Iowa was called for Donald Trump after just 31 minutes. The former president earned 51 percent of the vote and won 98 out of 99 counties in the state. He also broke a record with the largest margin of victory over the second place finisher in the history of the Iowa GOP contest. Still, the Left is framing the win as a sign of “weakness.”
Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker highlighted the fact that about half of Republicans came to support someone other than Trump on Monday.
“Almost half of the base of the Republican Party showing up for this caucus tonight voted against Donald Trump,” he said.
“Think about that. I mean, this is the most famous Republican. He’s the guy who, you know, basically built the modern Republican Party, the MAGA Republican Party that the Democrats are running against, and half the people in that party didn’t vote for Donald Trump. So, I think that is telling. It tells you the weakness of Donald Trump and also the opportunity for Democrats, ’cause in the end, look, if the base doesn’t turn out for Donald Trump in the general election enthusiastically, and Democrats turn out its base, this is all about, you know, independents, and independents don’t like Donald Trump. So, I think we’re in a pretty good place tonight to see what’s happening on the Republican side.”
He wasn’t the only one to make that case. Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison's statement did the same.
“Tonight, voters cast their first ballots in the MAGA Republicans’ 2024 primary, and the stakes of this election became even clearer for Americans across the country,” the statement said. “Donald Trump is the leader of an extreme MAGA movement that has fully taken over the Republican Party – yet notably in a clear sign of weakness, even as the leader of the GOP and a former president, nearly half of Iowa Republicans voted for someone else. Whether Trump or one of his wannabes ultimately emerges as the MAGA standard bearer at the end of the Republican primary, the bottom line is simple: this election is a choice between more freedoms or fewer, a stronger economy for working Americans or one that only benefits the ultra-wealthy, a leader we can trust to protect democracy or one that attacks our institutions for political gain. Trump 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 are all running on a platform that is toxic to the majority of voters. Hard working Americans will reject this extreme and unpopular agenda in 2024, just like they did in 2020.”