“Democrats were counting on Barack Obama-levels of enthusiasm. They got Hillary Clinton numbers, instead.”

The last two days have been saturated with media reports about the disaster of the Democrat caucus in Iowa and for good reasons. You probably have not heard much about the Iowa Republican caucus, but there was a significant development there.

Trump has some insignificant challengers for the 2020 GOP nomination, but that’s not the story. In one of the most under-reported aspects of the Iowa caucuses, turnout for Trump among Republicans was huge, even more significant than Obama’s participation by Democrats in the state in 2012.

The Iowa GOP put out this release:

Iowa GOP Caucus Turnout Breaks Obama 2012 Record DES MOINES — The Republican Party of Iowa announced President Donald J. Trump has overwhelmingly won the Iowa Caucuses. Iowa GOP caucus-goers were excited to cast the first votes to re-elect Pres. Trump, smashing turnout records for similar caucus years. “What a way to kick off Pres. Trump’s re-election campaign – with decisive, record-breaking caucus results,” said Jeff Kaufmann, Chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa. “I have no doubt the energy and enthusiasm we saw tonight will carry through this election. After successfully negotiating two massive trade deals, confirming two Supreme Court justices, cutting taxes, and taking decisive action to make the world a safer place, it is no surprise that Iowans want four more years of winning with President Trump.”

Brooke Singman of FOX News has more details:

Trump easily wins Iowa Republican caucuses President Trump easily defeated his primary rivals in Monday’s Iowa Republican caucuses, in the first indication that those attempting to take on the president inside his own party stand a slim chance of making headway against the incumbent. Iowa results showed the president winning with roughly 97 percent of the vote over former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld and former Illinois congressman Joe Walsh. The primary challengers walked away with about 1 percent each… While the focus has been on the Democratic contest Monday, Iowa Republicans also caucused at precincts throughout the state. “The president has record support among Republican voters,” Republican National Committee spokesman Rick Gorka told Fox News on Monday. “I am not concerned with those embarked on a vanity project.”

Also lost in all of the reportage on the bungled vote count, was the fact that turnout for Democrats was much lower than they were expecting. This does not bode well for them in November.

David Siders reports at Politico:

The biggest problem for Democrats wasn’t the vote count Iowa’s caucus-reporting meltdown was painful. But another grenade from Monday night, just beyond the line of sight, may be just as consequential. For more than a year, Democrats have been preparing for high turnout in 2020, powered by an electorate juiced by rage against President Donald Trump. But in their first test of the year, early data suggested Tuesday that turnout was “on pace for 2016,” the Iowa Democratic Party said, far below levels many observers predicted. In other words: Democrats were counting on Barack Obama-levels of enthusiasm. They got Hillary Clinton numbers, instead. Looking at the low turnout estimate in Des Moines late Monday night, an adviser to one candidate said simply, “Wow.”

Trump and Republicans can take nothing for granted in November, but these are good signs.



