Campaign Almanac: Trump secures half of Iowa’s delegates

DES MOINES — By virtue of his history-making victory in the Jan. 15, first-in-the-nation Iowa Republican caucuses, former President Donald Trump on Wednesday was awarded half of Iowa Republicans’ delegates to the 2024 Republican National Convention.

The collection of delegates on a state-by-state basis is how the major political parties determine their nominee for president every four years.

Trump won the 2024 Iowa Republican caucuses when he was chosen by 51 percent of participants, which was 30 percentage points better than the second-place finisher. Both marks were the highest ever for a non-incumbent in the Iowa Republican caucuses, which date back to the 1970s.

Delegates are proportionally allocated based on the caucus results. Trump’s victory gave him 20 of Iowa’s 40 delegates.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who finished second in the caucuses at 21 percent, was awarded nine delegates. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who was third at 19 percent, was awarded eight delegates. Ohio biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy earned three delegates.

DeSantis and Ramaswamy dropped out of the race before this week’s presidential primary election in New Hampshire, the second stop on Republicans’ presidential nominating calendar. Iowa’s delegates will remain bound to those candidates during the first ballot at the national convention unless only one candidate’s name is nominated, in which case all Iowa delegates would go to that candidate.

Ashley Hinson endorses Trump

Eastern Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson endorsed former President Donald Trump in the party’s presidential primary.

Just two states into Republicans’ primary contest, only three candidates remain: Trump, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and longshot candidate and Texas businessman Ryan Binkley. Trump won the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary.

“Under President Donald Trump, we had secure borders, low cost of living, & respect on the global stage,” Hinson posted from her campaign account on the social media site X. “Iowa got it right. America needs to fire Joe Biden and give President Trump four more years! President Trump has my full endorsement — it’s time to take our country back!”

Under President Donald Trump, we had secure borders, low cost of living, & respect on the global stage.

Iowa got it right. America needs to fire Joe Biden and give President Trump four more years! President Trump has my full endorsement — it’s time to take our country back! pic.twitter.com/erZuROFoHn

— Ashley Hinson (@hinsonashley) January 23, 2024

Pat Grassley, Amy Sinclair named to national leadership

Pat Grassley and Amy Sinclair, Republican leaders in the Iowa Legislature, have been named to a leadership advisory board for a national group that works to elect Republicans to political office.

Grassley, the Iowa House speaker from New Hartford, and Sinclair, the Iowa Senate president from Allerton, were named members of the 2024 Legislative Leaders Advisory Board for GOPAC, which works to educate and elect Republicans to state legislatures and higher office.

“Members of our 2024 Legislative Leaders Advisory Board are essential in our efforts to educate and elect Republican leaders who are focused on making Americans’ lives easier, safer, and better,” GOPAC Chairman David Avella said in a news release.

Grassley has served as Iowa House speaker since 2020, and Sinclair has served as Iowa Senate president since 2023. Iowa Republicans hold majorities of 64-36 in the House and 34-16 in the Senate.