For more than 50 years, the battle to become the next President of the United States has started with nomination meetings in Iowa. The state’s Republican voters meet tonight in church basements, fire stations, gymnasiums and private homes. In total, there are 1,657 meeting places spread over 99 areas in the state in the Midwest. Photo: AFP Here they will decide who they prefer as the Republican Party’s presidential candidate. What is at stake? Because Iowa is first out of the states, the outcome of the caucuses gives a big boost to the candidates who are doing well. At the same time, a defeat there for a candidate who is already doing poorly in the polls could, in practice, put an end to the candidacy. The tension is whether former US president Donald Trump is as popular as he claims. This time there is also tension linked to who comes in second place and how big the gap is up to Trump. While Donald Trump has been absent from the televised debates so far, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis fired at each other in the latest debate broadcast on CNN from Iowa. Both are fighting to avoid third place in tonight’s nomination election. Photo: AP Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida governor Ron DeSantis have always been behind Donald Trump in the polls. The latest survey from the Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom last Saturday showed that Donald Trump is the first choice for 48 percent of those polled. 20 percent say Haley is their favorite, while DeSantis is supported by 16 percent. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy receives only 8 percent support and is guaranteed not to be among the top three. It is the first time in the polls in Iowa that Haley has passed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. For DeSantis in particular, a good result in Iowa is considered necessary to keep up. Neither of the other two has pushed harder to reach Republican voters in this state than DeSantis. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (45) has bet heavily on the election meetings in Iowa. If he does not succeed there, it could be the nail in the coffin for his presidential ambitions. Photo: AFP Recently, he has spent every hour of the day visiting all 99 voting precincts in Iowa. What happens during the nomination meetings? The party elects a leader in each electoral district who invites someone to speak on behalf of each candidate. It is very often ordinary Republican voters. Everything from teachers to pastors and business people in Iowa are arguing so hard for their candidate. It is also not unusual for the party candidates themselves to appear during the evening. The participants at the nomination meeting then write the name of the candidate they want on a piece of paper. There are no ballot papers with names. According to the latest local opinion poll in Iowa, Donald Trump is likely to get twice as many votes as his two closest competitors combined. Photo: AP The election is secret, but the votes are counted immediately. And everyone present can follow the counting of the paper votes. Who can vote for the Republican candidate? In Iowa, only registered Republicans can participate. But you can also turn up and register on the day. Many of the people who live here in the Midwest are farmers. The majority support the Republicans. Photo: Reuters On nomination day, it is also possible to change parties as long as you have proof that you live in the state. The nomination meetings are also criticized because the requirement that one must be physically present. Those who have to be at work or have problems getting to a meeting are not allowed to vote. Only active duty military and Americans overseas can pre-vote. Some nomination meetings in the districts have few participants, others may have several hundred who will vote. This year, low temperatures of minus 20 have been forecast, which may affect how many turn up. Photo: AP When will the result come? The nomination meetings open at 1900 American time, i.e. 0200 night to Tuesday Norwegian time. The result is called into party headquarters in Iowa’s capital, Des Moines. It is expected that the vote will take a few hours and that the result will be ready approx. 0600 in the morning Norwegian time. Nikki Haley (51) has passed her opponent Ron DeSantis in a poll in the US state of Iowa. Photo: AFP Iowa has previously had recounts and incorrect announcements of the winner, but if the polls are correct, Trump will get more votes than all the other candidates combined. Iowa sits at just 1.6 percent of the possible votes at the national convention, so even if a candidate were to do poorly in Iowa, there are plenty of opportunities to make up ground. Democrats have moved away from the practice of caucuses in Iowa after the chaos of the 2020 election. Their Iowa voters submit their ballots by mail between January 12 and March 5. What happens next? The road to the White House is really two elections, First a candidate must win in his party. The Democratic and Republican presidential candidates do so first by being elected at caucuses and nomination elections in the US states. The person who wins the most representatives is chosen as a candidate at the parties’ national meetings in the summer. President Joe Biden is, so to speak, running without opposing candidates in his own party, and the democratic nomination election is therefore considered a formality. The Republicans have their national meeting on 15-18. July in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Then the Democrats follow after 19.–22. August from Chicago Then the big fight between the two candidates starts. There are many indications that the battle to become the next president of the United States will be between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Photo: AP Who walks away with the victory will be decided on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. The winner will be inaugurated as president of the United States on January 20, 2025
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Today is the start of the battle for the White House – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
