Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, indicated to Fox Tuesday morning that the Iowa Caucus had shaken up the race for the GOP presidential nomination.
“We have a lot of drama and intrigue going on in our party right now,” Priebus said. He did not elaborate on what precisely he meant by that, but the statement came in response to questions about where the party stood as it headed towards the New Hampshire primary, traditionally an event that shapes the rest of the race.
The Iowa caucuses ended with three candidate — Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and billionaire businessman Donald Trump — collectively getting three-quarters of the vote. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee dropped out after getting only 2 percent and pressure on the remaining candidates to drop out as well will likely increase. The Iowa results are also likely to intensify fighting between the remaining top vote-getters.
Late Monday, retired surgeon Ben Carson, who finished fourth with 9 percent, accused others of “dirty tricks” during the caucuses by seizing on false reports that Carson was dropping out of the race. “Even tonight, my opponents resorted to political tricks by tweeting, texting and telling precinct captains to announce that I had suspended my campaign — in some cases asking caucus-goers to change their votes,” Carson said in a statement.
Priebus nevertheless put a positive spin on the Iowa outcome, noting to Fox that two of the GOP’s top finishers, Cruz and Rubio, were both Hispanics. “Where is the media on that?” he asked.
He also said that turnout at the caucus, an estimated 182,000 people, beat the party’s “baseline” expectations. “150,000 was the original mark,” he said.
Priebus said the GOP’s crowded field of contenders was having a positive impact on the party’s fall prospects. With so many candidates “pushing on the ground,” they are generating a lot more data on where to find potential voters for the general election. “I think it is ultimately good for our party,” he argued.
