The icy weather in the Midwestern state has become a wild card in the crucial contest that could help seal former president Donald Trump's bid to become the Republican nominee to face Democratic President Joe Biden in November's general election.
His top rivals, former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, are banking on good showings in Iowa to puncture Trump's air of inevitability. But the extreme cold could scramble those calculations by keeping people indoors and suppressing voter turnout.
At a rally in Indianola, Trump urged his supporters to dress warmly and joked that single attendees might meet their future spouse if they show up on Jan 15 night. "You can't sit home... Even if you vote and then pass away, it is worth it," Trump said to laughter.
More than 500 supporters wearing trademark red baseball hats as well as heavy coats, earmuffs and boots had packed the venue.
The highly regarded Des Moines Register/NBC News poll released late on Jan 13 found that Trump had the most supporters saying they were very enthusiastic about his candidacy, suggesting that they may not be deterred by the forecast for the coldest Iowa caucus night ever minus 30 deg C.
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