Former President Donald Trump has won Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis coming in second.
Trump’s victory on Monday night gives him a strong start in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination as the contest moves to New Hampshire.
And DeSantis’ runner-up finish over former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley gives him a badly needed dose of momentum.
The Florida governor sounded a triumphant tone Monday night after edging Haley in the GOP contest for second place in Iowa. According to a RealClearPolitics average, pre-caucus polling had Haley finishing second to Trump, with DeSantis trailing in third.
The final results of the 2024 #IowaCaucus: pic.twitter.com/Xw6MAX2A1Y
— Iowa GOP (@IowaGOP) January 16, 2024
Supporters and volunteers chanted, “Ron, Ron, Ron!” as he thanked them for their work.
DeSantis said he was aggressively attacked ahead of the caucus.
“They threw everything but the kitchen sink at us,” he said.
Is Ron DeSantis the best governor in the country?
“Because of your support, in spite of all of what they threw at us, we got our ticket punched out of Iowa.”
DeSantis is heading next to South Carolina, which is holding its GOP primary on Feb. 24, and then to New Hampshire, which votes on Jan. 23.
DeSantis said he represents the chance to “reverse the madness” but acknowledged the challenges ahead.
“We have a lot of work to do. As the next president of the United States, I am going to get the job done for this country,” he said.
Haley didn’t get the second-place finish she was hoping for, but she told Iowa caucusgoers that her standing shows her campaign has momentum.
The former U.N. ambassador noted that she went from low single-digit support when she entered the race to placing third in Iowa.
She told a packed ballroom at her caucus night headquarters that Iowans had given her the sort of results that would enable her to run a campaign that would make them proud.
“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,” Haley said.
Haley heads Monday night to New Hampshire, which holds the country’s first-in-the-nation GOP primary on Jan. 23.
Trump, meanwhile, continues to build on the momentum of a front-runner.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
