(NewsNation) — The Iowa caucuses will kick off the 2024 primary season, with caucusgoers determined to brave the record-low temperatures and snow hitting the state.
The winner of the state’s caucuses is expected to get a boost heading into New Hampshire’s primary next week, but the results don’t always translate into success for the rest of the campaign season.
Still, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are hoping for a strong showing against former President Donald Trump, the presumed front-runner.
As the candidates make their final appeals to voters, Trump is telling his supporters to come out and caucus as if he is down in the polls.
Trump is in the Hawkeye State after canceling three of his four scheduled in-person events, opting for a virtual town hall Saturday and a final pre-caucus rally Sunday. One Trump supporter told NewsNation she dug out of thigh-deep snow to be there.
Trump says this time, his ground campaigning will make all the difference.
“In 2016, we had tremendous support, but we really didn’t have a ground campaign. We had never done that before. We had a group of people, but they really weren’t grounded. We were doing well in terms of popularity. We actually learned a lot from Iowa,” Trump told NewsNation.
Voters in Iowa will head to caucus sites across the state Monday night to register their preference for the 2024 GOP nominee. Conditions are expected to be brutal, and forecasters are warning of the coldest Iowa caucus date on record.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.