Republican voters to cast ballots in Iowa caucuses amid freezing weather

▲ This photo, released by the Associated Press, shows a man walking past a sign that reads "Iowa Caucuses 2024" in downtown Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 13, 2024. (Yonhap)

▲ This photo, released by Reuters, shows former U.S. President Donald Trump speaking during a rally in Indianola, Iowa on Jan. 14, 2024. (Yonhap)

US presidential race-Iowa caucuses

Republican voters to cast ballots in Iowa caucuses amid freezing weather

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 (Yonhap) -- Republican voters in the Midwestern state of Iowa are set to cast their ballots in the first vote of the GOP's presidential nomination contest on Monday, with former President Donald Trump eyeing a big win to cement his momentum in the race to clinch the ticket for the November general election.

Amid concerns that freezing temperatures would affect voter turnout, Trump and his rivals, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, made their final pitches over the weekend to become the Republican standard bearer to take on the most likely Democratic candidate, President Joe Biden.

The latest Emerson College Polling Iowa survey found 55 percent of Republican caucus voters plan to support Trump, while 21 percent back Haley, and 15 percent DeSantis. In the survey from Thursday to Saturday, the sample of Iowa voters has a credibility interval -- similar to a margin of error -- of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

The center of attention is whether Trump can win more than 50 percent of the vote in Iowa as observers said a result shy of that goal could be construed as a sign of weakness and help his second-place rivals to generate momentum into the next intraparty contest in New Hampshire on Jan. 23.

The first-in-the-nation caucuses in the largely rural state of 3.2 million people are set to begin in precinct locations of Iowa's all 99 counties at 7 p.m. (CT). The meetings of registered Republicans in school gyms, churches and public libraries are expected to last an hour before vote counting starts.

Up for grabs in Iowa are just 40 of the total 2,429 Republican delegates. Each candidate will get the delegates proportionately based on the statewide voting results. Despite the small delegate number, Iowa has gained keen election-season attention as a launching point for candidates to build momentum.

Despite his legal woes. Trump has maintained a comfortable lead over his rivals in recent polls, stressing his campaign slogan of "Make America Great Again." At a rally on the eve of the Iowa caucuses, he reiterated his campaign theme while urging supporters to vote despite the bone-chilling weather.

"You can't sit home," Trump said. "Even if you vote and then pass away, it's worth it."

In a speech to Iowans, Haley stressed that the election is about making sure that "we move forward" rather than continuing "in this chaos."

"The way we go forward is with a new generational conservative leader that is not going to have vengeance, vendettas or take things personally, but going to go forward and make sure we do everything we can so that your family is protected, safe and has the opportunities to continue to go forward in a way that America was supposed to be," she said in a message from a YouTube account of KCCI, a broadcaster in Des Moines, Iowa.

DeSantis also made a final pitch, saying that he is not going to "let them down."

"I am focused on your issues, your family issues and solely turning this country around," he said in a message carried by KCCI.

The presidential nomination fight has also been keenly watched by South Koreans as the U.S. presidential election could have profound implications for America's approach to its alliances, the North Korean nuclear quandary and its rivalry with China among others.

The Democratic Party is scheduled to hold its first primary in South Carolina on Feb. 3, while the Republican Party sets in motion its nomination process on Monday. The early contests are only the start of the monthslong nomination process, but will serve as a crucial gauge of voter sentiment.

The Republican and Democratic Parties will announce their ultimate standard-bearers at conventions in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in July and in Chicago, Illinois in August, respectively, though their most likely candidates could emerge after "Super Tuesday" contests on March 5.

(END)

<저작권자(c) 연합뉴스, 무단 전재-재배포, AI 학습 및 활용 금지>

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved