The caucuses in the Midwestern state of Iowa, the first round of the opposition Republican Party's selection of candidates for the U.S. presidential election this fall, have just begun. Opinion polls show that former President Trump is well ahead of other candidates, and the focus is on whether he can actually show momentum.
In the US presidential election, both the Democratic and Republican parties hold caucuses and primaries in each state in the United States to decide the party's presidential candidate, and the caucuses in Iowa, which is the first match for the Republican candidate, began at 11 p.m. local time on the 15th, 7 a.m. Japan time.
The caucuses are held in schools and public facilities, where participants listen to speeches by representatives of each camp before voting, and participants gathered one after another at a high school near Des Moines, the state capital.
According to the average of various polls covering the United States, former President Trump has attracted support from more than 10% of Republican supporters, which is followed by former Ambassador to the United Nations Haley and Florida Governor DeSantis.
The outcome of the first round in Iowa will have a significant impact on the selection of subsequent candidates, so the focus will be on whether Trump can show the momentum that the polls show.
Iowa has also been hit by a record-breaking cold snap in recent days, with temperatures falling below minus 60 degrees Celsius, and it is also interesting to see if the bitter cold will affect caucus participation and results.
The Iowa caucuses will be counted immediately after the vote, and it is expected that the majority will be known as early as noon on the 20th Japan time.