Trump scores decisive victory in the first major caucus of the US presidential race as he cements his frontrunner status.
The race for the 2024 US presidential elections has kicked off with Monday’s Republican caucus in Iowa.
Former US President Donald Trump decisively won the caucus ballots and will now head to next week’s New Hampshire primary with a commanding lead over his rivals. Trump also secured an endorsement from opponent Vivek Ramaswamy, who dropped his bid following a disappointing loss.
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Primaries and caucuses are ways Republicans and Democrats choose their presidential candidate. The majority of US states hold primaries while some traditional Republican states such as Iowa hold caucuses to elect delegates. Delegates elected at primaries and caucuses vote in the respective party conventions to nominate the party candidate. The Republican National Convention will be held in July.
Here’s what you need to know about the results and highlights.
Results
Trump cemented his status as a frontrunner of the Republican Party with 51 percent of votes. Trump likely received strong support from key voting blocs in the caucus – White evangelicals and very conservative voters.
Trump’s margin was the largest ever in an Iowa caucus, surpassing the previous record of 12.8 percentage points for Bob Dole in 1988.
His win comes despite mounting legal challenges on charges such as conspiracy to overturn the 2020 US election.
Trump garnered at least 20 of 40 delegates, while his nearest challenger Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took eight followed by Nikki Haley at seven, according to provisional tallies.
DeSantis received more than 21 percent of the votes, while Haley finished closely behind him with about 21 percent of votes. Ramaswamy got only approximately 8 percent of votes and gained three delegates…