US Presidential Election 2024: Mr. Trump is sure to win the Iowa primary

Mr. Trump (Photo: AFP).

Shortly after the voting ended, at around 8:30 p.m. local time, many major US news agencies such as Reuters , NBC , and Fox News simultaneously reported that Mr. Trump won the Republican primary in Iowa.

However, it is not yet clear by how many percentage points Mr. Trump will win over former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

According to NBC 's estimate, with only 4% of the votes counted, Mr. Trump won 48.9% of the vote, more than double the two candidates right behind him. At this rate, his performance will surpass the record of a margin of more than 13 percentage points won by candidate Bob Dole in the 1996 Republican primary.

On the eve of the Iowa election, a survey released on January 15 by the Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom showed that Mr. Trump was ahead of his two opponents by about 30 percentage points.

Iowa is the state that holds the first vote in the primary election phase of the 2024 US presidential race. During this phase, the Republican and Democratic parties will vote within the party in the US states and territories to choose the candidate to represent the race for the White House.

The primary election period is scheduled to take place between now and June.

With Mr Trump’s victory seemingly a foregone conclusion, the Iowa primary is now focused on the second-place race between Mr DeSantis and Ms Haley, who are locked in a fierce battle to become the Republican Party’s alternative to Mr Trump.

Despite life-threatening cold, Iowans gathered at more than 1,600 schools, community centers and other locations to participate in the caucus-style primary election, which kicked off at 7 p.m. local time.

Iowa's capital Des Moines after a snowstorm on January 13 (Photo: Reuters).

Iowa has been hit by frigid weather in recent days with wind chills as low as -40 degrees Celsius. The weather conditions forced candidates to cancel events at the last minute and raised concerns about voter turnout.

“I need every single one of you to get out — everybody get out, just get out and vote,” Mr. Trump said on January 15 at a campaign rally in Indianola, Iowa.

Iowa accounts for less than 2% of the nation's delegates in the Republican presidential nomination, so a win here does not guarantee overall success.

But a strong showing is essential for candidates hoping to have a foothold in New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina and ultimately the White House.

A landslide victory in Iowa will give Mr. Trump more grounds to assert that he is the only Republican candidate capable of competing with Democratic President Joe Biden, despite four criminal indictments that could turn Mr. Trump into a criminal before the November 5 general election.

“I hope it’s a landslide and I wouldn’t be surprised,” said Kim Pitts, a 65-year-old Trump-supporting bookstore owner.

How does the US presidential primary election work?

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/bau-cu-tong-thong-my-2024-ong-trump-chac-thang-trong-bau-cu-so-bo-tai-iowa-20240116091235739.htm