Iowa caucuses: Trump well ahead of rivals in Republican race

Donald Trump maintained a significant lead ahead of his rivals in a highly anticipated poll on the final full day of campaigning before the Iowa caucus. Photo: Reuters

Donald Trump maintained a significant lead ahead of his rivals in a highly anticipated poll on the final full day of campaigning before the Iowa caucuses.

Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley overtook Florida governor Ron DeSantis for second place in the Republican presidential race, as temperatures stayed icy in the midwest state.

The Des Moines Register/NBC News poll released late on Saturday gave Trump 48 per cent, although his lead slipped by three percentage points from the December poll.

Haley, also former governor of South Carolina, was second at 20 per cent, up four points, followed by DeSantis with 16 per cent, down three points.

Poll organisers pride themselves on taking an accurate snapshot of Iowa voters’ mood.

The survey provided a strong indication that Trump was poised to do well in Monday’s caucuses, the first voting contest on the road to the presidential election in November.

Victory would give Trump, 77, an important big step towards the Republican nomination to face the Democratic incumbent, Joe Biden, 81, in a rematch of their 2020 battle.

It would be evidence that many Republicans are willing to look past Trump’s mounting legal problems and inflammatory rhetoric.

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Trump was expected to hold a Sunday rally in Indianola, a suburb of capital Des Moines, but weather forced him to cancel one in the city of Cherokee. The former president cancelled two events on Saturday, appearing in the evening on a campaign livestream.

“We are leading by a lot in all the polls and you have to get out,” Trump told his supporters. “We need to send a message most importantly for November.”

DeSantis and Haley both need to do well enough in Iowa to give them some momentum for the next contest, in New Hampshire on January 23.

The DeSantis campaign predicted a strong performance on Monday night, despite the slip in the widely watched poll.

“Winning campaigns don’t rely on public data. Most importantly, no one has worked harder and is better organised than Ron DeSantis,” spokesman Andrew Romeo said.

From 7pm Monday – or 1am Tuesday UK time – Iowans will gather in school gymnasiums, bars and other locations to debate the Republican candidates and rank them by preference. Results are typically announced within a few hours after the two-hour long events.

With temperatures plunging to -30C – the coldest Iowa caucus night ever – there are concerns over whether supporters will brave the cold and show up to campaign.

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DeSantis, speaking at an event in West Des Moines, urged people to make the effort.

“It’s not going to be pleasant,” he said. “But if you’re willing to go out there and you’re willing to fight for me… then as president I’ll be fighting for you for the next eight years.”

Trump, president from 2017 to 2021, was doing well this weekend despite a host of issues. He continues to claim falsely that his 2020 loss to Biden was due to widespread fraud.

And he has vowed if elected again to punish his political enemies, introduce new tariffs and end the Ukraine-Russia war in 24 hours, without saying how, according to his own remarks.

Trump has also drawn criticism for language that has echoes of Nazi rhetoric, including comments that undocumented immigrants were “poisoning the blood of our country.”

The former president has used charges of unlawfully trying to overturn his 2020 election loss to fundraise and boost his support, and claim a “witch hunt” as he protests his innocence.

He faces four prosecutions, setting up the unprecedented prospect of a president being convicted or even serving from behind bars.

DeSantis, who has tacked to the right of Trump especially on issues such as education and LGBTQ rights, has staked a huge amount on a strong performance in Iowa.

Reuters – Nathan Layne, Gabriella Border, Tim Reid and Steve Holland

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