Former US president Donald Trump has emphatically won the crucial Iowa caucuses, the first in the Republican presidential nomination contest, cementing his front-runner status in his bid to reclaim the White House in 2024.
Indian-American Nikki Haley showed strong performance as she and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis were vying for the second spot with almost 22 per cent of the votes counted, US media reported.
Trump, 77, was leading with nearly 50 per cent of the votes.
Hundreds of Trump supporters came to attend the Republican primary caucus meetings across Iowa defying sub-zero temperatures and ignoring the multiple felony indictments against the former president.
“We're getting to see democracy in action tonight! Thanks to everyone who's participating. We have a country to save!” Haley said in her first tweet as results started trickling in. In the last few weeks, her popularity has surged. The winner of the Republican presidential primaries would challenge incumbent President Joe Biden, a Democrat, in the November presidential elections.
The win further cements his current dominance within the party as the campaign now turns to New Hampshire, which will host its primary on January 23 and where Trump holds a large lead in the polls.
Trump was almost immediately declared the winner in Iowa after early margins showed him with an overwhelming lead.
Another Indian-American Vivek Ramaswamy, the entrepreneur-turned-politician, was trailing on the distant fourth spot with seven per cent of the votes counted.
It was Iowa's coldest caucuses ever, and voters in some parts of the state faced temperatures in the minus 10s with wind chills as low as minus 40.
In a statement, the Trump campaign 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.
“Joe Biden's team just announced a massive war chest. Every dollar spent by President Trump's primary losers is a dollar that could be fighting Joe Biden. Once the DC RINOs are finished crying in their cocktails over tonight's results, it's time for Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, and Vivek Ramaswamy to face reality and stop wasting time and resources," said Alex Pfeiffer, communications director for Make America Great Again Inc.
Earlier Monday, the Biden campaign announced raising USD 97 million over the fourth quarter of 2023, with USD 117 million cash on hand.
The New York Times described the Iowa results on expected lines.” As expected, former President Donald J. Trump won the most delegates in the first balloting of 2024. The potentially crucial chase for second remained uncertain,” the daily said referring to the close race between Haley and DeSantis.
Trump won the Iowa caucuses on Monday, a crucial first step in his bid to reclaim the Republican nomination for the third consecutive election as voters braved the bitter cold, looked past his mounting legal jeopardy and embraced his vision of vengeful disruption,” it said.
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