Here are 5 things to keep an eye on in Iowa's Republican presidential caucuses

Campaign employees remove a sign for Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis following a campaign event in Davenport, Iowa, on Saturday. Nikhinson Julia/ABACA/Shutterstock

Iowa Republicans who are willing to brave record-low temperatures are set to kick off the party’s 2024 presidential nominating process with Monday night’s caucuses.

The Arctic cold largely froze the field in the race’s final days, with former President Donald Trump, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and others shortening their lists of scheduled events.

Now, Iowa voters will render the first verdict of the 2024 election, weighing in on which Republican should take on President Joe Biden in November.

Will Trump top 50%?

• The big question about Trump’s performance isn’t just whether he will win — but whether he will do so in a fashion that demonstrates the GOP electorate has no appetite for a Trump alternative.

The race for second place

• The most important question Monday night might be who finishes second — and whether that candidate does so in decisive fashion. National polls of likely Republican primary voters show Trump with the same commanding lead he’s held for months. But, even if it’s a long shot, a path for Haley to seriously challenge Trump has emerged in recent weeks: a win in New Hampshire, where a recent CNN poll showed her within single digits of the former president.

Does Iowa narrow the field?

• The Iowa caucuses have a history of paring down both parties’ fields of presidential contenders. In 2012, former Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann dropped out after finishing sixth. In 2016, two former Iowa winners — former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee — exited after disappointing performances, as did Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.