Former President Donald Trump won the Iowa Republican Party primary on Monday (15), solidifying his position as the favorite for the party’s nomination for the general elections in November 2024.
But Trump’s victory is not just any victory. The former president’s strong performance at the polls puts to rest any lingering questions about his dominance over the Republican Party, the strength of his rhetoric, and whether his legal troubles would hinder his campaign.
Trump finished the contest with 51% of the votes, while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis garnered 21% and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley received 19%. Biotechnology entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who placed fourth, ended his campaign on Monday night and declared his support for Trump.
As the contest within the Republican Party continues to tighten and Trump reaffirms his dominance over the more conservative voters, DeSantis and Haley now face additional pressure to prove they have any chance of securing the nomination.
Celebrating his victory on Monday night in Des Moines, Trump congratulated DeSantis, Haley, and biotechnology entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy for their performances and described the three as “very smart people, very capable people.”
But his message to his main adversaries could not have been clearer: “It’s time to either get on board or get out.”
“It’s very important, and I want to make this a big part of our message: we are going to unite. That will also happen soon,” Trump said.
Attention Now Turns to New Hampshire
After Iowa comes New Hampshire. Below are the dates of the primaries that will decide the candidate who will run for the presidency against Joe Biden of the Democratic Party in November 2024.
January:
• January 23: presidential primary elections in New Hampshire
February
• February 3: Democratic presidential primary elections in South Carolina
• February 6: Democratic presidential primary elections in Nevada
• February 8: Nevada Republican presidential convention and Virgin Islands Republican presidential convention
• February 24: Republican presidential primary elections in South Carolina
• February 27: Democratic presidential primary elections in Michigan
March:
• March 2: Idaho Republican convention and Missouri Republican convention
• March 3: Washington D.C. Republican presidential primary elections
• March 4: North Dakota Republican presidential conventions
• March 5: Super Tuesday – states and territories holding elections include Alabama, Alaska Republican presidential primaries, American Samoa Democratic presidential convention, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa (Democrats), Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah Democratic presidential primaries, and Vermont and Virginia Republican presidential primaries.
Source: CNN