Donald Trump’s team told reporters a few days ago that any victory would be sufficient in Iowa, even if it was just a narrow win over his rivals.
Last night was anything but marginal, it is a demolition of the field, with all but one of the 99 counties in the state falling to him.
Trump won with over 50% of the vote, almost 30 points clear of his closest contender, Ron DeSantis.
Psychologically, to get over 50% is the “blow out” Trump said he was hoping for and historic in the caucuses.
You could sense his buoyancy in his victory speech, which felt in tone and content like he was pivoting away from the primary race and towards the election.
The achievement was possible with support from his wife, his children and even his rivals DeSantis and Haley, who he thanked for “for having a good time together out there”.
It felt like a pat on the head – and the absence of any derisory comments about the other Republican candidates or their campaigns felt like the surest sign yet he doesn’t take them seriously in this race any longer.
Despite his distant second place finish, Ron DeSantis struck an upbeat tone, telling supporters his campaign had successfully got its “ticket punched” by Iowa Republicans.
He promised a “restoration of sanity” and to restore the “sacred fire of liberty” established by America’s first presidents.
“As the next president of the United States, I will get the job done for this country,” he said.
Nikki Haley also addressed supporters and claimed the race was now between herself and Mr Trump – despite her apparent third-place finish.
“When you look at how we’re doing, in New Hampshire, in South Carolina and beyond, I can safely say tonight Iowa made this Republican primary a two-person race,” she said.
Ms Haley, 51, said voters didn’t want a re-run of the last election and that she was the “last best hope of stopping the Trump-Biden nightmare”.
Meanwhile, Vivek Ramaswamy – a long shot for the nomination – withdrew after a poor showing and is now backing Mr Trump.
Caucuses and primaries are held in different states to determine how many delegates each candidate has at the party’s national convention in July – when the ultimate winner is chosen.
New Hampshire hosts the next Republican vote on 23 January.
Donald Trump’s expected victory in Iowa comes despite him facing four criminal cases, with some states trying to bar him from standing.
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