Former President Donald Trump will win the Iowa caucuses, CBS News projects, capturing the first state in the 2024 Republican presidential nominating process as he seeks to quickly dispatch his rivals and consolidate his control over the party.
With more than 90% of the results in, Trump had over 50% of the vote, indicating that he is on track for the largest margin of victory in a competitive race in Iowa history. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis won the coveted battle for second place over former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley for second place.
Just 40 delegates — out of over 2,400 nationwide — were at stake in the Iowa caucuses on Monday night, but the contest is the first measure of how the Republican field stacks up in the 2024 primary season.
Iowa caucus results 2024
Trump won the Iowa Republican caucuses with strong support from White evangelicals and very conservative voters — key voting blocs in these caucuses — and groups he lost in 2016 when voters were less convinced of his conservative credentials, according to interviews with caucusgoers as they went in.
Trump’s support was widespread: he won men, women, older voters and younger voters, and he improved on his 2016 performance with all of these groups.
Most Iowa caucusgoers largely dismissed Trump’s legal woes, with most saying he would still be fit for the presidency even if he were convicted of a crime.
