Final stretch before Iowa caucuses rattled by extreme cold

The final campaign stretch before Iowa Republican voters gather to caucus on Monday has been upended this cycle, with GOP presidential hopefuls canceling or postponing events and instead bracing for lukewarm turnout numbers as the state weathers dangerous sub-zero temperatures and a once-in-a-decade blizzard.

Blustery conditions on Friday forced Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to postpone events, prompted former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to move her events online and forced former President Donald Trump to cancel three of four events scheduled for the weekend and hold «tele-rallies» instead. He was still scheduled to hold his event in person in Indianola on Sunday.

That shakeup follows a slate of revised campaign events this week affected by similar arctic conditions. In the critical stretch of campaigning, while caucus goers have just three days to decide on their choice of GOP candidate, some Iowa leaders are split on whether the white-out conditions will impact turnout, even as the candidates plead with voters to brave the weather.

«Look, We're Iowans, it's January in the Midwest. We expect it to be cold. Yes, this may be the coldest caucus on record. I still think with the number of campaigns and what they've been doing-- we're gonna have tremendous turnout,» Will Rogers, a former chairman of the Polk County GOP who is caucusing for Haley, told reporters at an Iowa Republican Party caucus preview on Friday afternoon.

Iowa Senate president Amy Sinclair, a DeSantis supporter, said she thinks the weather will decrease voter turnout, however.

«I think you'll see a decline in caucus participation. It's nasty. Older folks don't want to get out when it's that bad. Don't need to slip and fall and break something. Younger folks