Iowa Caucus Result Was Donald Trump's Dream Scenario for Three Reasons

Donald Trump cruised to victory in the Iowa caucuses Monday night, cementing his place early on as the clear favorite to clinch the Republican 2024 presidential nomination.

The Associated Press called the race soon after the caucuses convened across the state, before some sites had even finished making speeches in support of each candidate. With virtually all votes accounted for, the former president was at 51 percent, 30 points ahead of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in second with 21 percent and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley third on 19 percent. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy came in fourth with nearly 8 percent and then announced he was dropping out the race entirely.

Trump has long been the GOP frontrunner in the polls, which also suggested that he would have no issue winning Iowa. All eyes will now be on the first-in-the-nation primary vote in New Hampshire on January 23, which is expected to be a closer race, albeit with Trump still the considered the leader.

Despite his usual fiery rhetoric and disdain for his fellow Republican presidential hopefuls, Trump touted unity in a victory speech in Iowa on Monday. "We want to come together, whether it's Republican or Democrat or liberal or conservative," the former president said. "We're going to come together. It's going to happen soon."

There are several reasons why the former president should be confident heading into the rest of the GOP primary contests. Trump's office has been contacted for comment via email.

Landslide Victory

Trump's victory in Iowa, achieving more than 50 percent of the votes and 30 points clear of his nearest rival, was the largest margin in the history of the first Republican presidential nominating contest.

Trump's victory in Iowa smashed the record for contested Iowa Republican caucuses previously held by Republican Bob Dole's near 13-percentage-point victory in 1988.

The huge victory arrived despite the extreme freeze that has gripped Iowa, which likely affected turnout, as thousands chose not to risk sub zero temperatures and snow to attend the caucus sites.

An estimated 100,000 people took part in the Iowa caucuses on Monday, way down from the near 187,000 who voted in the state's 2016 Republican caucuses.

In a statement after the results were declared, Alex Pfeiffer, communications director for Trump's Make America Great Again Inc. super PAC, said: "The people of Iowa sent a clear message tonight: Donald Trump will be the next Republican nominee for President. It's now time to make him the next President of the United States."

Ron DeSantis Still in the Race

DeSantis' distant second place was not a strong result given the time, money, and resources his campaign had put into Iowa. However, the fact that he did finish second may yet be a boon for Trump.

For months, DeSantis was seen as Trump's main GOP challenger, but his campaign has since gone sharply into reverse.

DeSantis changed tactics and chose to pin all his hopes on a positive showing in Iowa to kickstart his primary campaign.

That positive showing largely did not materialize, but it was enough to likely ensure he will not drop out of the race anytime soon.

DeSantis remaining in the race, along with Haley, means that there are still serious challengers in the primary who could essentially split the anti-Trump vote, while Trump himself can continue to rely on his strong and plentiful MAGA base.

In contrast, Ramaswamy, whose policies and rhetoric more closely matched those of the former president, has dropped out. It means there is no Trumpian candidate left on the ballot, other than Trump himself.

Haley Canceled Out

DeSantis had long been touted as Trump's biggest threat. In recent months, however, that has changed.

Ahead of the Iowa caucuses, Haley was beginning to emerge as the potential main challenger to Trump in the primary, with polls showing she is closing the gap in New Hampshire and suggestions she would be able to sweep up the votes from those who had previously backed former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

However, the Iowa results show that Haley and DeSantis are neck-and-neck with just two points separating them in what was essentially a race for second, as Republican voters still cannot consolidate around one single main challenger to Trump.

If Haley and DeSantis continue to battle it out against each other, it is unlikely that either will be able to garner enough voters overall to challenge Trump, with polls often showing the former president has strong double-digit leads in states across the country.

The Iowa results show that Trump could be heading into New Hampshire with a clear lead and no viable alternative for voters.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Fox News' Guy Benson said the Iowa results was a "perfect storm" for the former president.

"Trump blows it out, hitting 50%+," Benson wrote.

"DeSantis finishes a distant 2nd, narrowly beating out Haley, quite possibly blunting her momentum (& def robbing her of an argument she'd have loved to wield) in NH. Vivek [Ramaswamy] drops out, a pro-Trump consolidation."