(AFP, Dimon, Iowa, 16th) The US Republican Iowa primary was held yesterday. Former President Trump, who is seeking to compete for the White House again, won as expected, with the second and third place vote-getters respectively. State Governor Deschanate and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Haley.
The following are AFP’s top five highlights from this Iowa primary election.
● Trump’s Republican Party
The Iowa primary is the first time since Donald Trump left the White House in chaos in 2021 that voters will judge the former president by their votes. The results are clear that the Republican Party is still Trump’s Republican Party.
More than 50% of the votes in the Iowa caucuses went to the 77-year-old Trump, and entrance polls showed that Trump received widespread support, including from the religious right.
Christian conservatives were initially skeptical of Trump, who has been embroiled in sexual assault allegations and an alleged affair with a porn star. However, Christian conservatives began to warm to the business tycoon after the three justices nominated by Trump led the Supreme Court’s anti-abortion action.
● Trump is first, who is second?
Competing for second place in the Republican primary are Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, who served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations during Trump’s term.
Although Deschanate won the second-highest vote share, he devoted all his resources to strive for performance in Iowa, but his vote rate was still 30 percentage points behind Trump, and he is currently facing tremendous pressure.
As the Republican primary moves next to the northeastern US state of New Hampshire, DeShante told supporters, “We got the ticket in Iowa.”
New Hampshire is seen as more favorable to Haley. Among the top three vote-getters, Haley is considered a moderate. Her momentum in New Hampshire, known as the Granite State, is approaching that of Trump.
Haley performed well in the Iowa primary, with about 19% of the vote, not far behind DeShante’s 21%. She expects to win over DeShante next week in New Hampshire and her home state of South Carolina.
Both DeShante and Haley have declared themselves to be the future of the Republican Party, possibly ultimately with an eye on the 2028 presidential election.
● Is Trump not afraid of lawsuits?
Will Trump, a former real estate tycoon, be involved in multiple lawsuits that will affect his bid for the 2024 presidential election? Judging from the Iowa primary results, at least not during the campaign.
Even though Trump is currently facing four criminal lawsuits, his popularity among Republican voters has not diminished at all.
A CNN poll shows that most caucus participants, including nearly three-quarters of voters who support Trump, believe that Trump is still fit to be president even if he is convicted.
Trump will face another lawsuit in New York today. Litigation has become a mainstay of his campaign, accusing the Democratic Party of launching a “witch hunt” against him.
● A life-or-death decision in the Iowa primary?
Trump’s success in the Iowa primary has certainly given him a promising future, but the Iowa caucus has only 100,000 voters and is a unique party-dominated event that may not reflect the situation across the country.
Larry Sabato, a political science professor at the University of Virginia, told AFP: “I don’t know an analyst who doesn’t think Trump will carry Iowa… This state is mostly Republican and evangelical Christians. The New Hampshire primary will be more interesting.”
New Hampshire will hold its primary election on January 23, and Haley aims to narrow the gap with Trump.
●Is Biden ready?
If nothing unexpected happens, Biden, the current occupant of the White House, will be nominated by the Democratic Party in August. However, he is already prepared to fight against his 2020 election opponent Trump again. Biden said yesterday that judging from the results of the Iowa primary, Trump is clearly the leader in the opponent’s camp.
Biden’s re-election campaign is not short of funds. The Biden campaign announced a $117 million campaign fund earlier yesterday, which is a considerable amount for a country known for its expensive presidential elections.
Republican political consultant Mike Madrid said Biden was the biggest winner last night and “he will get the candidate he wants: Trump.”
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2024-01-16 12:50:03
