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AFP
The Republican Party’s Iowa caucuses will start from 8 p.m. ET at Iowa. With former President Donald Trump still holding a comfortable lead over his rivals in the polls, Iowa is a litmus test for the other candidates.
With Trump remaining the overwhelming favorite, his main rivals Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley are battling for the second place. Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who did not qualify for last week’s GOP debate, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Texas pastor Ryan Binkley are also competing.
Five thirty eight’s average of polls for Iowa shows Trump at 52.7%, followed by Haley at a distant 18.7%, DeSantis at 15.8% and Ramaswamy at 6.4% as of Monday.
Trump is also a celar frontrunner for the ticket nationally, with 62.8% in Five thirty eight’s national average of polls, followed by Haley at 11.9% and DeSantis at 11.8%. Ramaswamy is at 4%.
Unlike a primary where voters cast their ballots for the candidates vying for the nomination, a caucus requires votes to physically attend specific meetings and therefore see a lower voter turnout. But this time Arctic storms that have swept across the country has made swathes of the state impassable — visibility is low and the storms have dumped about 20 inches of snow.
DeSantis and Haley postponed Friday events amid the frigid conditions but subzero temperatures are forecast Monday across the state. That raises a big problem for DeSantis and Haley who have to build up enough momentum before the primay in New Hampshire next week.
Democrats are also holding a caucus Monday, but have opted for voters to choose their candidate by mail-in ballot. Those results will be released on Super Tuesday on March 5.
