivek: 7.2%👉 #LIVE:https://t.co/74CMGzWmOG
— VOZ (@VozMediaUSA) January 16, 2024
Haley and DeSantis fight for second place
Election day is not over yet. Now it remains to be seen which Republican candidate survives the caucuses in Iowa.
DeSantis, for now, is in second place, but following close behind is the former ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley. Both are betting on good results that will allow them to remain competitive going into the first primary in New Hampshire.
Trump is projected to win by all media outlets
CNN first made the call, then Fox News, NBC, The New York Times and AP followed.
Former president Trump has been projected as the winner in Iowa by a historic margin. However, it still remains to be seen if he has earned 50% of the votes. No Republican candidate in history has achieved that feat.
AP projects Trump winner in Iowa
As soon as the results began to come in from Iowa, the AP agency decided to project the former president as the winner, who, in the first reports, already held a solid advantage over the rest of the candidates.
Trump comes out swinging
We already have the first results out of Iowa, with former President Trump taking a solid lead:
Trump: 67%
DeSantis: 18.6%
Haley: 8.6%
Ramaswamy: 4.7%
Votes: 360
Caucuses begin in Iowa
From 7 p.m. CT, caucuses officially began in 1,657 electoral districts throughout Iowa.
The results will be arriving soon. Smaller districts are expected to deliver the first newsletters within minutes.
Stay tuned for more updates.
Republicans in Iowa want substantial changes for the United States
With just minutes left before caucuses across Iowa begin, an AP-NORC Center poll found that more than half of Iowa respondents wanted “substantial” changes to how the United States is governed.
Likewise, another 33% said they wanted “total upheaval.” Only 10% said they wanted small changes and just one percent said they didn’t want any changes.
What time do the 2024 Iowa caucuses end?
The caucuses will begin at 7:00 p.m. CT and conclude approximately within the hour when vote counting begins.
The results will begin to arrive soon after voting ends. However, timing differences are expected among the more than 1,600 precincts that vary in size statewide.
Haley is optimistic before the caucus ends
The former U.N. ambassador told Fox News that she is excited about the Iowa caucus and remains optimistic about her prospects for the primary as well as a potential showdown with Joe Biden.
“We’re so excited, it’s go time, this is what we’ve been waiting for,” Haley said. “We’re ready, we’ve spent 11 months, talking to voters shaking every hand, answering every question, being the last person to leave at every town hall and it’s all for this moment.”
Trump says he will have a “tremendous night” at the Iowa caucus
The former president, a favorite in the polls, is confident he will obtain a great result in Iowa tonight.
“I think we’re going to have a tremendous night tonight. The people are fantastic. I’ve never seen spirit like they have,” Trump told reporters as he left the Fort Des Moines hotel on Monday.
President Trump expecting a big night in Iowa:
"We're going to have a tremendous night tonight, the people are fantastic, and I've never seen spirit like they have."
pic.twitter.com/70nT9aPBJz— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) January 15, 2024
Ramaswamy denounces mainstream media’s campaign of silence
The millennial businessman, who appears as an outsider in the race, is denouncing on his X account (Twitter) that the main media outlets are openly ignoring his candidacy today by not showing his results in Iowa and leaving him out of a voter attitude poll.
RIGGED. Fox & AP just sent a broad “voter attitudes” poll on the eve of the caucus, which they’ll report on TV right before the Iowa caucus. It leaves one candidate off the list. Stick it to the media & shock the world at the Iowa caucus tonight. @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/DHopHWNRz7
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) January 15, 2024
The candidate also “reposted” several conservative influencers who are criticizing the media for orchestrating an apparent campaign of silence against the young businessman.
This is wild. Why is NYT suppressing Vivek? They’re doing so alongside Fox and CNN, both of which do not have him listed. It’s certainly misleading to any voters going to the polls who might now be misinformed into thinking that he dropped out. https://t.co/GHAzTXxjac
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) January 15, 2024
DeSantis warns that he will not drop out no matter what happens in Iowa
The governor of Florida has decided what he will do with his presidential race if things don’t go as he expects in Iowa: he will continue competing.
“You are not dropping out of this race tonight or tomorrow, no matter what?” an MSNBC reporter asked the governor.
“No, we are going on. We’ve been built for the long haul. It is all about the accumulation of delegates,” replied the Republican.
“Even if you come in third place tonight, there is no chance your campaign is dropping out? Is that what you are saying?” —the journalist continued.
“We’re in it for the long haul. We’re going to do well. I know the media likes to do the speculation. I’m excited for the votes to come in because that will be the first real data point,” DeSantis said.
Is Iowa different?
While Iowa is very important to gain momentum in the race, the reality is that it is not determinative in deciding the winner of the primaries or even the next president.
In 2016, Senator Ted Cruz narrowly won this state’s delegates. His close pursuers were Trump and Rubio, who were very close to Cruz. We all know the rest of the story: Trump swept the primaries and his first big victory was in New Hampshire.
And, beyond the 2016 result, only three candidates have won in Iowa and reached the White House: Jimmy Carter in 1976, Barack Obama in 2008, and George W. Bush in 2000.
So, neither in terms of primaries nor in terms of reaching the White House do the elections end in Iowa.
What’s at stake today?
Trump is the wide favorite according to the polls. However, today, whether the other candidates are strong enough to compete with the former president will finally be decided.
In short, today is a night of survival for DeSantis, Haley and Ramaswamy, who want to establish themselves as the main alternatives to Trump with very different campaigns.
How does the Iowa caucus work?
Unlike regular elections, where voters go to the polls to vote for their candidates, in Iowa, caucuses are held where citizens go to the voting centers in their districts to debate loudly about the candidates’ proposals and, ultimately, cast their vote for their favorite candidate.
