DAVENPORT, Iowa — Former President Donald Trump has secured his third victory in Iowa, the Associated Press projects.
AP declared Trump the winner of Iowa at 9:40 p.m. CT.
Once considered a battleground state, Iowa has heavily leaned red for the last decade. Trump's victory Tuesday only further cements the state’s standing as a Republican stronghold.
While Trump has long been a favorite in Iowa, his campaign stood on shakier ground in recent days. A recent Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll showed Vice President Kamala Harris leading Trump, 47% to 44%, just days before Election Day.
Still, Trump was able to defy the polling results, showcasing the strength of his base in Iowa.
The former president won 98 of Iowa’s 99 counties during the 2024 Iowa Caucus, blowing Republicans like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley out of the water.
Conservatives across the state have resonated with Trump’s economic messaging and focus on creating American jobs, which may ring closer to home amid mass layoffs at companies like Tyson and John Deere.
In addition, the most recent Iowa Poll noted that many Trump supporters in Iowa (49%) cited their concerns over inflation and the economy as their deciding factor in voting this year. 25% of likely Trump voters in Iowa said immigration was the deciding issue.
The former president’s time on the campaign trail has been marked by his trademark volatility. At his events, Trump frequently lobbed personal attacks at Harris and continued to spread falsehoods about the 2020 election.
Trump’s legal troubles also loomed over his campaign. In May, Trump became the first former president to become a convicted felon after he was found guilty of falsifying business records when paying off porn star Stormy Daniels. Three other cases against the former president remain pending.
None of these factors seemed to sway Trump’s diehard supporters, though his abrasive behavior may have been a turnoff for independent voters and moderate Republicans.
Across the aisle, Harris proved to be a formidable adversary to Trump. 51% of likely Harris voters in Iowa said they were thinking most about the future of democracy when making their choice for president, according to the most recent Iowa Poll.
Reproductive rights also had potential to be a winning issue for Harris: Polling from September showed 64% of Iowans believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases. Moreover, the most recent Iowa Poll said 22% of likely Harris supporters in Iowa cite abortion as their top reason for voting for Harris this election.
Harris made reproductive rights a cornerstone of her campaign. As president, Harris said she would push Congress to pass a bill codifying Roe v. Wade, which she would then sign into law.
Still, it wasn’t enough to swing Iowa toward Harris.
Two other notable candidates for president appeared on Iowans’ ballots this year. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump, but remained on the Iowa ballot.
The other candidate, Chase Oliver, ran as a Libertarian, receiving XX% of the vote.
Oliver gained national attention during the 2022 election in Georgia. Oliver earned 80,000 votes, forcing a runoff between Sen. Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker.
National Election Map
How many electoral votes does Iowa have?
Iowa has six electoral votes in the 2024 presidential election.
Who won Iowa in 2016?
Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. presidential election with 51.1% of the vote compared to Clinton's 41.7%.
Who won Iowa in 2020?
Donald Trump defeated Joe Biden in the 2020 U.S. presidential election with 53.1% of the vote compared to Biden's 44.9%.
