Iowa caucus takeaways: Trump soars, DeSantis takes distant second over Haley, Ramaswamy drops out

In an Iowa caucus disrupted by winter storms and cold weather, Trump came out on top while DeSantis snagged a crucial second-place finish ahead of Haley.

DES MOINES, Iowa — The fight for second fiddle plays on, but the Iowa caucuses were full of hints that the music will eventually stop for candidates not named Donald Trump.

In the short term, the former president won a bonus on top of his commanding first-place finish: Because his two leading rivals finished so close to each other for runner-up in Iowa, the war between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley promises to continue into New Hampshire and beyond.

DeSantis signaled his intention to stick it out earlier by planning a visit Tuesday to South Carolina — which holds its primary more than a month from now. His second-place Iowa finish will only reinforce that decision, giving his team and allies an argument to raise more money. But the margin was too close for comfort or joy.

Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley.AP/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesHaley, who had less riding on her performance in Iowa, missed a chance to knock DeSantis out. Still, she is turning to much friendlier terrain in New Hampshire, where some polling shows her within shouting distance of Trump.

But the potential seeds of destruction for each of Trump's opponents were planted beneath the ice-covered cornfields of this state. They are among the four takeaways from what may be the last first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/iowa-caucus-2024-takeaways-trump-rcna132687

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