(UnitedVoice.com) – The Republican presidential primary is officially underway. Voters in Iowa attended the caucuses on January 15 despite the arctic temperatures. Although there was concern about voter turnout, that proved unfounded. Former President Donald Trump broke records.
Trump Wins
Trump won 51% of the vote at the first primary of the election season. That was a 30-point victory over second-place winner Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who received 21% support. The former president’s victory was an incredible show of strength. He did what he set out to do — absolutely pulverize the other candidates, proving he’s still the head of the GOP.
The former POTUS also broke a record that was more than three decades old. The last person to set a record in Iowa in the Republican presidential caucus was the late Senator Bob Dole in 1988. He won 37.4% of the vote, beating evangelical Pat Robertson by 13 points. Robertson only received 24.6% support. In that case, however, Dole didn’t go on to become president. That went to George H.W. Bush, who came in third at the Iowa caucus, with 18.6%.
Trump’s History with Iowa
In 2016, during Trump’s first GOP presidential campaign, he didn’t win the Iowa caucus. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) won that race by three points. Trump refused to admit he lost the caucus and accused the senator of fraud. “Ted Cruz didn’t win Iowa, he illegally stole it,” Trump said at the time.
In the days leading up to the caucus this time, the former president didn’t want to take any chances. When news broke about the winter storm that was sweeping across the United States, Trump made a joke while holding an event on January 14.
During a speech in Indianola, Iowa, Trump told the crowd that if they wanted to “save America from crooked Joe Biden,” then they were going to need to go vote at the caucus. He warned they couldn’t stay home, even if they were “sick as a dog.” The former president jokingly told the crowd, even if they voted and then died, it would be worth it.
Ramaswamy Drops Out
After losing the caucus, tech millionaire Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out of the primary. The 38-year-old immediately endorsed Trump for president. He explained that his decision came after he didn’t pull off a surprise win that he was hoping for and ended in fourth place.
Trump, Haley, and DeSantis are now moving on to New Hampshire, the next stop in the presidential primary.
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