Iowa caucuses 2024: Trump projected to win, DeSantis 2nd
Haley finishes 3rd, Ramaswamy drops out after finishing 4th.
The first election of the 2024 presidential primaries is in the books, and former President Donald Trump was the big winner. ABC News projects that Trump finished first in the Iowa caucuses, about 30 percentage points ahead of second-place finisher Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is projected to finish third, while businessman Vivek Ramaswamy is projected to finish fourth. As a result, Ramaswamy has dropped out of the presidential race.
Throughout the night, 538 reporters broke down the results in Iowa in real time with live updates, analysis and commentary. Read our full live blog below.
Latest headlines:
Everyone gets a trophy. Except Vivek Ramaswamy.
Both Haley, who is projected to win third place, and DeSantis, projected to win second, have given very optimistic-sounding speeches. These outcomes have been highly spun in terms of expectations and disadvantages relative to the Trump campaign. As I noted at the beginning of the night, it's not all that typical for major candidates to drop out after Iowa — most stay in to fight in New Hampshire, at least. And that seems to be the case tonight for both Haley and DeSantis, who sought to show the election outcome in the best possible light. But, like a number of long-shot candidates before him, Ramaswamy will end his campaign tonight.
—Julia Azari, 538 contributor
Iowa, reader’s digest version
There were a lot of moving parts tonight, so here's a quick summary all in one place:
- Trump is projected to finish first; he currently has 51 percent of the vote.
- DeSantis is projected to finish second; he currently has 21 percent.
- Haley is projected to finish third; she currently has 19 percent.
- Ramaswamy is projected to finish fourth; he is dropping out of the race.
—Nathaniel Rakich, 538
Haley's speech links Trump to Biden
In her speech tonight, Haley linked Biden to Trump, reminding us that both are old (she said both are about 80 years old), and that most Americans don't want another Trump-Biden match up. But Republicans are much less likely than Democrats to admit their candidate is too old, so the audience within her party for that message is small.
—Meredith Conroy, 538 contributor
Haley may win a county after all
Johnson County, one of the most diverse, well-educated counties in Iowa, now shows Nikki Haley in the lead … by 1 vote, according to ABC News.
—Mary Radcliffe, 538
Ramaswamy drops out and endorses Trump
Earlier tonight, Ramaswamy dropped out of the race following his fourth place Iowa finish and endorsed Trump. We've already noted how Ramaswamy was all-in in Iowa, traveling through the entire state twice. Ramaswamy had a brief moment in the sun earlier in the race, but that investment didn't really pay off. He urged his supporters to support Trump, but polls show he's already their number two choice. That could make a difference in New Hampshire, where Haley has been closing in on Trump's lead.
—Monica Potts, 538