Iowa Democrats to become 'Republicans for a day' to vote for Nikki Haley

The Republican caucuses in Iowa on Monday could see some unwelcome voters as some Iowa Democrats and Independents consider crashing the caucuses in an attempt to secure a win for Nikki Haley. This "crossover," where Democrats become "Republicans for day, is not only possible due to the state's election laws but is a long-standing tradition in Iowa.

Iowa voting rules allow for voters to register on the same day as the caucus, meaning that Iowa Democrats could switch their party affiliation for the day and then switch it back once they've cast their votes. Democrats aren't holding a primary caucus this year, given that President Joe Biden is running for a second term.

Axios reports that this is a "big unknown" heading into Monday, along with blizzard conditions that have seem temps in the double negative digits. One West Des Moines resident told the outlet that he intends to vote in the GOP caucus, despite being a Democrat, simply to "diminish Trump's inevitability." He's not a fan of Haley, but said h'd "hold [his] nose and caucus for Haley."

Democrats, said a Republican precinct captain in Cedar Rapids, "get to come over and pick the candidate for Joe Biden to oppose." That will definitely not be former President Donald Trump given how he's beating Biden in polls on the hypothetical rematch nationwide.

Haley is in second place behind Trump after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis slipped to third in polling. Vivek Ramaswamy, still in the race, is polling in single digits behind the other three. Trump, however, holds a commanding lead both in Iowa and across the country as the GOP favorite.

While it is unlikely that any amount of Democrat crossover could secure a win for Haley, but GOP strategist David Kochel said that even if "5,000 or 7,500 people across the state cross over for her, that might be the difference between her and Ron DeSantis."