Trump wins in Iowa and the race for Republicans in the 2024 presidential race in America begins

Donald Trump won the first electoral contest in the United States in 2024, winning handily over a handful of Republican rivals who failed to woo both participants and the cult of personality that surrounds the former president.

The Associated Press agency announced Trump had won the race early, while voters in much of the state of Iowa were still casting their ballots, indicating the former president’s large lead.

Addressing his supporters after the results confirmed his victory, he said, “Three years ago we were a great nation and now we are a nation in decline.” He then made several promises about what he would do in a second term, including curbing uncontrolled underground drilling and giving police officers complete immunity.

A tight battle for second place went on for a long time, with Ron DeSantis unexpectedly overtaking Nikki Haley.

With 95% counted, Trump won the Iowa caucuses this Monday with 51.1% of the vote, nearly 30 points more than second-place Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with 21.2%. Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina and former ambassador to the United Nations, was in third place with 19.1%. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who announced he was withdrawing from the primaries after learning the results, was in fourth place with 7.6%.

There are 40 delegates in the Iowa caucus, of which Trump has now won 20, DeSantis 8, Haley 7 and Ramaswamy 3. The remaining two are still dependent on the final outcome.

The Florida governor campaigned in traditional Iowa style, visiting all 99 counties, hoping that voters there would reward him as they have rewarded candidates in the past. Meanwhile, former South Carolina governor Haley was seen as the most moderate Republican choice, with a better chance of defeating Joe Biden in the general election than candidates to her right.

DeSantis may get a boost for his campaign after the performance in Iowa, although he remains within striking distance of Trump. After all the time and money invested in his campaign in Iowa, his candidacy is left to continue in the fight.

DeSantis smiled at his supporters and appeared pleased with his second-place finish as he focused his campaign on Iowa. “They were writing our obituary months ago,” complained DeSantis, who then thanked his supporters for their support. He added, “Thank you for your support, despite everything that was thrown at us, being against us. Regardless, we got our ticket out of Iowa.”

Earlier, in a statement, DeSantis had already accused the media of “interfering” in the results by announcing Trump’s victory half an hour after the caucuses began.

The peculiarity of the caucuses is that they are a kind of civil gatherings, and at the time the media predicted Trump’s victory, the majority had not yet cast their vote.

Haley, who came in third place, used her speech to convey the idea that she was the only person who could defeat Trump and, without mentioning DeSantis, downplayed his chances of winning the nomination. “When you look at how we’re doing in New Hampshire, South Carolina and beyond, I can safely say I will make this Republican primary a two-person race,” Haley said.

Polls show Haley doing better in the next primary state, New Hampshire, but still trailing Trump. Her strategy is to exceed all expectations in New Hampshire and the next state, South Carolina, where she was governor between 2011 and 2017.

Three other candidates fell far behind DeSantis and Haley, reaching single-digit percentages. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy led the lesser-known group before dropping out of the race and endorsing Trump on Monday night, followed by former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and pastor Ryan Binkley.

An estimated 100,000 Republicans voted in Monday’s caucuses, a significantly lower turnout than in 2016, according to Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Coffman.

Voters gathered in schools, libraries, community centers and even a grain elevator on Monday for the neighbors’ debate, but severe winter weather meant they faced frigid temperatures, bitter winds and blowing snow. Some people were unable to reach their constituencies due to road closures and other hindrances.

Many of the voters who supported Trump ignored the former president’s legal problems and concerns about democracy. Ron Osborn, a retired farmer, had a simple reason for supporting Trump, the top vote-getter in Malcolm, Iowa. “I think he’s the only person who can defeat the cheating Democrats,” the 73-year-old said.

Those who chose other candidates said they were fed up with Trump’s chaos and wanted to move on without the noise of his politics. Kent Christen, a Cedar Rapids voter who supports DeSantis, said of Trump: “Anarchy follows him. It is like an instrument of chaos. “I’m tired of all that, I’m tired of it.”

The Iowa contest marks the beginning of the 2024 election cycle, though the primaries are expected to ultimately lead to a rematch between Trump and Biden.

Before the first Republican election, the field narrowed, with Trump never losing his major lead. His enthusiastic supporters attended rallies and worked on the ground, rejecting the ongoing legal problems and increasingly harsh rhetoric that the former president had used during the campaign, where he focused on seeking revenge against his political enemies for a second term. Had promised. The threat of political violence already looms over the elections, as officials and judges face increasing harassment.

The focus now turns to New Hampshire, the next election on the Republicans’ political calendar. Democrats chose South Carolina as the first official race.

Chris Stein and David Smith provided information from Des Moines, Iowa.