Iowa done, NH next prize
Trump, Haley will be tested in Granite State
Iowa caucus victor Donald Trump shifts to a vastly different political landscape this week where he’ll compete for notoriously fickle and independent New Hampshire voters with rival Nikki Haley.
The bitterly cold Hawkeye State — dominated by social conservatives and rural voters — will be in the rearview mirror as soon as Trump touches down in the more moderate Granite State next Tuesday.
The former president’s previous two big wins in New Hampshire help but won’t guarantee him a resounding first place in the Jan. 23 Republican primary.
But after his dominating Iowa win, he could essentially lock up the race with a resounding victory in New Hampshire over Haley, his last major Republican competitor who was surging in the polls there in the last month.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will have trouble staying in the race unless he scores some kind of major upset after Iowa.
DeSantis’s campaign was banking on a strong second place in Iowa but it didn’t look like that was happening, according to network projections. He was battling with Haley for a distant second place showing.
Haley is seen as being within striking distance of Trump in the Granite State after the withdrawal of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
But anything less than a win over Trump will probably relegate her to also-ran status and make it almost impossible to stop Trump barring some kind of legal hurdle.
The next stop after New Hampshire is Haley’s home state of South Carolina, but even there polls show Trump has a large lead.
Trump’s dominance among Republican conservatives will not stop after he leaves New Hampshire, and could carry him to an easy nomination win.
The Iowa caucus — with Trump cruising to victory — proved to be costly for DeSantis and Haley, who each spent more than $30 million in the state for a weak second place.
Iowa in general has faded as a presidential destination in recent years, especially now that Democrats have bounced its caucus back in the schedule.
Does anyone remember who won the Iowa caucus in 2016? Hint — it’s a longforgotten Texas senator who never capitalized on his victory.
Trump managed to easily survive his secondplace showing to Ted Cruz and go on to crush his rivals in New Hampshire eight days later.