January 14 - 2024 campaign updates

Our live coverage has ended. Read more about the 2024 campaign and lead up to the Iowa caucuses in the posts below.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley on Sunday brushed off Donald Trump calling her “not tough enough” a day ahead of the pivotal Iowa caucuses, claiming the former president and GOP front-runner attacked her because he “knows that he’s in trouble.”

“Everybody that’s ever worked for me or worked with me, no one ever questions my toughness,” Haley told CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday. “He’s saying this because now he knows he’s in trouble. Now he knows this is becoming a two-person race. So I know that he knows the truth. It doesn’t bother me at all.”

Haley, who served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, told Bash she found the comments “comical because when I was at the UN, he always used to tell people, ‘don’t mess with her. She’s tough.’”

Recent polls have shown Haley gaining momentum in the GOP primary race, which has led Trump – who maintains a commanding lead in Iowa and national polls – to shift his attacks from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to the former South Carolina governor.

Republican candidates are making their final bids to party members ahead of tomorrow's Iowa caucuses.

Severe weather has disrupted some of the proceedings: Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was forced to cancel her Dubuque event and instead hold a tele-town hall.

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump began the last day of campaigning in bitter cold Iowa boosted by new polling showing him with a dominant lead among Republicans in the Hawkeye State, as his closest competitors — Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — continue their jockeying for second place.

Here are some of today's key updates:

Trump buoyed by poll and endorsements: A new CBS News/YouGov national survey has found the former president holds the support of 69% of likely Republican primary voters nationwide on the eve of the Iowa caucuses. Trump made an unannounced stop this morning to visit campaign volunteers phone-banking for him at the Fort Des Moines hotel. He also received endorsements Sunday from North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who dropped out of the GOP presidential primary in December, and Sen. Marco Rubio.

Haley endorsements: Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan endorsed Haley Sunday. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who has previously endorsed the former South Carolina governor for the GOP Republican presidential nominee, said that she could "post a strong second" in Iowa and New Hampshire. Haley has brushed off the new Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom poll that found only about 4 in 10 of her supporters said they're enthusiastic about their candidate.

Trump takes aim at Haley: Trump stepped up his attacks on rival Haley during his final rally before the caucuses, claiming she’s “not much of a Republican.” “Nikki did a good job, she was okay, but she’s not right to be president,” Trump said of Haley — his former ambassador to the United Nations.

DeSantis vows to stay in the race: The Florida governor said Sunday that he's in the 2024 race for the “long haul,” despite lagging numbers in the final Iowa polling. Even with Trump's significant lead in the polls, DeSantis told CNN “a lot of voters haven’t made a final decision.”

Ramaswamy predicts "late surge": Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said he believes his campaign is gaining momentum in Iowa one day before the caucuses, citing a string of recent endorsements and turnout at his events as evidence of a “late surge.” He also says he isn’t assigning much weight to Trump's first criticism of his campaign.

Organizers voice confidence: GOP chairman Jeff Kaufmann has played a key role in Iowa's caucuses for over a decade — and he has prepared for every possibility on Monday. He says there can be "no questioning" of Monday's results at the caucuses.

Young Iowans pressed GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on voting rights, immigration and his views on former President Donald Trump at a campaign event Sunday.

A young woman at a town hall in Ames, Iowa, pressed him on the constitutionality of his proposal to raise the legal voting age to 25 and to force high school graduates to pass a civics test or volunteer in civil service to earn the right to vote before age 25.

Ramaswamy said he thinks it’s “a good thing for every American to know the basics of our country” without addressing her question on the legal ramifications.

Another young woman asked about his immigration policy, specifically whether he supported family separation policies controversially implemented by the Trump administration.

Ramaswamy said he would not separate families illegally entering the country together and would instead deport whole family units back to their countries of origin, while also stressing the need to utilize US military personnel to secure the southern border.

Asked by a student journalist why voters should support his candidacy even as he’s supported Trump, the frontrunner in the Republican primary, Ramaswamy called it “a fair question.” He reiterated his long support for Trump but said that Trump’s candidacy is destined to fail because of his legal exposure and the strength of the political opposition against him.

“I've done everything in my power to push back against this, but at a certain point now we have to open our eyes, people,” he said.

Former President Donald Trump escalated his attacks on rival Nikki Haley during his final rally before Monday’s Iowa caucuses, claiming she’s “not much of a Republican.” 

“Nikki did a good job, she was okay, but she’s not right to be president. I know her very well, the wrong thought process, the wrong policy,” Trump said of Haley – his former ambassador to the UN.

“And honestly she’s not tough enough. She’s not tough enough. These are tough people we’re dealing with,” Trump added, describing authoritarian leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping as being “very tough.”

Trump’s comments come as his campaign is closely watching Haley climb in New Hampshire primary polls. A recent CNN poll has her knocking Trump’s lead in the Republican primary race in New Hampshire to single digits, and the final Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom poll before Monday’s caucuses has her placing second to Trump, who currently holds a wide lead in Iowa.

Trump’s campaign, as well as the leading Trump-backed super PAC, MAGA Inc., have poured millions of dollars into adds in New Hampshire attacking Haley on immigration and trying to tie her to President Joe Biden. The ads are part of a larger effort to try and blunt her momentum in the Granite State.

“You can't sit home. If you're sick as a dog, you say ‘Darling, I gotta make it,'" Trump said Sunday. "Even if you vote and then pass away, it's worth it."

Sen. Marco Rubio on Sunday endorsed Donald Trump for president one day ahead of the pivotal Iowa caucuses.

“When Trump was in WH I achieved major policies I had worked on for years (like expanded Child Tax Credit & tough sanctions on regime in Cuba & Venezuela) because we had a President who didn’t cave to special interests or let bureaucrats block us," he wrote on X.

Rubio added, "I support Trump because that kind of leadership is the ONLY way we will get the extraordinary actions needed to fix the disaster Biden has created."

The Florida Republican, once a critic of Trump when he ran against him in 2016, said Sunday "it’s time to get on with the work of beating Biden & saving America!”

The endorsement marks a stark departure from Rubio's posture in 2016, when he told CNN that "for years to come, there are many people on the right, in the media and voters at large that are going to have to justify how they fell into this trap.”

But over time Rubio has softened on Trump, who has supported his previous reelection campaigns in Florida. Rubio has been careful not to criticize Trump – whether on the January 6, 2021, insurrection, his removal of White House records to Mar-a-Lago or even the incessant conspiracies and lies about the 2020 election being stolen.

Notably, former South Carolina governor and GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley endorsed Rubio in his presidential election in 2016, saying at the time, “If we elect Marco Rubio, every day will be a great day in America.”

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who dropped out of the GOP presidential primary in December, endorsed former President Donald Trump on Sunday at Trump’s last in-person rally before the Iowa caucuses. 

“Today I'm here to do something that none of the other presidential primary candidates have done. And that's endorse Donald J. Trump for the President of the United States of America,” Burgum said at Trump’s rally in Indianola. 

Burgum, who had launched a long-shot bid for president, said, “Under President Trump, America was safe and prosperous, and tomorrow when you caucus, you have an opportunity to send a message to the nation and send a message to the world that Donald J. Trump will make America great again. Thank you very much, Iowa.”

“States like Iowa, states like North Dakota, heartland states — we had a friend and a partner in the White House who understood us and who wanted to see our state succeed versus being regulated out of business,” Burgum told the crowd.

Trump said he was “very impressed” with Burgum as he introduced him to the stage and touted his credentials as a businessman. 

“I was very impressed with him. He ran in the primary, I thought he was just outstanding and he’s got an incredible record,” Trump said.

Residents of Perry, Iowa, will caucus at the local elementary school Monday after the original location, Perry High School, became the site of a shooting earlier this month.

“Due to the unfortunate circumstances at Perry High School, we worked with the school administration to switch the site,” Terry Rich of the Dallas County GOP said in a statement provided to CNN.  

There has not been a date set for classes to return to the high school. On the morning of January 4, as students and faculty returned to classes after the holidays, a 17-year-old gunman opened fire, killing a sixth-grade student and wounding seven other people. 

On Sunday, high school principal Dan Marburger died after he sustained injuries in the attack. He was hailed a hero after trying to save students by talking to and distracting the shooter as the deadly attack unfolded, his daughter, Claire Marburger, shared on social media shortly after the shooting.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, after learning of Marburger’s death from a reporter’s question following a campaign event in Ankeny, Iowa, on Sunday, offered sympathies to the Perry community. 

“My condolences go to him and his family and everybody in that community,” he said. “What Perry went through, no community should have to go through, no parent should have to go through, the fear of even sending their kids to school, let alone parenting the victim of that type of tragedy. So, my prayers go out to the principal.”

Ramaswamy said he was in Perry hosting a campaign event the morning the shooting occurred, calling the day "emotional" and pledging to make schools safer as president in part by implementing his policy to put three armed security guards at every public school in the nation. 

GOP presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson also remembered Marburger as a “hero” in a statement Sunday.

“America lost a hero today. I know all of Iowa is suffering because Dan Marburger died from his sacrificial effort to protect his students. He worked everyday to improve the lives of his students and on that day, he literally saved the lives of students. This is a day to remember a great man and do what we can to help a community get through their pain and loss,” Hutchinson said.

Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann has played a key role in the state's caucuses for over a decade — and he has prepared for every possibility on Monday.

He spoke with CNN Political Director David Chalian about training thousands of volunteers for tomorrow’s big event and how there can be “no questioning of these results” due to the transparency with which the contests are conducted.

Listen to the CNN Political Briefing here.