(NewsNation) — The 2024 election cycle began Monday night with former President Donald Trump projected to win the Iowa Republican caucus.
Decision Desk HQ called the race for Trump at 8:46 p.m. ET.
He’s battling it out with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, biotechnology entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson for the 2024 GOP nomination.
Though Trump has held a wide lead in most polls leading up to caucus day, the other candidates spent the weekend braving the cold to make their final attempts to woo Iowa Republicans to their favor.
Iowa Republicans sought to answer some crucial questions when caucusing began Monday night, such as whether Trump would deliver a knockout victory and who would come in second place.
NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ projects that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will finish second in the Republican Iowa caucus. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is projected to finish third.
Trump will walk away with an estimated 20 delegates, with DeSantis getting eight and Haley seven. Ramaswamy is estimated to receive three delegates.
Practically, it’s a relatively small step towards the nomination. A total of 2,429 RNC delegates are up for grabs if the primary race continues until the July convention.
Take a look at each candidate’s policy positions on the issues that matter to you in our voter guide, follow NewsNation’s live, expert analysis here and keep track of Iowa caucus results in the trackers below: