As was widely expected, the results in Marshall County mirrored those around the state, with former President Donald Trump receiving about 51 percent of the votes cast and cruising to an easy victory and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley finishing second and third, respectively. DeSantis, who visited every county in the state and gained the endorsement of Gov. Kim Reynolds, received about 26.7 percent of the votes cast compared to 13.3 percent for Haley. Statewide, the New York Times reported that Trump received about 50 percent of votes cast, while DeSantis came in at around 21 percent and Haley was at 19 percent.

Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who has since suspended his campaign, came in a distant fourth, followed by pastor and businessman Ryan Binkley and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

Many voters showed up an hour or more early to ensure that they’d get a chance to participate, and some wore hats, shirts and stickers to indicate their preference. Along with local media, a television crew from Poland and a group of students from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism were on hand to cover the event, and caucus goers weren’t shy about sharing their feelings on why they were supporting their candidates.

Andy Schwandt and Don Smith, both of Marshalltown, were well aware of Trump’s status as the runaway favorite to win Iowa, but they showed up to caucus for him regardless.

T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY — Hundreds of Republicans showed up to the Roundhouse to caucus for their preferred candidate on Monday night, and as expected, former President Donald Trump carried Iowa by a wide margin.

“The fact that he’s gonna walk away with it is the reason why we’re gonna be here because we’re gonna help him do that,” Schwandt said.

Smith, donning a Trump 45 baseball jersey, compared the former president to a weapon he could trust and contended that Haley would be subservient to defense contractors like Boeing if elected.

“If I were in a gunfight and I were gonna defend myself, I would want a gun that I have at home because I’ve used it and it’s proven to me that it works and it will get the job done,” he said. “If I’m in a gunfight and I pick up a brand new gun off a shelf and it doesn’t work, I’m screwed. So I’m not voting for anybody but Donald Trump. He works.”

Schwandt added that he felt Trump had been “screwed” in the 2020 election and that the country would be in much better shape if he had been able to serve four more years. Smith then used another metaphor to describe DeSantis, who enjoyed a friendly relationship with Trump until deciding to run against him.

“I have a dog at home and if he ever bit me, I would not let him stay in my house. He went against the man that got him elected in Donald Trump, and so why would I trust him with anything?” Smith asked. “I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him.”

Marshall County Republicans sign in before the start of the Republican Caucus on Monday in the Marshalltown High School Roundhouse.

Another Trump supporter, a much younger man named Ryan Levis who works at the Iowa Veterans Home, said he was sticking with the former president because of his demeanor.

“He’s calm. He’s cool. He’s collected. That’s what gets me,” he said. “He really cares about America, and that’s what I connect with him about is his love for America and mine as well.”

Dave Martin, a local pastor, had the honor of giving the three-minute stump speech for his preferred candidate, DeSantis, and he told the T-R that he supported the governor because he had worked hard to earn support in Iowa and build a following.

“I just like what he stands for. I think that people still like Trump. I love what Trump did the first three years (of his presidency). I don’t like what he did the last year,” Martin said. “So if he goes in, now he’s a lame duck. To me, we need a fresh, younger leader… Come on, 80 years old plus. It’s time that we get some younger people in there, and (DeSantis) has been proven.”

In Martin’s view, the other candidates must have been fearful of DeSantis as they have spent over $75 million on negative advertising against him. He also lamented what he felt was a preemptive crowning of Trump as the nominee and urged fellow Iowans not to count their chickens before they hatch.

“As a follower, I’d love to see (DeSantis) win, of course. I think that would make a huge statement. If he finishes second, I think that’s good. In all reality, we need a win. We need a win. That’s just how I feel,” Martin said. “It’s kind of funny (that) the Iowa caucuses are 43 percent accurate. Take that for what it’s worth.”

Jinx Bloom, a women’s health provider, said she was backing Haley thanks to her “reasonable and solid” stances on abortion and the other candidates’ attacks on her.

“A lot of the other candidates have tried to say they do or don’t, and they haven’t really given an exact answer on how they would approach that,” she said. “I’m really against this nasty advertising they do. They’re always saying terrible things about each other, and I don’t see that quite as much with her. And I’m really tired of that.”

Paul Hermanson, a retired orthodontist and Navy veteran, was proud to support Ramaswamy after attending several of his recent campaign events. He found himself consistently impressed by the 38-year-old’s grasp of complex issues and his willingness to take on the so-called “fourth branch of government,” the federal bureaucracy.

“He’s really strong on getting the border secured, north and south, (and) keeping our money at home. He’s America First,” Hermanson said. “Why are we in Ukraine when there are probably half a dozen other places that are just as deserving of our help?”

Once the caucus officially began, Marshall County GOP Co-Chairman David Engel welcomed those in attendance, imploring them to vote for any of the candidates listed on their ballots over current Democratic President Joe Biden and elect Republicans up and down the ticket come November. From there, surrogates for each candidate had a chance to give their three-minute speeches (the Hutchinson campaign did not have a speaker), and central committee members and delegates for the county convention were selected for the county convention on Feb. 17.

At about 7:40 p.m., Engel instructed voters to drop their ballots in the designated receptacles, and the first in the nation caucus was concluded with volunteers sticking around to tally results.

Engel then reflected on running his first caucus as a co-chair and all of the work that goes into it, with candidates pumping millions of dollars into the state in the leadup to Monday night’s proceedings.

“We got it done very quickly. We didn’t start until after 7:15, so we did a great job of getting things done quickly,” he said.

In his estimation, the fact that multiple candidates enjoyed strong support is evidence of the strength of the party as a whole, and the turnout, while lower than expected due to the weather, was still impressive.

Marshall County Democratic Party Chair Joshua Drewelow speaks at the caucus on Monday. He said members will place focus on obtaining nomination form signatures for local candidates.

“The thing about the Republican Party is that we have a variety of views, and we are willing to discuss them. We think the whole thing about democracy is putting out ideas and debating those ideas and not shouting people down, but talking about these ideas and going for what is proper and what is worthwhile,” Engel said.

Democratic Caucus

Opening the Marshall County Democratic Caucus on Monday, Gary Zmolek asked everyone to have a moment of silence for the victims of the shooting at Perry High School on Jan. 4.

While hundreds of Republicans gathered in the Roundhouse at the Marshalltown High School, roughly 30 Democrats got together in the cafeteria.

Marshall County Democrats Chair Joshua Drewelow said even though they initially expected 50 to attend, they knew frigid temperatures were going to prevent people from attending. He added some Democrats who live in rural areas were also unable to be present because of snowed-over gravel roads.

Gary Zmolek asks the attendees of the Democratic Caucus to observe a moment of silence for the victims of the Jan. 4 shooting at Perry High School.

“Like I told some of the folks I talked to, ‘Your guys’ safety is first and foremost,'” he said. “We knew even if they could not make it, they would be here in spirit. You just have to roll with the punches.”

Monday’s Democratic caucus was different from previous. Attendees did not caucus for specific presidential candidates. Instead of gathering in certain areas of the room to indicate their preferred candidate, registered Democrats in Iowa can request a presidential preference card from the Iowa Democratic Party (IDP). After marking the chosen Democratic candidate for President, the card is then mailed to the IDP by Feb. 19. The results will be made public on Super Tuesday, which is March 5.

Zmolek said the Monday caucus was a chance to focus on party business and local organizing efforts. Attendees were able to pick delegates for county conventions and choose county central committee members. Drewelow said they were also able to hear statements from IDP officials, and he gave a presentation on plans for the county party.

“It’s a chance for us to get together and start game-planning,” Drewelow said. “This is the first. We’ll have more meetings. We’ll be hearing from candidates.”

Mike Wolfe, candidate for the District 26 State Senate seat, spoke at the caucus, and Drewelow is confident Wolfe will be an excellent elected official. However, first he said Wolfe and the other Democratic candidates have to get on the ballot, so volunteers will be taking nomination forms around town to get the required signatures.

Republican results in Marshall County

Donald Trump — 564

Ron DeSantis — 290

Nikki Haley — 145

Vivek Ramaswamy — 84

Ryan Binkley — 10

Asa Hutchinson — 2

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