Donald Trump’s blowout victory in the Iowa caucus cost the America First leader surprisingly little, while rivals Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley spent big for distant second- and third-place finishes. Placing first with 56,260 votes for an absolute majority of 51.0 percent, Trump spent the equivalent of $340 per vote earned in the Hawkeye State.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, meanwhile, spent $1,697.96 per vote to come in second on 21.2 percent, and the much-hyped Nikki Haley spent an even greater sum of $1,797.84 per vote to finish third.
DeSantis excused his loss by saying “[t]hey threw everything but the kitchen sink at us… almost $50 million attacking us,” but the numbers paint a different picture of the race: The governor and allied groups spent $35 million on Iowa ads, while the Haley camp spent $37 million. Trump and his allies spent only $18.3 million.
Like DeSantis, Haley adopted a position on the Iowa race at odds with reality, declaring: “I can safely say, tonight Iowa made this Republican primary a two-person race” – despite the fact she finished third.
Among the remaining candidates in Iowa, only Vivek Ramaswamy pulled in enough support to earn delegates. He has now dropped out of the race, however, and announced he is “endorsing Donald J. Trump and will do everything I can to make sure he is the next U.S. President.”
