Yes, former President Trump won easily. But in the much closer race for second place in the Iowa caucuses, things were too close to call well into Monday night. Ultimately, though, the AP called Ron DeSantis as the second-place winner with 21.2%, edging out Nikki Haley, who got 19.1% of the vote. Both were well behind Trump, who took more than 51% of the vote, according to NPR and the New York Times. (Heading into Monday, Trump had hoped to get at least 50% of the vote and to win by a record margin, and he was on track to do both.)
Both DeSantis and Haley were hoping for a second-place finish to cement themselves as the obvious No. 2 in the race ahead of next week's New Hampshire primary. But given how close their numbers were, neither "will be able to claim the clear Trump-alternative mantle" based on Iowa, per Politico. But at least for DeSantis, the results may quiet critics demanding he drop from the race. Both addressed supporters late Monday, the Guardian reports:
- DeSantis: "They threw everything but the kitchen sink at us," the Florida governor said, but "we've got our ticket punched out of Iowa."
- Haley: Despite her third-place finish, the former South Carolina governor said, "I can safely say, tonight Iowa safely made this Republican primary a two person race. ... Our campaign is the last best hope of stopping the Trump-Biden nightmare."
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