Former President Donald Trump won Monday’s Iowa caucus in a landslide. He received more than half the vote, even with several other candidates still in the race. The Associated Press even called the caucus for Trump only 31 minutes after the deadline for caucus-goers to arrive at their caucus sites.
Trump won 98 of the state’s 99 counties… but he fell just short in Johnson County.
More specifically, the former president lost Johnson County by one vote — not one point, not one precinct, but one person.
In Johnson County, Trump earned 1,270 votes to Nikki Haley’s 1,271.
The former president may go on to sweep other states, after more candidates suspend their campaigns. In 2020, Joe Biden swept several states the week after Super Tuesday.
For now, conservative pundits are using the story of Johnson County to encourage turnout. National Review said in a headline, “Don’t Let Anyone Tell You Your Vote Doesn’t Matter!”
Take a look —
Don’t let anyone tell you your vote doesn’t matter.
A single vote in one county kept Trump from sweeping Iowa, limiting him to 98 counties instead of 99.
It really shows what kind of a difference a vote can make. | @jackbutler4815 https://t.co/m6PtVkTPnw
— National Review (@NRO) January 16, 2024
Trump goes 98/99 in Iowa, as he lost only Johnson County – home to the University of Iowa. Nikki Haley won Johnson County by a single vote over Trump, denying him a caucus sweep. pic.twitter.com/scM7cfOatP
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) January 16, 2024
Last night in the Iowa Caucuses, Donald Trump won every county except Johnson, which he lost to Nikki Haley by ONE VOTE
While Trump dominated the rural communities, Haley was strong in urban centers. Her massive lead in Iowa City fueled the win#IACaucus #IowaCaucus pic.twitter.com/P185TUvsMA
— Florida Data Geek ✝️🇺🇦 (@MappingFL) January 16, 2024
Johnson County is home to the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City.
In the early data, Iowa City appears to have broken for Haley by a landslide.
However, Haley — the former governor of South Carolina — underperformed in other college towns, like in Story County.
With around 96% of the expected vote in Story County reported, Haley was trailing Trump by 134 votes and leads Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by just over 100 votes.
North of Des Moines, Story County is a relatively Democratic-leaning area. It includes Ames, home to Iowa State University, and has trended toward more moderate Republican candidates in past caucuses. Eight years ago, it was one of five counties that Sen. Marco Rubio won. This is the type of county that Haley, who has courted more moderate voters, needed to perform well in if she is to overtake DeSantis.
Haley was leading in Story for much of the night, but that was largely a function of Story reporting its votes relatively more slowly than neighboring counties. This is not unusual: In Iowa, larger, more populated precincts take longer to count — and therefore report — their votes. Smaller precincts, which are also likelier to vote for more conservative candidates, can count faster and report earlier. With just 221 votes reported in the first two hours of caucusing, Haley led until a little after 10:30 p.m. ET.
In other words, Story County did not follow Johnson County.
However, Trump is no perfectionist. He didn’t let the Johnson County results interfere with his celebration of the statewide victory.
In a victory speech after the caucus, the former president was flanked on stage by members of his family and senior campaign staff, as well as members of Congress and other supporters who traveled to Iowa to campaign by his side.
He began his remarks with a conciliatory tone, saying it’s time for the country to come together.
Trump offered a shout-out to DeSantis and Haley, whom he has skewered on the trail.
“I want to congratulate Ron and Nikki for having a good time together,” he quipped.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contribtued to this article.