Donald Trump wins Iowa caucus, taking early lead to be Republican candidate for the presidency

Colombo (News 1st) - Former President Donald Trump swept to victory in the Iowa Caucuses, the first step of the Republican Party's selection process of their candidate for the 2024 Presidential Election this November. Trump won 20 of the 40 delegates from the state.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis came in second with 8 delegates, while former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley was third with 7 delegates.

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramasamy, who had run a vibrant and entertaining anti-establishment campaign, announced that he was dropping out of the race, after winning just 2 delegates.

The Iowa Caucuses are the first step, with the Republican Party holding separate processes in each state to choose the candidate. All state delegates vote in the final Republican Party National Convention.

A similar process is run by the Democratic Party, which has not yet begun. Incumbent President Joe Biden, 81, is the frontrunner.

Trump, 77, is battling multiple legal challenges in many state and federal courts over his role in the failed 2021 January 6 insurrection, which may disqualify him from being a candidate.