Trump easily wins Iowa GOP caucuses

Former President Trump was projected to easily win the Iowa caucuses in the first major test of the 2024 Republican primary race, according to Decision Desk HQ.

Trump entered the Hawkeye State’s caucuses with a double-digit lead in polling averages over his closest challenger, as observers noted the former president appeared to be gaining strength in the state and pulling support from evangelical Iowans.

“We’re going to win the Iowa caucuses and then we’re going to crush crooked Joe Biden next November,” Trump told Iowans at a rally last month, weeks out from the caucuses.

Fox News rolled that clip at the start of a town hall broadcast with Trump last week, which aired at the same time rivals Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis were debating each other on CNN.

When Decision Desk HQ called the race for Trump just before 9 p.m. Eastern, the second-place winner was still up in the air — with Haley and DeSantis neck-and-neck for runner-up.  

DeSantis invested heavily in Iowa, securing the coveted endorsement of Gov. Kim Reynolds (R), and his projected loss to Trump is a major hurdle for him moving forward.  

“The people of Iowa sent a clear message tonight: Donald Trump will be the next Republican nominee for President. It’s now time to make him the next President of the United States,” said Alex Pfeiffer, communications director for the pro-Trump super PAC Make America Great Again Inc., in a statement after the Iowa race was called.

The focus of the race will now turn to New Hampshire, which will hold its first-in-the-nation Republican primary on Jan. 23.  

There, Haley has been gaining on Trump, and the state could serve as a backstop after her Iowa loss — though the former president still has a substantial edge in the Granite State. 

Strategists have suggested that a Trump win in both Iowa and New Hampshire could seal the deal for the rest of the election cycle, making it nearly impossible for another GOP candidate to catch up before the general.  

In Trump’s 2016 presidential bid, he lost Iowa to then-candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) before going on to win New Hampshire and then the nomination. 

This time around, he’s running as a de facto incumbent to try and get back to the White House. But the former president faces substantial challenges to his campaign, including multiple criminal indictments and ongoing legal battles in courtrooms across the country.  

In a handful of states, he also faces efforts to remove him from the ballot. Colorado’s Supreme Court ruled last month that Trump is disqualified from competing in the race under the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause, finding that he violated his oath with his actions around Jan. 6, 2021. Maine’s Secretary of State also disqualified Trump under the 14th Amendment.  

But Trump has framed his legal issues as political attacks, arguing he’s the victim of a “witch hunt” as he vies for another term.  

His fellow Republican candidates have also been in a bind as they’ve worked to campaign against him without alienating his supporters, who they need to win over in order to cut into his lead.

At the CNN debate in Iowa last week, Haley and DeSantis cautioned against another Trump term but largely focused their fire on each other.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) dropped out of the race last week, surprising some by announcing his exit before the New Hampshire primary, where he focused his resources heavily.

Though Christie took the move as an opportunity to warn against Trump as president for another four years, he was also caught on a hot mic disparaging both Haley and DeSantis.

Trump during his Fox News town hall shrugged off the idea that Haley could benefit from Christie’s exit and give him a run for his money in the Granite State.  

“I have polls that show me leading by tremendous amount in New Hampshire and a lot in Iowa. And nationwide, we’re leading by almost 60 points. So, I’m not exactly worried about it,” Trump said at the town hall. “I think we’re going to do very well in New Hampshire.”