DeSantis left behind the former UN ambassador, Nikki Haley. Vivek Ramaswamy finished fourth and announced his drop-out from the election.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis secured the second spot in the Iowa caucuses, leaving behind former UN ambassador Nikki Haley in the third position. However, the Republican race was still largely controlled by Donald Trump, who won by a wide margin.
Ron DeSantis had invested heavily in his Iowa campaign, visiting every county and appealing to the conservative base. But he could not overcome the loyal support that Donald Trump enjoyed among the Republican voters.
According to the latest results, Donald Trump received 51% of the votes, followed by Ron DeSantis with 21% and Nikki Haley with 19%.
Iowa was the first state to hold its caucuses, which are a unique form of election where voters have to physically attend a meeting at a designated place and time to cast their preference.
The winner of the Republican nomination will face the Democratic candidate, most likely President Joe Biden, in the general election in November.
Donald Trump celebrated his victory at a rally in Des Moines, the state capital, where he called on Americans to unite and “straighten out the world”.
He vowed to “seal up the border” against an “invasion” and denounced Joe Biden as the worst president in the country’s history.
Despite the freezing weather, registered Republicans gathered on Monday night at various locations across Iowa, such as churches, schools, gyms and community centers, to participate in the caucuses.
Donald Trump had been the clear frontrunner to win Iowa, and his supporters were confident of his success. Glenn Jacobs, a former WWE wrestler who campaigned for Donald Trump, told the BBC before the voting started in Des Moines that the country was going in the wrong direction, citing the border crisis and the US involvement in the Middle East.
At a high school in Davenport, in the eastern part of the state, Trump supporter Brian Romer delivered a passionate speech to his fellow Republicans, endorsing the former president.
“The things that happen in this country are things that happen in communist countries,” he said, referring to Donald Trump’s legal troubles. “We don’t live in a free country anymore.”
However, both Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, who served as the governor of South Carolina and the US ambassador to the UN under Donald Trump, claimed that they had gained momentum from the Iowa caucuses.
“They threw everything but the kitchen sink at us,” Ron DeSantis said. “The media was against us. They were writing our obituary months ago.
“In spite of all of that… we’ve got our ticket punched out of Iowa.”
Kyle Brock, a supporter of Ron DeSantis, spoke at Grant Ragan Elementary School in Waukee, a suburb of Des Moines, arguing that it was time for Republicans to move on from Donald Trump.
“I like his [the Florida governor’s] integrity, and the way he presents himself and – really – what he got done in Florida,” he said.
Ron DeSantis focused most of his time and resources on Iowa, campaigning in all 99 counties and reaching out to the rural state’s influential bloc of evangelical voters.
But the conservative Florida governor could face more challenges in the next state to hold its primary, New Hampshire, which is more moderate and diverse.
Nikki Haley, who has a slim chance of defeating Donald Trump in New Hampshire, said she had the momentum, but her third-place finish in Iowa seemed to be a setback for a candidate who was expected to perform better in the caucuses.
Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur who ran for president, announced that he was dropping out of the race after he appeared to be heading for a distant fourth-place finish. He endorsed Donald Trump.
