On January 17, 2024, voters from across the state of Iowa entered polling locations to vote in the Iowa Caucus, an electoral event that occurs every four years. Voters gather to discuss and select candidates for their registered political party. Results from the Caucus are a determining factor in the presidential election, and an early indicator of widespread voter opinion.
In the 2024 Caucus, voters were asked to vote for their top presidential candidate from the Republican party. In this year’s Caucus, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Ryan Binkley were the top 5 most voted candidates. Results showed that 51% of voters preferred Trump, 21% DeSantis, 19% Haley, 8% Ramaswamy, and 1% Binkley.
Following the results of the Iowa Caucus, DeSantis and Ramaswamy dropped out of the race and gave their support to favored Republican candidate, Donald Trump.
On January 23, 2024, voters were once again called to the ballot boxes, and this time the people of New Hampshire voted for the Republican candidates, Trump and Haley. Results were much closer in this primary, with 54% of votes to Trump and 43% to Haley.
With voter support behind Trump and Biden, many are curious how a repeat of the 2020 election could impact the country. 2020’s election, occuring at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, greatly stirred the United States. Trump and Biden supporters fought over who truly won the election, with Trump supporters claiming Biden won due to voter fraud. The conflict reached its peak on January 6, 2021, when Trump’s supporters rallied and entered the United States Capitol Building.
Currently, many feel Biden and Trump are just too old to be leading the United States. They wonder if Nikki Haley is the answer, as she brings a younger, female perspective to leadership in the United States.
“Trump and Biden are just too out of touch with our generation,” an anonymous student said. “I think that Nikki Haley would be the best option for the 2024 election. I am a Democrat, but I would vote for her. We have seen that Trump and Biden aren’t great at leading our country and I think we need to try something new.”
Biden is 81 years old, Trump is 77, and Haley is 52. Students want a president who cares about their values, and they feel that a younger president is more open to the ideas of the younger generations.
“Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor, launched her presidential campaign in February 2023, calling for a new generation of leadership in the Republican Party,” according to a CNN article on the 2024 presidential candidates. “Her campaign has heavily focused on economic responsibility, national security, and strengthening the southern border. If successful in the primary, Haley would be the first woman and the first Asian American nominated by the GOP for president.”
Both Republican and Democratic students believe that the 2020 election was a mess, and don’t think Biden or Trump is fit to lead the country.
“I don’t like Trump or Biden,” an anonymous student said. “I think that if the election falls between the two again, it will be a vote between the lesser of two evils. They are both so old that they aren’t great at being president of the modern US. I feel like Haley will be the best option so that we can try something new.”
To be selected as the Republican candidate, the candidate must win 1,215 delegates. So far 61 delegates have been allocated: Trump with 32, Haley with 17, DeSantis with 9, and Ramaswamy with 3. On February 8, the next Republican Caucus will be held. On this date, we will hear from the US Virgin Islands and Nevada, and an additional 26 delegates will be allocated.
