Donald Trump has easily won the Republican party’s Iowa caucuses, according to a projection by Sky’s US partner NBC News.
The voting is the first step in a process that’s likely to see the former president picked as Republican candidate for November’s election.
Mr Trump was overwhelming favourite to be top pick among Republican members in the state and all eyes are on his margin of victory and who comes second.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley were hoping for a respectable result to position themselves as a credible challenger.
NBC News projects Mr DeSantis has finished just ahead of his rival.
Mr Trump earlier urged supporters to brave temperatures as cold as -30C to vote, joking “even if you vote and then pass away, it’s worth it”.
Speaking as his victory became clear, he thanked supporters and detailed his plans if he regains the White House.
Covering familiar ground, he pledged to stop the “invasion” of migrants at the Mexico border and “drill baby drill” for oil.
He also promised to solve the Israel-Hamas and Ukraine wars “very fast” and repeated debunked claims that the last presidential election was stolen.
Mr DeSantis crisscrossed the state to make his case
Voting among Republican party members began at 7pm local time on Monday in hundreds of schools, community centres and other venues across Iowa.
Those who attend listen to speeches on behalf of each candidate before making their choice.
Mr Trump is currently forecast to secure 19 delegates in Iowa, with Ron DeSantis on eight and Nikki Haley seven.
His current share of the vote is forecast at 51%, while the Florida governor is on 21% and Ms Haley 19%.
If verified, the result would comfortably be the largest-ever margin of victory in the state.
The voting took place amid brutally cold temperatures. Pic: AP
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Trump: ‘It’s nasty out there’
A big win for Mr Trump would strengthen his claim that he’s the only candidate able to mount a serious challenge to President Biden.
The current president posted on X his predecessor is “the clear front runner on the other side”.
“This election was always going to be you and me vs. extreme MAGA Republicans. It was true yesterday and it’ll be true tomorrow,” he said.
Nikki Haley addressed supporters in state capital Des Moines and claimed the race was now between herself and Mr Trump – despite her apparent third-place finish.
She 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 in Iowa and is now backing Mr Trump.
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A Trump supporter in Des Moines, Iowa. Pic: AP
Votes are counted at Fellows Elementary School in Ames, Iowa
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.
