They delivered a split decision, awarding both DeSantis (about 21%) and Haley (about 19%) a fifth of the vote — and all but ensuring that the two candidates continue to divide the party’s anti-Trump faction in future primary contests.
After 11:00 p.m. EST, the AP determined that DeSantis had finished in second place, narrowly edging Haley.
As widely expected, former President Donald Trump cruised to a 30-point victory in Monday’s chilly Iowa caucuses, the opening salvo of the 2024 GOP nominating contest. The rout further cemented Trump’s status as the most likely candidate to face off against President Biden in November’s general election.
The Associated Press called Iowa for Trump at 8:32 p.m. EST — just half an hour after the caucuses began.
Yet Iowans also braved snowy, subzero conditions to weigh in on which of the former president’s remaining Republican rivals — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or former South Carolina governor turned United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley — had earned the right to be the GOP’s top Trump alternative going forward.
Good news for Trump
Trump set sky-high expectations for his performance ahead of caucus night, urging volunteers Sunday in Des Moines to “see if we can get to 50%” support — a bar no GOP candidate has ever cleared. With more than 90% of precincts reporting, Trump appeared poised to make history with 51% of the vote.
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