Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis finished in second place in Iowa on Monday night as the race now shifts to New Hampshire and South Carolina with questions swirling about what the second place finish will mean for his campaign going forward. 

DeSantis outperformed some polling expectations on Monday night finishing at roughly 21% when the Real Clear Politics average of polls showed him at 15.7% before votes were cast. However, Trump won a decisive victory with over 50% of the vote, the largest margin of victory in Iowa Caucus history, in a state where DeSantis had gone ‘all in’ with his campaign’s time and resources.

The DeSantis campaign touted the performance by saying that the Florida governor ‘earned his ticket out of Iowa.’

Former Ambassador Nikki Haley, who many pundits believed was surging in Iowa and could potentially finish ahead of DeSantis, finished in 3rd place a couple of points behind DeSantis.

‘They threw everything at Ron DeSantis,’ a senior DeSantis campaign official told Fox News Digital late Monday night. ‘They couldn’t kill him. He is not only still standing, but he’s now earned his ticket out of Iowa. This is going to be a long battle ahead, but that is what this campaign is built for. The stakes are too high for this nation and we will not back down.’

During his Monday night speech, DeSantis struck a defiant tone while speaking to his supporters.

‘I can tell you, because of your support, in spite of all of that they threw at us, everyone against us, we’ve got our ticket punched out of Iowa,’ DeSantis said.

‘This is our responsibility to carry this torch and to preserve this sacred fire of liberty, DeSantis said. ‘We thank you for your effort. We thank you for your support. You helped us get a ticket punched out of the Hawkeye State. We have a lot of work to do, but I can tell you this as the next President of the United States, I am going to get the job done for this country. I am not going to make any excuses and I guarantee you this. I will not let you down.’

Despite the close 2nd place finish, questions about whether DeSantis has the momentum and funding to compete with Trump in future states are likely to continue. 

Kellyanne Conway, former senior advisor to President Trump, told Fox News before the caucuses on Monday night that DeSantis ‘should continue on whether he finishes second or third.’

Fox News Chief Political Analyst Brit Hume pointed out that a second place finish in Iowa has historically led to securing the nomination on the GOP side.

‘Let’s not forget that second place has led to a lot of people winning the nomination in Iowa, you finish second in Iowa it’s worth something,’ Hume said as the results were coming in on Monday night. ‘There are a lot of places where it wouldn’t be and in the coming races in the future it won’t be as much but out here when you win second you go on and who knows you might win the nomination.’

Some on social media have called for DeSantis, and the other candidates, to drop out of the race given Trump’s dominant and historic victory on Monday night winning by roughly 30 points. 

‘Deciding to drop out is the hardest decision a presidential candidate can make. It’s deeply personal and emotional, no matter how obvious or rational it seems,’ GOP strategist Alex Conant, founding partner at Firehouse Strategies, told Fox News Digital hours before the votes were cast in Iowa on Monday night.  

‘If DeSantis does not beat Trump in Iowa tonight, he won’t beat him anywhere and his campaign will be effectively over. But it will be up to him when to drop out, and that’s anyone’s guess.’

DeSantis, who will hold two campaign events in South Carolina on Tuesday before flying to New Hampshire to campaign, has said multiple times that he is staying in the race regardless of Monday’s outcome in Iowa.

‘This campaign is built for the long-haul,’ DeSantis Comms Director Andrew Romeo said on January 12. ‘We intend to compete for every single available delegate in New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and then into March. That begins on Monday’s Iowa Caucus, and the next day we will kick our campaign into overdrive in both South Carolina and New Hampshire.’

‘We hope Donald Trump is ready for a long, scrappy campaign as we work to share Ron DeSantis’ vision across America. Game on.’

Because Iowa awards delegates proportionately, all of the top four candidates will receive delegates.

Trump currently holds large leads in the polls in both New Hampshire and South Carolina. The former president, according to the Real Clear Politics average of polls, holds a 14 point lead in New Hampshire and a 30 point lead in South Carolina.

The DeSantis campaign has touted his endorsements in Haley’s home state of South Carolina pointing out that he has earned more than she has.

‘Despite South Carolina being Nikki Haley’s home state, DeSantis has already built up an impressive grassroots organization,’ a campaign spokesperson recently told Fox News Digital. ‘He has endorsements from 74 current and former elected officials, while Haley has just 14. This includes 19 state legislators for DeSantis, compared to Haley’s 11.’

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has suspended his campaign and is throwing his support behind former President Trump after falling short at Monday’s Iowa Caucuses, Fox News Digital has confirmed.

Ramsaswamy kicked off his remarks by telling his supporters his campaign was ‘founded on speaking the truth not just when it’s easy but when it’s hard.’

‘It is true that we did not achieve the surprise that we wanted to deliver tonight,’ Ramaswamy said. ‘As of this moment, we are going to suspend this presidential campaign.’

‘Earlier tonight, I called Donald Trump to tell him that I congratulate him on his victory. And now going forward, he will have my full endorsement for the presidency,’ he later said. 

Ramaswamy earned roughly 8% support among caucusgoers, trailing behind both Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley finishing at second and third each at roughly 20% while Trump shattered contested caucus records earning more than 50% of the vote. 

Ramaswamy, who entered the race in February of last year with virtually zero name recognition, outlasted several big-name Republicans including former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former Vice President Mike Pence.  

A big focus of his campaign was restoring America’s identity and his call to demolish the bureaucratic state by dramatically cutting the size of federal government. The 38-year-old also argued that Republicans needed to elect a candidate with ‘fresh legs’ in an attempt to draw contrast between himself and 77-year-old Trump, who he had regularly declared the ‘greatest president’ of his lifetime. 

While the Iowa caucuses didn’t go his way, it wasn’t because Ramaswamy didn’t put the effort in. His campaign touted that he had completed the ‘Full Grassley’ twice, meaning he had visited all of Iowa’s 99 counties at least two times. And he held more campaign events than any other candidate running in the Hawkeye State. Ramaswamy, a multimillionaire, largely funded his own campaign. 

Even Trump himself appeared to be threatened by Ramaswamy in the late stages of the race, attacking him on Truth Social within days of the Iowa Caucuses. 

The biotech entrepreneur began earning attention in conservative circles with the release of his 2021 book ‘Woke, Inc.,’ which put a spotlight on how identity politics and social justice movements have plagued corporations. But he started becoming a household name for his bombastic performances at the Republican debates, sparring with several of the establishment-friendly GOP candidates, especially Haley, who he had branded as ‘corrupt’ on a notepad he held up in what quickly became a meme on social media. 

Ramaswamy’s rise in the polls throughout 2023 may be credited to his embrace of media appearances, rarely saying no to an invitation regardless of the size of the platform or how adversary the outlet, while other candidates were more cautious when it came to granting interviews. 

The young political outsider was widely praised for how he would engage with hostile attendees at campaign events who would confront him on issues like abortion, climate change and trans issues, often becoming viral moments with Ramaswamy being heralded as an effective communicator. He was also cheered on by the conservative base for his combative exchanges with members of the legacy media.

Critics hit Ramaswamy for constantly defending Trump amid his legal woes and showering him with praise throughout his candidacy, so much so that Ramaswamy was accused of being a de facto Trump surrogate in the race. He faced accusations of being a flip-flopper on various issues like his views of Jan. 6. Ramaswamy was also heavily targeted by GOP rivals for his foreign policy positions during the debates. 

Ramaswamy was frequently joined on the campaign trail by his surgeon wife Apoorva and their two young boys. He often spoke about how his Hindu faith was aligned with the values of Evangelical Christian voters in the state. 

While his White House aspirations were cut short in 2024, many believe Ramaswamy has a long future in conservative politics, with some thinking he will land a spot in Trump’s cabinet and others predicting another presidential bid in the not too distant future. 

It’s caucus night in Iowa and our Fox News Voter Analysis has been asking likely Republican caucusgoers in the state – more than 1,500 of them – whom they are supporting and why.

Conducted along with our partners The Associated Press and NORC at the University of Chicago, Fox News will be using this innovative election survey approach throughout the 2024 primary season.

On a personal level, what do Iowa Republicans think about their family’s financial situation? Like we’ve seen in national polling, Iowans say they’re in bad shape financially. Just about one in 10 say they’re getting ahead, while three times that say they are falling behind. A majority say they’re holding steady. 

In Iowa, we’ll also be looking at questions such as who was able to motivate first-time caucusgoers to head out into the cold weather and give up a few hours on their Monday evening? Are GOP caucus attendees interested in a candidate who has good policy ideas? One who is a strong leader? What about defeating President Biden in the fall – is that what Iowa Republicans care about most of all? 

We’ll also be diving into the most important issues facing the country. Is it the economy? Abortion? Immigration?

And will Republicans come together and support their nominee in November, or are we looking at a chance that the party will split?

All that and more is on deck. The survey questionnaire and results will be posted on foxnews.com after 8:00 p.m. ET, and keep checking back here for more news and analysis of the results.

In a David versus Goliath matchup, the Supreme Court will hear a set of arguments on Wednesday over a Commerce Department regulation, through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), that could sink the fishing industry in the United Sates.

Last year, a group of fishermen from New Jersey petitioned the Supreme Court to consider their lawsuit against the NOAA, which required their boats to pay roughly $700 a day to fund the salary of a human ‘at-sea’ monitor for each expedition to ensure compliance of fishing laws.

At the heart of their arguments before the high court is what’s called the Chevron doctrine, established in 1984 by a case called Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.

In that case, the Supreme Court said that if a federal rule is challenged in court, the court should give deference to the agency and its ‘reasonable’ interpretation of a congressional statute it argues granted them permission to create the rule. 

The fishermen will argue that the at-sea monitor payment mandate violates Article 1 of the Constitution and that the court should overturn Chevron, an outcome that would significantly change the legal landscape for the administrative state. 

But for the fishermen, many of whom are stewards of fourth- and fifth generation small family businesses, a legal victory would mean securing their livelihoods they feel have been on the brink. 

‘It’s pretty much unfathomable,’ Jerry Leman, founder of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA), told Fox News Digital in an interview, speaking of the financial burden on the boats for at-sea monitors.

NEFSA is a bipartisan, nonprofit alliance of fishermen off the coast of New England fighting to limit erroneous government regulations. 

‘We’ve never really had a say,’ Aaron Williams, captain of the F/V Tradition in Stonington, Connecticut, said of the mandate. ‘It would just be nice to have our voices heard.’ 

On top of the burdensome costs, the fishermen argue that the at-sea monitors are not required to have any specific marine education and are given minimal training prior to boarding their vessel. Some, having never been on a boat previously, often suffer seasickness and record faulty information, according to the fishermen.

The New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA) filed a similar lawsuit the Supreme Court will also hear Wednesday morning, representing fishing companies Relentless Inc., Huntress Inc., and Seafreeze Fleet LLC, the largest producer and trader of sea-frozen seafood on the East Coast. 

‘The people of New England famously rebelled against George III because he ‘erected’ ‘New Offices and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass’ them ‘and eat out their substance,’’ NCLA states in its legal filing. 

The group says their clients ‘have revived cause for similar grievance by promulgating a regulation that requires at-sea monitors to be paid for by the very fishing vessels forced to carry them.’

In both cases, the fishermen argue that the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which governs marine fisheries, allows for federal monitoring, but must do so on the government’s dime. It does not give agencies an allowance to charge fishermen for the cost of monitors. 

NCLA argues in its brief that when NOAA asked Congress to appropriate funds for the at-sea monitors, those funds were denied – further cementing the notion that NOAA is out of its bounds set by the legislative branch.

Meghan Lapp, a fisheries management expert at the Center for Sustainable Fisheries, notes that an economic impact analysis on companies like Relentless showed the at-sea monitors cost cut into 20% of the fishermen’s income. 

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Lapp noted that fishing – the country’s oldest industry – is also the nation’s eighth-most regulated industry. Without the additional at-sea monitors, there are already systems in place that trace boat speed and collect biological samples, among other things. 

Lapp also argued that if the fishing industry ‘continues to get put out of business by government overreach’ through programs like the monitor mandate, it could have a negative impact on the environment worldwide.

‘[If] your only other option for seafood is imports… what people have to understand is that by doing that, you’re actually creating an environmental issue,’ said Lapp. ‘The United States has the highest environmental standards of any country in the world when it comes to fisheries. So our wild harvested seafood is the most sustainable seafood that you’re going to find on the planet.’

‘If you’re going to put our fishermen out of business, then you’re going to be purchasing seafood from countries with little or no regulation. So the environmental impact of relying on imports rather than U.S.-caught product, it’s actually more damaging to the environment,’ Lapp says.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments in the two cases, Relentless v. Department of Commerce and Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Leman says he hopes the Supreme Court rules their way so New England fishermen can keep their businesses afloat. 

‘Most of us… are multigeneration fishermen. These are fisheries that were passed down from generations, in our hometown, to us. I have not yet met a fisherman that wants to kill the last fish. I mean, what would we do tomorrow?’ Leman said. 

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., endorsed former President Trump on Sunday instead of his state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, for the 2024 presidential election.

‘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,’ Rubio wrote on X.

‘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,’ he added. ‘It’s time to get on with the work of beating Biden & saving America!’

Rubio had contested against Trump in the 2016 election but withdrew from the race following his defeat in the Florida primary. Last November, Florida Sen. Rick Scott threw his support behind Trump, leading both state senators to favor Trump over DeSantis.

During the contentious 2016 race, Trump often referred to Rubio as ‘Little Marco,’ while Rubio referred to Trump as a ‘con artist’ and said his administration would be ‘chaos.’ 

Just hours before Rubio threw his support behind Trump, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum — who also dropped out of the 2024 race — endorsed the former president as well.

Rubio’s endorsement comes as Trump remains the consistent frontrunner in surveys. He joins nearly two dozen GOP senators in endorsing Trump, including Sens. JD Vance of Ohio, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Rick Scott of Florida, Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt of Missouri, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and others.

Iowa caucusgoers will cast their vote for the Republican presidential nominee Monday evening. 

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.