Victory for Donald Trump in Iowa

• Trump wins big in Iowa.
• DeSantis remains in second place.
• Haley came in third in the caucuses.

Former U.S. president, Donald Trump won the Iowa caucus, bringing him one step closer to being the Republican nominee.

He got nearly 53% of the votes, while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took second position with 20%, according to the EFE agency.

These results are based on the counting of almost 45,000 votes.

Trump led the race with 23,705 votes or 52.8%, while DeSantis got 8,982 votes or 20%.

Who came in third place?

The third position is occupied by the former governor of South Carolina and former ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, with 8,396 votes or 18.7%.

Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy came in fourth place with 3,445 votes or 7.7%.

In the Iowa caucuses, there are 40 Republican delegates, of which 20 went to Trump.

DeSantis ended up with eight and Haley got seven.

The first litmus test for Trump

The Iowa caucuses, the first official event on the U.S. electoral calendar, took place on Monday with thousands of residents coming out to vote.

They went to support their favorite Republican candidate, despite the freezing temperatures.

Some 700 voting centers were set up in the first litmus test for former President Donald Trump.

Trump was the big winner on Monday.

Did anyone come close to the former president?

None of Trump’s rivals came close to his numbers in the Iowa caucuses.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the former U.S. ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley didn’t come close.

On Truth Social, Trump criticized the two saying: «Nikki Haley will never be able to win in the general election.»

«Ron DeSanctimonious, at least, is MAGA-Lite,» he added.

What does victory in Iowa mean?

Although Iowa doesn’t isn’t a deciding factor in the general election, this Monday’s caucuses are one of the most important events in the United States presidential race.

Anyone can participate in the state’s caucuses.

They meet at voting centers discuss the candidates and vote on a paper ballot.

Unlike a primary election, caucuses are not organized by the state but by the parties themselves, in this case the Republican Party, and are carried out by volunteers.

How do caucuses work?

While the primaries resemble an election day, with citizens voting throughout the day, caucuses are on a specific day and at a specific time.

In each center there is a person who is responsible for asking if there is anyone who wants to speak on behalf of each candidate.

Once everyone has spoken, it was time to vote on paper ballots and, after that, to count the votes out loud.

Then they are counted and the results are announced.