What's next for DeSantis, Haley after losing big to Trump in Iowa?
Iowa's caucus results show that Republicans who didn't want Trump failed to coalesce around a clear alternative to the former president.
Ron DeSantis edged out Nikki Haley and finished in second with 21% of the vote. However, Haley finished close behind with 19% of the vote.
Throughout their Iowa campaigns, DeSantis and Haley spent most of their time and money attacking each other instead of frontrunner Donald Trump.
An outside group supporting Haley flooded Iowa airwaves with ads attacking DeSantis. Supporters of DeSantis spent millions attacking Haley in Iowa.
In the final stretch of their campaign, both Haley and DeSantis frequently criticized the other during town halls and campaign events.
However, as the results poured in on caucus night, neither Haley or DeSantis came close to Donald Trump's lead. The former president sailed to a historic victory as he secured 51% of the vote.
"When Iowa Republicans spoke, he [Trump] won not by 20 percentage points, but by 30 percentage points," political analyst Marc Sandalow said. "I think last night confirmed that Donald Trump is firmly in control of this race."
Despite finishing 30 percentage points behind the former president, DeSantis celebrated his second-place finish. As he addressed supporters at the end of caucus night, he told them that his performance in Iowa keeps him in the race.
"Because of your support, despite all of that they threw at us, everyone against us, we got our ticket punched out of Iowa," DeSantis said on stage.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks in Des Moines after finishing second in Iowa caucuses
But as Haley addressed her supporters on caucus night, she claimed her close third-place finish in Iowa cements her as Trump's chief Republican rival.
"I can safely say, tonight, Iowa made this Republican primary a two-person race," Haley said on stage.
Republican strategist Eric Woolson said Haley has more resources and, compared to DeSantis, a more realistic path forward to the presidency.
"It's unusual for a candidate to finish third and then say it's a two-person race, but it really does come down to that," Woolson said. "Gov. DeSantis doesn't have the organization in place that Ambassador Haley does in not only New Hampshire, where she's very strong, but also South Carolina and on."
Nikki Haley speaks in Des Moines after third-place finish in Iowa caucuses
While Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucus plays a significant role, sending a signal to the world about who Republicans want in the White House, Sandalow cautions there's still a long road ahead.
"Here's one way to look at it, 40 delegates out of 2500 is what Iowa contributed," Sandalow said. "That's 1.5% of all the delegates. If this were a football game, we would still be in the first minute of play."