Donald Trump scored a record victory in the first caucus of the American elections held in the state of Iowa on Monday (15).
The former president won the Republican state conventions by an unprecedented margin, kicking off his attempt to secure his party’s third presidential nomination.
Trump achieved this result even after not attending the Republican Party debates.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis surpassed former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley for a distant second place—though the nomination contest now shifts to New Hampshire, where polls show Haley in a much stronger position in next week’s primaries.
CNN projected Trump’s official victory, who already secured more than 50% of the votes (20 delegates), against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s 21.2% (8 delegates) and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley’s 19.1% (7 delegates). In third place is businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, with 7.7% of the votes (3 delegates).
DeSantis and Haley are expected to officially finish in second and third places, respectively.
The first caucus for the Democratic Party, to which the current US President Joe Biden belongs, will be on January 23 in New Hampshire.
Trump thanked the “great people of Iowa” and congratulated his competitors after CNN projected his victory in the Iowa caucuses.
“I really think now is the time for everyone, our country, to come together,” he said. “We want to unite, whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, liberal, or conservative.”
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy announced that he dropped out of the presidential race at his campaign party in Des Moines, Iowa.
“I think it’s true that we didn’t deliver the surprise we wanted to tonight,” he said. He also endorsed Trump and said he plans to attend a rally with the former president in New Hampshire on Tuesday.
DeSantis celebrated the second-place finish, telling voters, “We got our ticket in Iowa,” and said his campaign represented hope for the country’s future.
Haley hopes to achieve better results in the New Hampshire primaries next week. Pressure is mounting on her to secure a victory there.
She also attacked both Trump and President Joe Biden, arguing that Americans do not want a rematch between the two. In her remarks, Haley stated that the country desires a new generation of leadership.
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