Iowa caucuses: What to watch as voters weigh in on the Republican campaign’s first contest of 2024

As frigid temperatures scour the Midwest, the Republican presidential nominating process will officially start Monday with Iowa’s caucuses.

The quadrennial contest has been unusually quiet this year, a mark of former President Donald Trump’s commanding lead in the race. An arctic blast dropping the state into subzero temperatures and dumping snow during the final days of the runup didn’t help, either.

But there’s plenty to consider heading into the caucuses, and after years of speculation and maneuvering over who will face President Joe Biden this November, we’ll finally have the first votes tallied.

Here are some things to watch.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«Other news» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Other news </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Trump is endorsed by a former rival, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, ahead of the Iowa caucuses </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Iowa principal who risked his life to protect students during a high school shooting has died </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> In his closing pitch to Iowa Republicans, Trump says their votes can help him punish his enemies<use xlink:href="#play-icon" xmlns:xlink=«http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink»> </bsp-custom-headline> </bsp-list-loadmore>

WHO WINS SECOND

Iowa appears to be a battle for second place given Trump’s dominance. The real question is whether either of the two Republicans who lead the pack of very distant also-rans can make it a two-person race in the long run.

To do that, they probably need to at least