SOCES Newspaper
- Jan 19

Trump Takes the Lead in Iowa Caucus: New Hampshire Next on the Ballot

By: Pattarin Khajornchaikul '24

As the temperatures plummeted in Iowa, caucuses ran on. Donald Trump triumphed over the other Republican presidential candidates on January 15 with 20 delegates and 56,260 votes. Florida governor Ron DeSantis and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley trailed behind, both neck and neck at a respective 21.2% and 19.1%.

Trump won all but one county by a single tally. Nikki Haley had positive results in Johnson County, where supporters in Iowa City and Coralville propelled her to victory.

“Do you want more of the same or do you want a new generation of conservative leadership?” Haley asked in Des Moines, Iowa. She later compared Trump and Biden to each other, saying, “They have more in common than you think. Trump and Biden are both about 80 years old. Trump and Biden both put our country trillions of dollars deeper in debt, and our kids will never forgive them for it.”

Meanwhile, Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out after gaining 7.7% of Iowan’s votes and threw his support to Trump.

“It is a 1776 moment right now,” Ramaswamy said in a rally in New Hampshire. “To Make America Great Again, vote for this man in the New Hampshire primary.”

Trump and Haley are now focusing on each other as their main competitors. As Politico reports, “Haley is ramping up her attacks against Trump after she came in third place in the Iowa caucuses, declaring the GOP presidential primary a “two-person race” and challenging Trump to step foot on a debate stage.”

Trump, in a series of attacks after the caucus, has intentionally misspelled Haley’s first name - Nimarata - on Truth Social in an attempt to point out her Indian heritage. He has also falsely claimed she is not a US citizen, echoing his previous attacks on Barack Obama.

“Anyone listening to Nikki ‘Nimrada’ Haley’s wacked out speech last night, would think that she won the Iowa Primary. She didn’t, and she couldn’t even beat a very flawed Ron DeSanctimonious, who’s out of money, and out of hope,” Trump posted.

New Hampshire is the next stop on the road to determining a Republican candidate. However, its primary debate has been canceled since Nikki Haley said her appearance at the debate will be based on whether Trump participates as well. A new poll from American Research Group Inc. shows both Trump and Haley tied in the Granite State, both gaining 40% of voter support.

New Hampshire’s primary on Jan. 23 is Haley’s last chance to prove herself as a worthy competitor to Donald Trump. She has gained the support of governor Chris Sununu and left a lasting impression on Senator Bill Gannon and Representative Mike Moffett. However, some claim she hasn’t been as engaged as she should be. NBC interviewed strategist Dave Carney, who said, “As an incumbent, maybe, or somebody who’s a front-runner — sure, you’re ahead, you’re not taking any risks. But when you’re in second place? You need to throw f---ing Hail Marys. You have five nights left.”