FT: Tough road ahead for Republican candidates as Trump sweeps Iowa

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis faces a tough road ahead after a distant second-place finish in Iowa. Despite campaigning extensively, his conservative values didn't resonate in the quirky state. For Nikki Haley, who never banked on Iowa, the real test awaits in New Hampshire. A strong showing is crucial for her breakthrough strategy. The spotlight intensifies as speculation grows about Haley attacking Trump directly. With Trump's unprecedented victory margin, the nomination seems in his grasp, leaving the question of whether Haley will take a bold stand..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here..By Edward Luce.Unless Nikki Haley reverses course and attacks the ex-president, the nomination race might be over.There are two ways to interpret Donald Trump's cruise to victory in Iowa. The first, which I lean towards, is confirmation that the former president owns the Republican party in a way that no figure has done before. But we have known that for years. It looks as though he has the 2024 nomination wrapped up..___STEADY_PAYWALL___.The second interpretation, which cannot be dismissed, is that Iowa is a quirky state that presages nothing. The Midwestern state is routinely bad at predicting what will happen in other primaries. A quick glance at history tells us why: it has only identified the eventual nominee of either party six times in nearly 50 years..The last time Iowa picked the Republican winner was at the turn of the millennium. For the most recent Republicans, victory in the state's caucuses has been a better predictor of a career on cable TV. In 2012 it was the former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, and in 2008 it was the Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. Ted Cruz, who won in 2016, remains a US senator but also graces Fox News frequently..Those three names were natural draws for the state's heavy evangelical Christian vote. They fared far less well the following week in New Hampshire, where religion is far less of a factor..Their example is particularly bad news for Florida governor Ron DeSantis, the only candidate to visit 99 counties but who finished a distant second on Monday with just a fifth of the vote. Not only was he the natural candidate of the state's so-called values-based voter, he also threw his campaign's kitchen sink at the state. DeSantis could hardly expect to do better in New Hampshire. His rapid exit from the field would not be a shock..It was a less bad night for Nikki Haley because her campaign never bet on winning in Iowa. Her big test will come in New Hampshire, where she has placed most of her chips. If Haley does not pull off at least a strong second to Trump there, her planned breakthrough in South Carolina the following month may turn out to be bathetic..An interesting test of her expectations is whether she finally removes the proverbial gloves in the next few days and attacks Trump directly. In her speech to supporters on Monday night, she showed signs she was ready to go after America's 45th president. But if she persists with the weak-tea approach, it would be a sign that she is keeping her options open to be Trump's running mate..Having been raised in the only immigrant family in a South Carolina town, Haley is tough and capable of bare-knuckled politics. Yet she routinely ducks opportunities to assail Trump's character. Her refusal in response to a recent question to say that the American civil war was fought over slavery spoke volumes about her fear of offending Maga Republicans..If Trump had any downsides on Monday night, it was the relatively low turnout. With his heavily rural base and a wind-chill factor of minus 30C, the absence of enthusiasm may be unsurprising. But it suggests there are limits to the cultish devotion of his fans..Yet his margin of victory was unprecedented. Here, both interpretations arrive at the same answer. Trump won the caucuses by about 30 percentage points. The previous largest margin of victory was George W Bush's 11 percentage points in 2000. Whether or not Iowa is predictive, Trump still looks set to sweep the table. The only question is whether Haley's baring of teeth on Monday night is a sign she has finally decided to go for his jugular..Read also:.🔒 PREMIUM: Donald Trump leading Joe Biden in America's 2024 race to the White House🔒 Financial Times perspective: Joe Biden is still Donald Trump's worst nightmareDonald Trump takes legal action against Twitter.© 2024 The Financial Times Ltd. All rights reserved.

FT: Tough road ahead for Republican candidates as Trump sweeps Iowa

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