Published: January 15, 2024 12:10 PM
‘We got our ticket punched out of Iowa,’ DeSantis says
By ADRIANA GÓMEZ LICÓN
WEST DES MOINES— The Florida governor sounded a triumphant tone Monday night after edging Haley in the GOP contest for second place in Iowa.
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.
“Because of your support in spite of all of what they threw at us,” said DeSantis, who staked the success of his campaign on the Hawkeye State. “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 says her third-place finish in Iowa shows momentum
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.
Ramaswamy endorses Trump
Vivek Ramaswamy endorsed former President Donald Trump as he dropped from the race after a disappointing finish in Iowa’s leadoff caucuses.
Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old political novice who sought to replicate Trump’s rise as a bombastic, wealthy outsider, said, “As of this moment we are going to suspend this presidential campaign. There’s no path for me to be the next president absent things that we don’t want to see happen in this country.”
During the campaign, he needled his opponents but praised Trump as “the best president of the 21st century.” He argued, though, that Republicans should opt for “fresh legs” and “take our America First agenda to the next level.”
The approach, including his call for “revolution,” vaulted Ramaswamy into the mix of candidates vying to overtake Trump — or at least become a viable alternative.
His decision to drop out, though, becomes the latest confirmation that the former president, even at 77 years old and under multiple criminal indictments, still dominates Republican politics and remains the overwhelming favorite to win the GOP nomination for the third consecutive time.
Vivek Ramaswamy announces he’s suspending his presidential bid after a disappointing finish in Iowa
By The Associated Press
Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy said Monday that he is suspending his 2024 Republican presidential campaign after a disappointing finish in Iowa’s leadoff caucuses.
Ramaswamy, 38, endorsed his rival, former President Donald Trump. He has previously called Trump the “best president of the 21st century” even as he tried to convince Republican voters that they should opt for “fresh legs” and “take our America First agenda to the next level.”
The wealthy political outsider also modeled his own bid on Trump’s run, campaigning as a fast-talking, headline-grabbing populist who relentlessly needled opponents.
Trump celebrates caucus victory with family and supporters
DES MOINES— Trump is celebrating his Iowa win.
The former president was flanked on stage by members of his family and senior campaign staff, as well as members of Congress and other supporters who traveled to Iowa to campaign by his side.
He began his remarks with a conciliatory tone, saying it’s time for the country to come together.
Trump offered a shout-out to DeSantis and Haley, whom he has skewered on the trail.
“I want to congratulate Ron and Nikki for having a good time together,” he quipped.
DeSantis takes second place in Iowa’s caucuses
By The Associated Press
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis finished in second place during the 2024 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses over former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley in the fierce fight to emerge as the clear alternative to former President Donald Trump. (January 16)
DES MOINES— The Associated Press has determined that DeSantis will finish in a distant second in the Iowa caucuses, ahead of Haley and behind Trump.
With an estimated 10% of ballots remaining to be counted, DeSantis leads Haley by approximately 2,300 votes, or about 2 percentage points.
With votes reported in all but one of Iowa’s 99 counties, Haley isn’t doing well enough anywhere to catch DeSantis, based on the number of outstanding votes.
Haley loses lead in Iowa county she needs to perform well in
If Haley is going to finish in second place ahead of DeSantis, she will need to run up her margins against him in an Iowa county that she has just lost her lead in.
With around 96% of the expected vote in Story County reported, Haley trails Trump by 134 votes and leads DeSantis by just over 100 votes.
North of Des Moines, Story County is a relatively Democratic-leaning area. It includes Ames, home to Iowa State University, and has trended toward more moderate Republican candidates in past caucuses. Eight years ago, it was one of five counties that Sen. Marco Rubio won. This is the type of county that Haley, who has courted more moderate voters, needed to perform well in if she is to overtake DeSantis.
Haley was leading in Story for much of the night, but that was largely a function of Story reporting its votes relatively more slowly than neighboring counties. This is not unusual: In Iowa, larger, more populated precincts take longer to count — and therefore report — their votes. Smaller precincts, which are also likelier to vote for more conservative candidates, can count faster and report earlier. With just 221 votes reported in the first two hours of caucusing, Haley led until a little after 10:30 p.m. ET.
Most Trump supporters in Iowa caucuses say they knew they’d support him all along, AP VoteCast shows
By The Associated Press
AP VoteCast shows about 7 in 10 Iowans who caucused for Trump on Monday night said they’ve known all along they’d support the man who has remade the Republican Party through his “Make America Great Again” political movement. (Jan. 16)
In some ways, Iowa’s Republican caucuses were practically over before they began, with Donald Trump cultivating a deep network of support over three presidential runs.
About 7 in 10 Iowans who caucused for Trump on Monday night said they have known all along that they would support a man who has remade the Republican Party through his “Make America Great Again” political movement. Trump was carried to victory by the majority of caucusgoers who say they back it, a sign of his growing influence in a state that denied him a victory eight years ago.
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Trump leads GOP rightward march and other takeaways from the Iowa caucuses
Supporters arrive before Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a caucus night party in Des Moines, Iowa on Monday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
WASHINGTON— Donald Trump’s iron grip on the Republican Party has been clear since the day he announced he would make another run for the White House 14 months ago. It can be seen in the party’s ideological shift even further to the right on cultural issues and, especially, on immigration policy.
Iowa Republicans were a clear reflection of that on Monday night, delivering the former president an emphatic victory. They channeled his anger, and his view that basically everything President Joe Biden has done has been a “disaster.” About 9 in 10 voters said they want upheaval or substantial change in how the government operates, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 1,500 voters who said they planned to take part in the caucuses.
As clear-cut as his win was, though, Iowa has not historically played the role of kingmaker in the Republican nominating process. New Hampshire’s voters don’t take their cues from Iowa.
This is an excerpt from a longer story.
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Trump, DeSantis and Haley are awarded their first delegates of 2024
By The Associated Press
DES MOINES— The Associated Press has allocated 16 of Iowa’s 40 delegates to Trump and four delegates each to Haley and DeSantis. These two dozen delegates represent 60% of the state’s total. Delegates will cast their votes at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this summer.
The way delegates are awarded differs by state, and in Iowa, the delegates are awarded proportionally based on the statewide vote. There are no minimum thresholds candidates need to reach in order to win delegates in Iowa. As of 10:05 p.m. Eastern time, with nearly 40% of the expected vote counted, Trump is receiving a majority of the vote. Based on the AP’s analysis of the initial vote and its AP VoteCast survey, Trump will win at least 40% of the vote in Iowa, and DeSantis and Haley will each win at least 10%.
The AP will allocate the state’s remaining delegates as more of the vote is counted.
The AP delegate tracker
Party switcher for Haley
DES MOINES— Carol Hendrick is a lifelong Iowa Democrat, but she registered as a Republican on Monday night so she could caucus for Haley.
Hendrick said just before the GOP hopeful spoke at her caucus site in Des Moines that she would do “anything I could do” to keep Trump from becoming president again.
“Her doing well makes Trump look worse,” Hendrick said. “I do wish her well. She’s an accomplished person.”
Hendrick said she would back Democrat Joe Biden in the general election, even if Haley won the Republican nomination.
Iowa caucuses reveal some vulnerabilities for Trump
By The Associated Press
Despite Trump’s commanding win in Iowa, the contest exposed some national vulnerabilities for the former president.
The suburbs are a relative weakness for Trump: Only about 4 in 10 of Iowa Republicans in the suburbs support him. Trump still bests his closest rivals in the suburbs, but not as strongly as he does in other areas, according to AP VoteCast, a survey conducted by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research of more than 1,500 voters who said they planned to take part in Monday’s Republican caucuses in Iowa.
Nor does Trump have as much appeal with college graduates. Just 2 in 10 of Trump’s Iowa backers hold a college degree, compared to roughly half of those who backed Haley and DeSantis.
And there are Trump’s legal troubles. About one-quarter of GOP caucusgoers say Trump has done something illegal when it comes to at least one of the legal cases he is facing: his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, his alleged attempts to interfere in the vote count in the 2020 presidential election or the discovery of classified documents at his Florida home that were supposed to be in government custody.
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A silent victory party
By The Associated Press
Typically, attendees at political victory parties assemble early to watch the results come in and erupt in cheers when their candidate wins.
But the call declaring Trump the winner of Iowa’s caucuses came so early that the former president wasn’t on site yet and his invited guests hadn’t yet arrived. So round cocktail tables draped with black tablecloths stood empty and bottles of wine and beer sat on ice awaiting the start of the party.
Trump is expected to speak later Monday night at the Iowa Events Center venue, flanked by many American flags.
First-time caucusgoer votes for DeSantis, citing economic concerns
By ADRIANA GOMEZ, JONATHAN COOPER
WAUKEE— Spencer Cook, a 24-year-old commodity trader, attended his first caucus on Monday night and voted for DeSantis.
Cook said he was motivated above all else by boosting the economy, which he said is “a little bit stagnant right now.” He said his salary doesn’t go as far as it did when he started his first job a year and a half ago.
“Buying a house for someone my age is really tough,” Cook said at his caucus site in Waukee. “Interest rates are high. Housing prices are really high.”
Haley appeals to voters who want to ‘move forward with no more vendettas’
By The Associated Press
CLIVE — Haley has added a forward-looking wind-up to her standard campaign speech that seemed to graze Trump.
“If you want to move forward with no more vendettas, if you want to move forward with a sense of hope, join us in this caucus,” she said. “I ask for your vote. And I promise you I will make sure every day I focus on what it takes to make you proud.”
Several hundred people at the Horizon Events Center rose to their feet in applause.
What’s next for Trump?
By The Associated Press
The magnitude of Trump’s success is still coming into focus and it is not immediately clear who will emerge as the second-place finisher.
But Trump was already looking ahead to a potential general election matchup against President Joe Biden as he addressed hundreds of cheering supporters at a caucus site at the Horizon Events Center in Clive, Iowa.
“He is totally destroying our country,” Trump said of Biden.
Trump is expected to fly to New York Monday night so he can be in court Tuesday as a jury is poised to consider whether he should pay additional damages to a columnist who last year won a $5 million jury award against Trump for sex abuse and defamation.
He will then fly to New Hampshire, the next state in the Republican primary calendar, to hold a rally Tuesday evening.
Race for second place is between Haley and DeSantis
DES MOINES — Haley and DeSantis are vying for second place in Iowa’s leadoff Republican caucuses.
The contest for runner-up narrowed to the former U.N. ambassador and the Florida governor on Monday night after Trump was declared the winner of the first-in-the-nation GOP voting contest.
Vivek Ramaswamy and Asa Hutchinson are among the other candidates competing for votes.
Trump addresses caucus site shortly before AP calls Iowa for him
CLIVE — Shortly before the AP called Trump the winner in Iowa, the former president spoke at a caucus site in Des Moines.
Trump was greeted with loud cheers and applause as he addressed the crowd.
“I would appreciate your vote. I think I deserve it,” he said, making the case that things were much better when he was in charge. “We were a great nation three years ago and today people are laughing at us,” he said.
Trump was proceeded on stage by Asa Hutchinson and followed by Vivek Ramaswamy.
How the AP called Trump the winner of Iowa’s caucuses
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner of the Iowa caucuses based on an analysis of early returns as well as results of AP VoteCast, a survey of voters who planned to caucus on Monday night. Both showed Trump with an insurmountable lead.
Initial results from eight counties showed Trump with far more than half of the total votes counted as of 8:31 pm. ET, with the rest of the field trailing far behind. These counties include rural areas that are demographically and politically similar to a large number of counties that have yet to report.
AP VoteCast also shows Trump with sizable leads among both men and women, as well as every age group and geographic regions throughout the state.
AP VoteCast is a survey conducted by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research of more than 1,500 voters who said they planned to take part in Monday’s Republican caucuses in Iowa.
Among voters who identify as born-again Christians, the survey found that Trump was favored by 58% voters intending to caucus, compared to 18% for DeSantis and 13% for Nikki Haley. Polls showed that was a relatively weak group of backers for Trump in Iowa in 2016.
So far, Trump is significantly outperforming his second-place 2016 caucus finish, when he received 24% of the vote, compared to 28% for Ted Cruz.
Follow the results
Trump wins Iowa’s first-in-the-nation GOP caucuses
By The Associated Press
Trump has won Iowa’s leadoff presidential caucuses, giving him a strong start in the race for the 2024 Republican nomination.
His rivals are jostling for second place, hoping for a bump heading into New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary on Jan. 23.
Donald Trump has won the Iowa caucuses, a crucial victory at the outset of the Republican primary that reinforces the former president’s bond with his party’s voters. (Jan. 15)
Ramaswamy is hustling for support at a caucus site
CLIVE— Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is working until the last minute to round up votes.
He stopped by a caucus site in suburban Des Moines, telling voters, “I’d love to earn your support tonight.”
He fielded questions and compliments from a steady stream of voters lining up to speak with him or snap a selfie.
“I’m Jamie, and I just want to say congrats on a wonderfully run campaign,” one voter told him.
To another voter who sounded a little skeptical of him, Ramaswamy said, “We need someone with fresh legs” and said he’d fire most of the federal workforce.
“My parents came to this country the right way, too,” he told one person. “That’s what makes this country great.”
Trump and Hutchinson woo voters at the same caucus site
CLIVE — There are hundreds of caucus sites in Iowa. But Trump, the presumed front-runner, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is barely registering in the polls, both ended up at the same caucus site.
“We’re trusting you, Iowa, to get it right,” Hutchinson said, addressing several hundred voters at the Horizon Events Center in Clive.
Trump was holding backstage as Hutchinson spoke.
These are the coldest Iowa caucuses on record
By The Associated Press
DES MOINES — Iowa Republicans have gathered at caucus meetings across the state to pick their next GOP presidential nominee.
The coldest first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses on record kicked off Monday night at minus-3 degrees Fahrenheit in the capital city, with the wind chill making it feel like minus-20, according to the National Weather Service.
In the 2016 GOP caucuses, the AP first reported results at 8:32 p.m. ET, or 32 minutes after the caucuses convened. The caucus night tabulation ended at 12:50 a.m. ET with 99.9% of total votes counted.
How Iowa Republican caucusgoers see Haley and DeSantis
By The Associated Press
Among Iowa Republicans, Haley is something of an anti-Trump option, even though she was his U.N. ambassador.
She is the top candidate of GOP caucusgoers who say Trump did something illegal when it comes to at least one of the criminal cases against him, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 1,500 voters who said they planned to take part in Monday’s Republican caucuses in Iowa.
Among those who say they are caucusing for Haley, about 4 in 10 voted for Democrat Joe Biden over Trump in 2020.
Meanwhile, DeSantis performs best among the caucusgoers who are dissatisfied with Trump but say they would ultimately vote for him in the general election, according to AP VoteCast. DeSantis’ supporters are more likely than those for other candidates to say they think abortion should always be illegal.
He performs better than Haley does among those who describe themselves as conservative.
Most Iowa GOP caucusgoers back Trump’s MAGA movement
By The Associated Press
The majority of Iowa Republicans who are caucusing believe in the need to “Make America Great Again,” and that’s a sign of how Donald Trump and his political movement have transformed a state party that denied him a victory eight years ago. (Jam 15)
The majority of Iowa Republican caucusgoers believe in the need to “Make America Great Again,” a sign of how Trump and his political movement have transformed a state party that denied him a victory eight years ago.
That’s according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 1,500 voters who said they planned to take part in Monday’s Republican caucuses in Iowa. The survey was conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
The findings suggest that Trump is in a strong position as the caucuses began. He shows significant strength among urban, small town and rural communities. Trump also performs well with evangelical Christians and those without a college degree. One relative weakness for Trump comes in the suburbs, where only about 4 in 10 support him.
The caucuses are now underway
By The Associated Press
Iowa’s Republican caucuses begin as the 2024 GOP presidential primary gets underway.
Looking for results? We’ll bring you major updates on this page. You can also follow the AP’s 2024 election results tracker.
Caucusing is complicated. Trump’s campaign is enlisting an animated figure to help
By The Associated Press
The Trump campaign has been playing an instructional video before events in Iowa explaining how the quirky caucus process works. (Jan. 9)
Meatball Ron? Day One Dic-Tater? Iowa restaurant gets in on caucus fun
By The Associated Press
Zombie Burger in Des Moines rolled out a special menu in time for Iowa’s first-in-the-nation voting contest.
The quirky restaurant posted on its Instagram page that customers can “celebrate the circus with these featured shakes + ONE-DAY-ONLY burgers at Zombie Burger!”
The special on Jan. 12 was Mom-Aswamy’s Spaghetti burger, a smashed vegetarian meatball patty, fried spaghetti and marinara croquette with mozzarella in honor of Vivek Ramaswamy.
On Jan. 13, diners could nosh on Meatball Ron, a double smashed meatball patty with mozzarella, fried banana peppers, marinara and a “hidden” garlic bread lift — inspired by DeSantis.
The meal of the day for Jan. 14 was American History 101, featuring a double pimento cheese patty, pulled pork, pulled bacon, fried okra and Carolina Gold sauce. The Carolina Gold sauce was a giveaway for Haley.
And on caucus night itself, customers could dig into a Day One Dic-Tater, with Flamin’ Hot Cheeto orange kielbasa sausage, Jack cheese, tater rounds, housemade sauerkraut and Russian dressing. Trump recently vowed to only be a dictator on “day one” of his next term.
And throughout, diners had the choice of two special drinks: a Sleepy Joe shake or a Dark Brandon shake, both available with an alcohol option.
What’s the difference between AP VoteCast and an exit poll?
By The Associated Press
Although it serves a similar purpose, AP VoteCast is not an exit poll, which relies largely on in-person interviews with voters conducted outside of select polling places after they’ve cast their ballots.
Prior to the launch of AP VoteCast in 2018, the AP worked with other major news organizations to conduct Election Day exit polls.
AP VoteCast was created in part to reflect significant changes over the years in how people vote, from a world where most voters cast their ballots by showing up at the polls on Election Day to one where a growing number cast their ballots before Election Day.
More on VoteCast
WATCH: Nikki Haley’s day of campaigning
By The Associated Press
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is making several last minute stops in Iowa ahead of Monday night’s caucus votes. (Jan. 15) (AP video: Meg Kinnard, Carrie Antlfinger)
What’s the AP VoteCast and how does it work?
Launched in 2018, AP VoteCast is a comprehensive survey of both voters and nonvoters that aims to tell the story behind the election results.
Conducted for The Associated Press and Fox News by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, it’s a detailed snapshot of the American electorate that helps explain who voted, who didn’t vote, what issues they care about, how they feel about the candidates and why they voted the way they did.
AP VoteCast uses a combination of methods — mail, phone and online interviews — to reach voters and capture their opinions about the candidates and the election regardless of whether they vote in-person on or before Election Day or by mail-in ballot.
This is an excerpt from a full story.
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Haley wins over an undecided caucusgoer
NEWTON — Haley is making her case to some last-minute undecided caucusgoers — and winning over at least one.
During her third stop of a final pre-caucus push in PB’s Pub, Haley asked for a showing of hands from those who hadn’t yet made up their minds.
“We’ve got one guy,” she said, seeing Chris Varney raise his hand in the back.
After giving brief remarks and telling Iowans that “It’s go time,” Varney got a chance to speak with Haley.
“OK, she got me,” Varney said, prompting cheers from other attendees.
Eric Trump predicts ‘great night’ for his father
By The Associated Press
DES MOINES — The former president’s son is calling it now: It will be a “great night” for Team Trump.
He told The Associated Press hours before Iowa’s kickoff caucuses: “Everywhere I show up, there’s hundreds and hundreds of people, and they’re all wearing the Make America Great Again hats and carrying American flags.”
He says, “I think we’re going to have a great night.”
He says that he’s seen tremendous enthusiasm across the state for his father and that Republican voters are eager for a return to Trump’s policies.
Iowa GOP caucusgoers say no to the status quo
By The Associated Press
DES MOINES — Iowa GOP caucusgoers want sweeping changes to how the federal government is run, according to AP VoteCast.
About 3 in 10 say they are seeking a complete and total upheaval. An additional 6 in 10 caucusgoers say they want substantial changes.
Most caucusgoers trust Iowa elections, but about 4 in 10 are not too confident or not at all confident in the integrity of U.S. elections. Nearly 6 in 10 have little to no confidence in the U.S. legal system.
This is an excerpt from a full story.
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Waiting for DeSantis but leaning toward other candidates
CEDAR RAPIDS — A few hours before the caucuses, Iowa Republican Steve Kessler sat in a sports bar awaiting an appearance by DeSantis, but he was still undecided about whom he would support.
“I like to take my time,” the 65-year-old retired electrical engineer said at Jerseys Pub & Grub.
But it wasn’t looking good for DeSantis.
“My heart is with Vivek because of his rambunctiousness,” Kessler said. “But I’m tempted to vote for Nikki to show my anti-Trump feelings.”
Why not DeSantis? “He’s not that charismatic,” he said. “But I figured I should see him before I go to caucus.”
Kessler was headed straight from the DeSantis event to his caucus site in Coralville, about 30 miles south of Cedar Rapids.
Most Iowa GOP caucusgoers are unbothered by charges against Trump
By The Associated Press
The criminal charges against Trump have done little damage to his reputation among Republicans headed to Monday night’s Iowa caucuses, according to AP VoteCast.
About three-quarters of caucusgoers say the charges are political attempts to undermine him, rather than legitimate attempts to investigate important issues.
Still, about a quarter say Trump has done something illegal when it comes to at least one of the ongoing legal cases he’s facing: his role in the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, his alleged attempts to interfere in the vote count in the 2020 presidential election or the discovery of classified documents at his Florida home that were supposed to be in government custody.
Top issues for Iowa GOP caucusgoers: Immigration, economy
By The Associated Press
Survey shows Iowa Republicans are headed to their state’s caucuses on Monday with a greater desire to focus on immigration than address the health of the U.S. economy. (Jan. 15)
About 4 in 10 GOP caucusgoers say immigration is the most important issue facing the country, according to AP VoteCast.
About one-third said it was the economy. Fewer people named other priorities, including foreign policy, health care, abortion or energy.
AP VoteCast is a survey of more than 1,500 voters who said they planned to take part in Monday’s Republican caucuses in Iowa, conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
The vast majority — 7 in 10 — said immigrants were a negative for the country, an indication that they’re not only seeking more order on the U.S. southern border but major cuts on how many foreigners can come into the country.
How will the Democratic caucuses work in 2024?
Iowa Democrats had to completely redo their caucus and presidential delegate selection process after their 2020 caucuses devolved into chaos and failed to produce a clear, undisputed winner.
This year, Iowa Democrats will still hold caucuses on the same day as Republicans, but unlike in previous years, caucus-goers will not vote or indicate their pick to represent the party on the November presidential ballot. Instead, they will vote for a party nominee through a mail-in voting process that begins Jan. 12 and concludes on March 5.
The Democratic caucuses on Jan. 15 will elect delegates to the county conventions in March, which is the next step in selecting the individuals to serve as delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.
National convention delegates will be required to vote for a presidential nominee in accordance with the results of the mail-in voting process.
This is an excerpt from a full story.
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42-year-old Iowan plans to caucus for the first time
FORT DODGE — Melanie Klaassen, 42, plans to participate in her first caucuses on Monday night.
She and her husband, Michael, were among an engaged crowd of Trump supporters at ShinyTop Brewing who gathered to see surrogates of the former president.
The farmers from Pomeroy supported Trump in 2016 but went to their first rally in 2020 out of “curiosity,” she said. They found camaraderie there with people from “all walks of life,” Melanie said, who had been stereotyped as “bad, backwards people.”
“We’ve always voted, but we didn’t care either way how it turned out,” she said. That’s changed since Trump. “It feels like our voices really matter more,” she said.
‘The world is counting on Iowa,’ Kari Lake says
FORT DODGE — Dozens of Trump supporters are gathered at ShinyTop Brewing to get up close and personal with some of the former president’s best-known endorsers, including Reps. Jim Jordan, Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene, as well as U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake of Arizona.
“I want to tell you how much the world is counting on Iowa tonight,” Lake told the crowd. She added: “What you’re going to do tonight is you’re going to help save this world.”
The Iowa effect
Iowa often winnows the field, nudging underperforming candidates out of the race.
In the 2016 Republican caucuses, 2008 caucus winner Mike Huckabee and 2012 winner Rick Santorum both ended their campaigns shortly after their ninth and eleventh places finishes.
▶ This is an excerpt from a full story. Continue reading here.
Trump draws support from Iowa evangelicals ahead of the caucuses
Trump has long seemed like an unlikely fit for the conservative Christians who shape the first contest of the Republican primary in Iowa. But as the former president again seeks the White House, he is finding more supporters among the faithful. (Jan 7) (AP video: Mark Vancleave)
An Iowa voter wants to size up Haley before the caucuses
PELLA — Some voters are still waiting to get the right impression from candidates just hours before the caucuses.
Darla De Haan said Monday as she ate lunch at The Bread Board that she had Nikki Haley at the top of her list but wanted to hear from the candidate in person. Haley was set to appear later Monday afternoon at the Pella restaurant.
De Haan, a psychotherapist, said that she had not caucused in years but was looking forward to participating this time.
“For me, it’s really about character,” De Haan said. “I want to see people who have integrity, who keep their word. … I kind of get a sense when you’re around someone, if they’re going to do what they say.”
De Haan said she had not seen other 2024 candidates as they have campaigned through Iowa over the past year but was interested to hear what Haley had to say during her round of closing arguments to the state’s caucusgoers.
How Iowa became the first to vote
FILE – Jimmy Carter, Democratic presidential candidate, left, speaks to a crowd of supporters on the Van Ryswyk farm in Des Moines, Iowa, Aug. 24, 1976. The once-every-four-years Iowa caucuses grew to be an entrenched part of U.S. politics, catapulting little-known one-time peanut farmer Carter’s bid for the White House. (AP Photo, File)
After the bloody 1968 Democratic Convention, the Democrats created a commission seeking to empower women, minority voters and young people in selecting their presidential nominee.
The post-1968 Democratic reforms had a lasting effect on Iowa. New party rules required more time to pass between the state party’s four tiers of conventions, which ranged from local to statewide. That forced Iowa’s Democratic leaders to start the process earlier in the calendar.
When it became clear Iowa’s caucuses could move ahead of New Hampshire — where the primary had kicked off presidential voting for decades — officials jumped at the chance.
In January of 1972, the corn-producing state tucked within America’s heartland hosted the Democratic Party’s opening presidential contest for the first time. Republicans followed four years later.
▶ This is an excerpt from a full story. Continue reading here.
‘It’s caucus day. Get excited!’ Haley tells supporters
DES MOINES — Dozens of people packed into a diner near Drake University as they waited for Haley.
“It’s caucus day. Get excited!” Haley said to a crowd of several dozen, many of whom drank coffee from cups festooned with “Pick Nikki” stickers.
Speaking directly to those serving as caucus captains, Haley asked them to “speak from the heart” in their Monday night speeches.
The GOP candidate plans to make several stops in central Iowa ahead of Monday night’s votes, including making an appearance at a caucus location before heading to her campaign celebration.
Trump starts caucus day by trash-talking his rivals
DES MOINES — Trump is stepping up his attacks against his rivals on the morning of Iowa’s kickoff caucuses.
On his Truth Social site, Trump is knocking Haley, his former U.N. ambassador, as “an unwanted Globalist” and calling her “weak on the Border.”
Trump is also going after Vivek Ramaswamy, the tech entrepreneur who has run as a steward of his Make America Great Again movement.
“A vote for Vivek is a wasted vote,” Trump wrote in all caps. “I like Vivek, but he played it too ‘cute’ with us. Caucus tonight, vote for Donald J. Trump, build up the numbers!!!”
Trump spent much of the race praising Ramaswamy for saying nice things about him. But Trump turned on him this week after Ramaswamy posted a photo of himself posing with supporters wearing “Save Trump, vote Vivek” T-shirts.