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Former President Donald Trump is projected to win the Iowa caucuses in his bid to reclaim the Republican nomination this year.
The Associated Press quickly called the race Monday night as early results showed Trump with a decisive lead over GOP rivals likeNikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy. These candidates are hoping for stronger-than-expected showings as they head into the next contests.
The New Hampshire primary takes place next, on Tuesday, Jan. 23.
Downtown Des Moines, Iowa. (AP/Andrew Harnik)
Iowa has long been influential in deciding which candidates gain early momentum in the presidential race. And that is a lot of power for the roughly 100,000 people who caucus. They will play a significant role in deciding who millions of Americans choose from in the general election this fall.
Iowa is one of the few states that conducts a vote by caucus rather than simple ballot. A caucus involves listening to speeches by representatives of each candidate’s campaign, and then casting a ballot after that. Iowans can’t just go to the polls anytime they want on Election Day.
The first Iowa caucuses took place in 1972, for Democrats only. Republicans followed in 1976. Parties picked their nominees at their conventions prior to that.
For further updates, check out Yahoo News’ live blog.