Trump dominates with Republicans, and 5 other takeaways from Iowa caucuses

Donald Trump dominated the Iowa caucuses on Monday, taking his first important step to his third straight GOP presidential nomination and delivering a blow to his rivals, who had hoped to capitalize on his legal troubles and earlier signs the base might be ready to move on from him.

Not so: Trump is projected by ABC News to have defeated Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley by about 30 points. DeSantis is projected to come in second, with about 21% of the vote; and Haley to come in third, taking about 19%.

New Hampshire will hold the next nominating contest with a Jan. 23 primary, and it could offer a more mixed bag for Trump given that independents and undeclared voters can participate there.

But Iowa's results — and the widespread evidence that key conservative voting blocs continue to embrace Trump, as seen in entrance polling — marked an unquestionable win for the former president as the 2024 got underway.

Here are six takeaways from the caucus results.

Unlike Democrats' caucuses in Iowa in 2020, which was ultimately out of step with what the party voters nationwide wanted, this year's Republican caucuses seem to have included relatively good representation of the larger GOP base around the country.

The state is overwhelmingly white and rural, and the percentage of residents with a college education is below the national average. It's states like Iowa that represent the base of the modern Republican Party, built on very conservative, older and evangelical voters — and Trump cleaned up.

His overwhelming victory among voters who make up the heart of the GOP — and the primary electorate — underscores the daunting task facing Haley and DeSantis, as well as his other critics not running for