Former President Donald Trump won the Iowa Republican presidential contest as he received the most votes from GOP caucusgoers, according to reports.

CNBC reported that Trump, 77, holds a 30-point lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who finished second in the Iowa Republican caucuses. Trump's impressive victory in the first state to vote in 2024 marks an early win in his quest for his party's nomination. 

Iowans reportedly gathered on Monday at more than 1,600 precincts to cast the first votes in the GOP primary. On Monday night, many major national news organizations reported Trump as the winner in the Iowa caucuses.

Iowa Votes For Donald Trump Crosses the 50% Threshold

According to Edison Research, with 95% of the ballots counted, Donald Trump won around 51% of caucusgoers, while Ron DeSantis was at 21%, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley had 19%, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy finished under 8%, and announced he was ending his campaign.

Reuters reported that the biggest margin of victory for an Iowa Republican caucus was 12.8 percentage points for Bob Dole in 1988. Trump has reportedly won 98 of the state's 99 counties. His triumph is notable considering his limited campaign efforts in the state. 

Unlike some contenders who extensively campaigned, Trump opted for a different strategy, barely traversing the Iowa landscape. Journalist Ben Jacobs reported that the former president had visited only around 20 counties by caucus night, showing a significantly lighter campaign schedule than his rivals.

DeSantis, one of Trump's contenders, pursued a more traditional caucus campaign, visiting all 99 counties in Iowa, known as a full Grassley. DeSantis also garnered various endorsements, including Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds. 

This conventional approach to campaigning, especially in rural areas where many of the counties are located, is often appreciated by Iowans, who value personal interaction with candidates. And yet, Trump is still well-positioned to reclaim the GOP presidential nomination.

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Donald Trump Thanks Iowa

Speaking from his campaign headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, following his projected win in the state's Republican presidential caucuses, Donald Trump thanked "the great people of Iowa." The former president also called for unity and a hint of praise for his rivals in front of a crowd of his supporters.

"I really think this is time now for everybody, our country, to come together.... I want to congratulate Ron and Nikki for having a good time together," Trump said.

However, the former president still attacked President Joe Biden, Trump's likely competitor in the 2024 presidential election, calling Biden the worst president ever to hold the office.

In a radio interview ahead of the Iowa Republican caucuses, Biden said that Trump was the "most anti-democratic" president in US history, describing his public comments as "off the wall" and "outrageous."

The next GOP contest will move to New Hampshire, holding its "first-in-the-nation" presidential primary election on January 23.

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