2020 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses explained

Election Name:2020 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses
Country:Iowa
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2016 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses
Previous Year:2016
Next Election:2024 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses
Next Year:2024
Election Date:February 3, 2020
Elected Members:NH
Image1:File:Donald Trump official portrait (cropped).jpg
Candidate1:Donald Trump
Color1:283681
Home State1:Florida[1]
Popular Vote1:31,421
Percentage1:97.1%
Delegate Count1:39
Candidate2:Bill Weld
Color2:00A9E0
Home State2:Massachusetts
Popular Vote2:425
Percentage2:1.3%
Delegate Count2:1
Party Name:no

The 2020 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses took place on Monday, February 3, 2020, as the first caucus or primary in the Republican Party presidential primaries for the 2020 presidential election.[2] The Iowa caucuses are a closed caucus, with Iowa awarding 40 pledged delegates to the Republican National Convention, allocated on the basis of the results of the caucuses. Incumbent president Donald Trump received about 97 percent of the vote to clinch 39 delegates, while Bill Weld received enough votes to clinch 1 delegate.

Procedure

Precinct caucuses were held on the evening of Monday, February 3, 2020, in order to directly allocate delegates to the Iowa Republican county conventions. Only registered Iowan Republicans were allowed to participate. These delegates were proportionally allocated to each candidate based on the statewide vote.

The county conventions were subsequently held on Saturday, March 14, 2020, to choose delegates for both the Republican Congressional District conventions and the Iowa Republican state convention. The congressional district conventions were then scheduled for Saturday, April 25, 2020, to elect Iowa's 12 district delegates to the Republican National Convention. The Iowa Republican state convention on Saturday, June 13, 2020, elected the rest of the state's delegates to the Republican National Convention.

Campaign

A number of Republican candidates had campaign events in the state during 2019 and January 2020, including Weld and Walsh attending Democratic forums.[3] [4] Trump's campaign was active as well, having several surrogates attend events culminating in a rally in Des Moines attended by the president himself, on January 30.[5] Among the cities that Bill Weld campaigned in was Sioux City, where he presented himself as an alternative to Trump on a variety of issues, ranging from economic conservatism to climate change.[6]

The Trump campaign used the caucus as a "scrimmage" in order to test out get out the vote techniques and other improved methods and political marketing.[7]

Results

2020 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses[8] [9]
CandidateVotes%Estimated
delegates
(incumbent)39
1
0
Other0
Total32,345100%40

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Trump, a symbol of New York, is officially a Floridian now. Politico. October 31, 2019. February 3, 2020. Matthew Choi.
  2. Web site: Trump wins Iowa GOP caucuses. Quint. Forgey. Politico. February 3, 2020. February 3, 2020.
  3. Web site: 2020 Candidates Address Local Leaders. Rohan. Narayanan. November 23, 2019. CitiesSpeak.
  4. Web site: Davenport forum puts full spectrum of 2020 candidates on stage. Graham Ambrose. Quad-City Times. January 12, 2020 .
  5. Web site: The unexpected joy at a Trump rally in Iowa. Ryan. Lizza. Politico. January 31, 2020. February 4, 2020.
  6. Web site: Republican Presidential Candidate Bill Weld Campaigns In Sioux City. Peikes. Katie. Iowa Public Radio. January 10, 2020 . en. 2020-02-04.
  7. Web site: Trump Tests Re-Election Ground Game With Blitz on Iowa Caucus. Mario Parker. Bloomberg News. January 31, 2020. February 4, 2020.
  8. Web site: Iowa Republican Delegation 2020. The Green Papers. February 12, 2020.
  9. News: 2020 Iowa Republican caucuses results. March 12, 2022. The Washington Post.