MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa — In the days leading up to the Iowa caucus, the Republican presidential candidates all had a similar message: brave the cold and get out to your caucus meeting on Jan. 15.
With weather forecasts depicting record-breaking, subzero temperatures, turnout numbers came into question: would a state-wide freeze keep people from heading out to caucus?
Asked if she ever considered staying home because of the weather, Marshalltown local Jennifer Bryant had a simple answer: “Heavens no.”
“We were coming, for sure,” Bryant said before casting her vote Monday night. “I’m a Christ follower. I want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to make a difference and be a light and hopefully pick someone that will represent the truth.”
Bryant, a 49-year-old registered nurse, was caucusing for the first time Monday night at the Marshalltown High School Roundhouse. An hour’s drive from Des Moines in central Iowa, the town is home to about 28,000 people.
“I know how important this is to get the right nominee for the Republicans to run,” Bryant said. “I’m really excited to be able to have an opportunity to maybe make a little difference.”
Bryant said she was still deciding between former president Donald Trump and Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina and ambassador to the United Nations.
Bryant never revealed which candidate she picked, but Trump won this caucus with 267 votes, and Haley came in third place with 101. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in second place with 163 votes.
Although many dedicated Republicans didn’t bat an eye at the freezing temperatures, the weather got so severe that multiple candidates were forced to cancel campaign events just days before the caucuses. Haley had to move one of her speeches into an audio-only telephone format for Iowans to call in. Vivek Ramaswamy livestreamed one of his speeches on Instagram for people who weren’t able to leave their homes.
When caucus day arrived, about 100,000 Iowans trudged through the snow in temperatures as low as negative 17 degrees Fahrenheit. It was the first time any voters in America were able to voice their preference on who should receive the Republican presidential nomination.
Trump received the most votes in 98 of Iowa’s 99 counties. Statewide, he received 51% of the vote as fewer Iowa Republicans participated in caucus than years prior.
DeSantis came in second with 21.2% of the vote but didn’t win any counties. Haley — who came in third with 19.9% of the vote — won Iowa’s Johnson County by a single vote over Trump. (DeSantis and Ramaswamy ended their campaigns last week and endorsed the former president.)
“Iowans braved record-low temperatures after a blizzard blanketed their state just days earlier to deliberate with members of their community about the future of our country and participate in true, grassroots democracy,” Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said in a statement released Monday night. “I could not be prouder to be an Iowan than I am tonight.”
Christopher Tiernan Sr. also attended the Marshalltown caucus to support DeSantis. As a caucus captain, he knew it was important to show up in person despite any cold or snow.
“I’m dedicated to trying to get this changed,” Tiernan said. “We need new people.”
Although Tiernan is in his 70s, he said he wouldn’t vote for Trump because the country needs younger people in office.
Just days before the caucus, residents across the state were attending various campaign events to hear the candidates speak and shake their hands.
On Jan. 11, 49-year-old Nancy Gourley went to a DeSantis event in Ames to hear more about what he has to offer.
Even though she had never caucused before, she knew the weather wouldn’t stop dedicated Iowans from making their voices heard.
“I think that people who caucus feel passionately about what they’re doing,” Gourley said. “Snow isn’t going to slow people in Iowa down.”
The younger generation had a similar sentiment. Three college freshmen having coffee outside a Jan. 14 Trump rally in Indianola the day before the caucus let out a series of laughs when asked about the weather.
“I mean, it’s cold, but it’s nothing we can’t handle,” said 18-year-old Gracie Clark, who is studying education. “We’ve been through it before multiple times.”
Clark and the other two students — 18-year-old Taylor Busho and 19-year-old Bree Tenges — all attend Simpson College and said they wanted to see what was going on.
Clark said she was eligible to caucus for the first time this year but was still undecided on Sunday afternoon.
“Everybody’s talking about the weather on campus,” Clark said. “It’s here. It’s obvious. It’s nothing that isn’t too crazy for Iowa.”