The emblematic caucus in the state of Iowa, held this Monday (15), at 7 pm, begins the Republican primaries for the November presidential election in the United States, a process in which former American president Donald Trump (2017-2021 ) is the favorite to compete in the party.
Republican voters in Iowa are being urged to brave the weather and choose their preferred candidate amid a historic cold snap that has hit the Midwestern state with temperatures well below freezing.
The main polls place Trump as the favorite of Republican voters and the big question is who will come in second place: Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida and also a member of the Republican hard wing, or the moderate Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina and former US ambassador to the UN.
Both are competing for second place in the Iowa caucus to establish themselves as the great alternative to Trump and in search of a revival in their political careers. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson are also in the running, albeit with lower odds.
The caucus is the American system that convenes local assemblies throughout the state, usually based in schools and churches, to debate and elect delegates, in the case of Iowa, for the summer convention, where the Republican Party's presidential candidate will be chosen.
Iowa is a sparsely populated rural state that doesn't have much caucus weight, but its caucus has historically carried enormous symbolism as the first event on the primary calendar.
Voter turnout will be a key factor as a severe snowstorm turned this caucus into the coldest on record and led to the cancellation of several campaign events.
In Des Moines, the capital of Iowa, temperatures are expected to drop below minus 20 degrees. The US Weather Service warned that skin exposed to this cold could freeze in just ten minutes.
In recent hours, Republican candidates have called on their bases to brave the cold and go to the polls, including Trump, whose campaign fears his supporters will take victory for granted and stay home.
The leadership of the Democratic Party, in turn, broke with tradition this year and will not begin the primary process in Iowa, but intends to do so on February 3, in South Carolina.
Current US President Joe Biden, who is seeking re-election for a second term, wants to start the Democratic primaries with a comfortable victory in South Carolina, a more moderate state.
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