WASHINGTON: The 2024 US presidential primary kicked off on Monday night as Iowans prepared to caucus for their Republican presidential candidate in extreme cold weather, reported Xinhua.
Republican voters are caucusing in school gyms, churches, and community centres across Iowa, a Midwestern state, as record-low temperatures are gripping the Hawkeye State and have caused concerns about turnout.
“Today is turning out to be the coldest Iowa caucus day in history, dating back to 1972,“ the National Weather Service office in Des Moines, Iowa, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The frigid conditions have affected the presidential campaign in Iowa, with several stops cancelled ahead of Monday’s caucuses.
Former US president Donald Trump, who seeks to return to the White House, is leading by a wide margin in national and Iowa polls of potential Republican voters.
Other Republican presidential contenders include former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson. – Bernama, Xinhua
