The Iowa caucuses have wrapped up for the night, with former President Donald Trump defeating his candidates by wide margins and potentially turning the wider contest into a procession.
Several news outlets called the race in favor of Trump shortly after the caucuses began, marking a significant win for the former president in the first-in-the-nation caucuses. Here are five key takeaways from the Iowa caucuses as the 2024 primary season officially gets underway.
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Trump has strong showing with early win
Trump had a powerful performance in the Iowa caucuses, as expected for weeks by election forecasters. Several news outlets called the race in his favor just 31 minutes after the caucuses began, cementing his status as the frontrunner as candidates turn their attention to the New Hampshire primaries.
Trump managed to secure 51% of the vote, allowing him to garner more than half the vote in the state — a benchmark many critics said would be crucial for the former president to cement his standing as the GOP frontrunner. The former president nearly won all 99 counties in Iowa, a massive improvement from when he won just 37 in 2016.
Trump took a victory lap on Monday night, but also used the opportunity to urge “unity” from the remaining candidates as well as voters.
“I really think this is the time now for everybody in our country to come together. We want to come together, whether it’s Republican or Democrat or liberal or conservative,” Trump told supporters, taking a civil tone. “It would be so nice if we could come together and straighten out the world, straighten up the problems and straighten out all of the death and destruction that we’re witnessing.”
News outlets spark outrage over early call for Trump
Several of Trump’s opponents immediately criticized news outlets for declaring an early victory for the former president, with some campaigns even going so far as to accuse the media of “election interference.”
“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,” Andrew Romeo, communications director for the DeSantis campaign, said in a statement. “The media is in the tank for Trump, and this is the most egregious example yet.”
The Associated Press was among the first news outlets to call the race in Trump’s favor, prompting criticism that the result disenfranchised several voters who had not yet had the chance to cast their ballots. The outlet defended its decision later in the night, arguing it projected his victory based on an analysis of early ballot returns as well as survey results of voters who planned to attend the caucuses.
“Both showed Trump with an insurmountable lead,” the outlet said.
Ron DeSantis secures second-place finish, possibly giving boost to campaign
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis managed to edge out former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley for second place, possibly giving his campaign a boost in other primary states.
DeSantis and Haley were locked in a tight back-and-forth throughout the night as the two candidates competed for the runner-up position, with the Florida governor ultimately garnering 21% of the vote. Haley finished with 19%.
DeSantis’s campaign touted his performance in Iowa, saying he “earned his ticket” out of the first-in-the-nation nominating contest.
“This is going to be a long battle, but that is what this campaign is built for,” a senior campaign official told CNN. “The stakes are too high for this nation and we will not back down.”
Nikki Haley turns focus to New Hampshire, calls her campaign ‘last hope’
Despite her distant third-place finish, Haley remained confident in her campaign’s chances heading into the New Hampshire primaries next week — telling supporters her campaign is the “last hope to stop the Trump-Biden nightmare.”
“Tonight, Iowa did what Iowa always does so well … But when you look at how we’re doing in New Hampshire and South Carolina and beyond, I can safely say tonight Iowa made this Republican primary a two-person race,” Haley said. “As we head to New Hampshire, I have one more thing to say: Underestimate me because that’s always fine.”
Haley’s showing could spell trouble for the former South Carolina governor’s presidential ambitions, although her polling in New Hampshire could give her a boost over DeSantis as the two once again face off for a second-place finish next week. Trump is projected to win in the Granite State’s first-in-the-nation primary.
Ramaswamy’s extended travel around the Hawkeye State failed to pay off
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy wagered much of his campaign on his performance in the Iowa caucuses, even going so far as to visit all 99 of the state’s counties twice. But those efforts largely fell flat after Ramaswamy failed to break out of the single digits, garnering only 7% of the vote.
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As a result, Ramaswamy announced he would suspend his campaign shortly after the caucuses ended, instead endorsing Trump for the GOP nomination. The announcement is not entirely surprising as candidates are historically likely to drop out of the race after the Iowa caucuses if they fall below third or fourth place.
“We did not achieve the surprise that we wanted to deliver tonight…as of this moment we are going to suspend this presidential campaign,” Ramaswamy told supporters on Monday. “Earlier tonight, I called Donald Trump to tell him that I congratulate him on his victory. And now going forward, he will have my full endorsement for the presidency.”