Trump's Iowa win is depressing, but conservatives still have time to change course

For months, the polls have screamed one thing: Donald Trump is the guy to beat in the 2024 GOP presidential primary. That includes Iowa, where the former president held a nearly 34-point lead in polls ahead of Monday’s caucuses.

Trump, who is obsessed with “big” numbers (recall the crowd size fiasco at his inauguration?), no doubt was thrilled that he managed to pull in what appears to be a record win in the nation’s first Republican presidential contest.

Iowans braved the arctic blast hitting the state to come out in droves for their candidate.

Until now, the widest margin of victory in the Iowa caucuses took place in 1988, when Bob Dole beat Pat Robertson by 13 points. Trump blew that record out of the water.

So good for him.

But for all of us conservatives who want nothing more than to move past the tired Trump saga, is all hope lost?

It may look that way, but I don’t think so.

Anyone but Trump: Republicans, it's go-time to show country who you really want (PLEASE don't let it be Trump)

Does Iowa even matter? Why there's still (some) time.

Iowa, while it gets loads of national attention for being the first voting contest, is just one fairly small, rural state. It does not speak for all Republicans.

The New Hampshire primary is next week, and former South Carolina Gov. and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is quickly closing in on Trump’s lead there.

She has it down to a 14-point race, and with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie now out, Haley’s likely to continue building steam in a state that values independent-minded voters.

Of course, Trump is still dominating the primary field on a national level by a wide margin. Things can change quickly though.

For instance, look at candidate Joe Biden in 2020. Biden lost the first three Democratic primary contests, including Iowa, before finally winning South Carolina. Vermont Sen. Bernie Senators was close in the polls and giving Biden a run for his money.

So, Iowa isn’t a great predictor of who will win the parties’ nominations. Trump may be basking in Iowa glory now, but he wasn’t in 2016 when Texas Sen. Ted Cruz pulled off the win at that time (albeit by 3 points).

And I’ll go out on a limb and suggest most Americans have forgotten all about Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee, who won the GOP Iowa caucuses in 2012 and 2008.

Americans deserve a Trump alternative. After Iowa, it's time for Vivek Ramaswamy to drop out.

Trump also is trying to pull off something just one other president in U.S. history has managed to do. Grover Cleveland, a Democrat, is the only president who has served two nonconsecutive terms. And that happened more than 100 years ago.

Iowa caucus results show 2024 election isn't DeSantis' moment

For Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Monday’s results are probably the most painful. He staked much of his campaign on a strong showing in Iowa, and he had in place what was supposed to be an impressive ground game, along with key endorsements such as one from Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.

It wasn’t enough. And if conservative Iowa doesn’t buy into DeSantis’ campaign message of defeating a leftist agenda, then it’s hard to see where that message will resonate.

Given his poll numbers in New Hampshire and subsequent states, it looks like this just isn’t DeSantis’ time. He’s only 45, and it is probably better for his political future if he bows out now than continue suffering humiliating defeats.

Haley, on the other hand, seems to have enough appeal to break through political lines. That would be fantastic when it comes to defeating an unpopular Biden in November, but it’s a harder sell to the core Republican base that’s still inexplicably tied to Trump.

Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store.

Earlier this month at a campaign stop in New Hampshire, Haley told the crowd that they would have the opportunity to “correct” the results from Iowa.

That probably didn’t win her much love in Iowa. Given Monday’s results, however, she’s clearly right.

And no matter what happened in Iowa or what other polls say, Republicans must not think that Trump is inevitable. Only primary voters have that say, and other states still have time to make their voices heard.

Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on X, formerly Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump's Iowa win is depressing. But Haley can help GOP correct course