Ron DeSantis Comes In Second In Iowa Over Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy Drops Out — Update
16.01.2024 - 05:19
/ deadline.com
UPDATE: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will finish in a distant second place in the Iowa caucuses, networks projected.
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley had hopes of a No. 2 finish as she hoped to pull off a surprise next week in New Hampshire.
Speaking to supporters, DeSantis said that the results showed that he “got a ticket punched out of the Hawkeye state.”
“The media was against us. They were writing our obituary months ago. They even called the election before people even got a chance to vote,” DeSantis told supporters, referring to the networks’ early call of the caucuses for Donald Trump.
Despite her third place finish, Haley told supporters that “the pundits will analyze the results from every angle. We get that. But when you look at how we are doing in New Hampshire, in South Carolina, and beyond, I can safely say tonight Iowa made this Republican primary a two-person race.”
She said that in New Hampshire, the “question will be very clear. Do you want more of the same, or do you want a new generation of conservative leaders?”
Haley’s reference to a “two person race” is based on the fact that DeSantis put his resources into Iowa yet has been in the single digits in New Hampshire.
Meanwhile, Vivek Ramaswamy, who placed fourth, said he was dropping out of the race and endorsing Trump.
The Iowa results were extra sweet for Trump. Not only did he have a blowout victory, but DeSantis’ denied Haley the second place bragging rights in advance of the New Hampshire vote.
Republican strategist Mike Murphy wrote on Twitter, “Trump could not have gotten a better night out of Iowa. He wins big, his most lethal opponent gets squelched into third place, damping her momentum.”
PREVIOUSLY: Donald Trump took a victory lap in a