A final poll out of Iowa set the stage for Monday’s caucuses – with Donald Trump taking a predictably commanding lead.
The survey, conducted by NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom and released on Saturday night, ranked the contenders as follows: Mr Trump – 48 per cent; Nikki Haley – 20 per cent; Ron DeSantis – 16 per cent; Vivek Ramaswamy – 8 per cent; “Not Sure” – 5 per cent.
The poll was conducted between 7 and 12 January with a sample of 705 likely Iowa caucusgoers. It found that 68 per cent of respondents had made up their minds on who to back on Monday – which 25 per cent said they could still be persuaded.
As for level of enthusiasm, 32 per cent reported being “extremely enthusiastic” – including 49 per cent of Trump supporters, 23 per cent of DeSantis supporters and just 9 per cent of Haley supporters. That metric could have a significant impact on Monday as severe winter weather continues to wallop the Hawkeye State.
