Iowa measures dedication to Donald Trump in ‘caucuses’ at 29 degrees below zero | International

In religious Iowa, the bishop of Des Moines excused him from going to mass this Sunday because of the polar temperatures expected. Monday is the day for this Caucus, the thermometer will show a maximum temperature of 20 degrees below zero and a minimum of 29 degrees below zero. Emergency services have issued a wind chill alert. The ground is everywhere covered with snow and ice. The storm and its freezing temperatures will penalize participation Caucus Coldest in history. The start of the Republican primary race will be measured…

In religious Iowa, the bishop of Des Moines excused him from going to mass this Sunday because of the polar temperatures expected. Monday is the day for this Caucus, the thermometer will show a maximum temperature of 20 degrees below zero and a minimum of 29 degrees below zero. Emergency services have issued a wind chill alert. The ground is everywhere covered with snow and ice. The storm and its freezing temperatures will penalize participation Caucus Coldest in history. An early indication of the Republican Party’s primary race will measure the degree of dedication to favorite Donald Trump and settle a fierce battle for second place between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and a former ambassador to the United Nations. Governor. Nikki Haley of South Carolina.

The latest poll published this weekend, reputed to be the most reliable, the Iowa Poll, was conducted by local media. Des Moines Register, NBC News and Mediacom report that Trump has the support of 48% of Republicans going into the election. Caucus

This Monday. The main innovation is that it already clearly puts Nikki Haley in second place with 20% of the vote, compared to 16% for Ron DeSantis. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy will hold 8%. Polling small print shows Trump’s dominance in all demographic segments, while Nikki Haley stands out among urban voters with higher education and income.

For DeSantis, such an outcome would be catastrophic. This Saturday, at one of his campaign events, a citizen approached him to reward him for trying: “Governor, I want to give you this trophy for participating. He’s probably not going to win this election,” he laughed in his face before being led away by members of the security team. Iowa is a religious state, with a high percentage of evangelical Christians, among whom his conservative position may resonate more. He has campaigned tirelessly there, touring its 99 counties. If the most he can achieve after that is third place, his campaign is mortally wounded. DeSantis told about 60 voters Saturday at the first event of the day in Council Bluffs on Iowa’s west coast. “You’re going to be stronger on Monday night than any election you’ll ever be able to participate in,” according to the AP.

One of the unknowns is who the likely low turnout will favor most. Ahead of the hurricane and arctic cold, record attendance was expected Caucus, more than 200,000 people. Now, the cold has imposed its law. Snow makes movement particularly difficult in rural areas and may favor Haley, with more urban support. A survey of Des Moines Register, However, he points out that his voters are the least motivated and enthusiastic. DeSantis has few, but sure, and Trump has many and determined: “You’re having the worst time, I believe, in recorded history, but maybe that’s a good thing, because our people are more committed than anyone. ,” the former president said. Weekend in video.

While his rivals continued to take to the streets, Trump canceled his in-person rallies on Saturday and held them via teleconference. “It’s horrible out there,” he was seen saying as he arrived at an event. However, on Sunday, he gave the last campaign closing rally in person. And he used it to attack Nikki Haley, who he already seems to see as his main rival. “He is not fit to be president. “I know her well,” Trump said in Indianola (Iowa), saying her way of thinking is not right and not “tough” enough.

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For her part, Haley was campaigning in Iowa City on Saturday and criticized the former president: “Chaos follows. You know I’m right. “We cannot defeat Democratic anarchy with Republican anarchy.” And this Sunday, he also emphasized the idea of ​​change at Ames in Iowa. “It’s been 11 months, and it all comes tomorrow,” Haley said Caucus On Monday, he presented himself as a “new generation leader who leaves negativity and baggage behind and focuses on solutions for the future.”

This Caucus from Iowa They are political assemblies that take place this Monday at 7:00 pm local time (2 pm Tuesday in mainland Spain), in civic centers, schools, sports centers and private homes, in about 1,500 different locations. A state of 3.2 million inhabitants. In those places, Republican voters will express their preferences for candidates. Sometimes speeches and debates take place, although they are not required. In the Republican case, no groups are formed or candidates who do not reach a certain percentage of the vote are eliminated. Those were the symptoms Caucus Iowa Democrats until 2020. Here, although those who attend are more participatory and often choose to express themselves and defend their views, the vote is secret and the differences with traditional primaries are reduced.

Democrats have relegated Caucus After Iowa’s 2020 count, which was delayed for days and never fully reliable. President Joe Biden has pushed for early voting in more diverse states that better represent his party and the country. Iowa Democrats acknowledged that their ballots will be cast by mail and won’t be completed and published until March. Officially, that party’s primary process begins on February 3 in South Carolina and then moves to Nevada. However, the New Hampshire Democratic Party is moving forward with a Jan. 23 primary that the party’s national apparatus says will be invalid.

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