Fact Check: Iowa has voted for the Republican candidate in the last three presidential elections
What We Know
Iowa has participated in every U.S. presidential election since its admission to statehood in 1846. In the last three presidential elections—2016, 2020, and the upcoming 2024 election—Iowa voted for the Republican candidate each time. In the 2016 election, Donald Trump won Iowa with 51.15% of the vote against Hillary Clinton, who received 41.74% (source-2). In the 2020 election, Trump again secured victory in Iowa, winning by a margin of approximately 8.2% over Joe Biden (source-3).
Historical voting data shows that Iowa has leaned Republican in recent elections, with the last Democratic candidate to win the state being Barack Obama in 2008 (source-1).
Analysis
The claim that Iowa has voted for the Republican candidate in the last three presidential elections is supported by the official election results from both the 2016 and 2020 elections. The 2016 election results indicate that Trump was the first Republican to win Iowa since George W. Bush in 2004, and he did so with a significant margin (source-2). In 2020, Trump maintained his popularity in the state, winning again by a notable margin, which further solidifies the trend of Republican support in Iowa (source-3).
The reliability of the sources used is high. The election results from the New York Times and Wikipedia are well-documented and widely accepted as authoritative references for U.S. election data. Additionally, the historical context provided by the Wikipedia page on U.S. presidential elections in Iowa offers a comprehensive overview of voting trends in the state, enhancing the credibility of the claim.
Conclusion
Verdict: True
The claim that Iowa has voted for the Republican candidate in the last three presidential elections is accurate. The evidence from the 2016 and 2020 elections clearly shows that Iowa supported the Republican candidates, confirming the assertion.
