On Politics

Tue Jan 16 2024

Marina Pitofsky | Associate Editor/Politics

Hi there OnPolitics readers! Let's catch up with yesterday's Iowa Caucuses: Former President Donald Trump had a big win. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis survived the night. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley notched a third-place finish. And entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy called it quits.

Trump clinched victory in Iowa on Monday less than an hour after the caucuses started, USA TODAY's David Jackson reported And after the crucial early contest, Ramaswamy announced he was exiting the 2024 race for the White House. He was followed today by former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

Here are USA TODAY's top takeaways from the Hawkeye State.

Donald Trump: The former president proved he is still the leader of the Republican Party by doing something he did not do during the 2016 campaign: Win the Iowa caucuses.

Nikki Haley: The former South Carolina governor landed a third-place finish with just under 20% of the vote. Now she turns to New Hampshire's primary, where she is polling within striking distance of the frontrunning former president.

Ron DeSantis: The Florida governor spent most of the day swatting away rumors that he would withdraw from the race if he had a poor performance in Iowa. His second-place finish isn't great, but enough to justify moving forward.

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