Cruz Wins Iowa Caucuses

U.S. Texas Senator Ted Cruz on Monday won Iowa Republican caucuses with a comfortable lead over billionaire developer Donald Trump despite the latter’s dominance in the Republican field over the past six months.

Cruz’s victory over Trump was a testament to his massive get-out-the-vote operation in Iowa and the months he spent wooing the state’s influential conservative and evangelical leaders.

It was such a close race between Clinton and Sanders that Democrats flipped coins in some precincts to determine how to award an extra county delegate, a rare but longstanding procedure to break a tie.

In the Democratic race, former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley was considered the most endangered Democrat prior to the caucuses. Even winding up in third place could energize supporters. “That’s why over the weekend, the Clinton campaign reached out to more than 125,000 households”, she said.

Addressing supporters after the vote, she made no direct comment on the result, saying only that she looked forward to a “real contest of ideas” with her rival. A ratings monster, Trump has dominated headlines and debate coverage, and was favored as the victor going into Iowa. Rubio’s stronger-than-expected finish could help cement his status as the favourite of mainstream Republican voters who worry that Cruz and Trump are too caustic to win the November general election.

The huge number of votes achieved by the fiery Senator is the highest number ever achieved by a Republican candidate at an Iowa caucus.

Rubio said, “They told me I needed to wait my turn, that I needed to wait in line”.

Iowa has held the first nominating contests, called caucuses, since the early 1970s, giving it extra weight in the United States electoral process that can translate into momentum for winning candidates. “We’re leaving tonight and tomorrow afternoon we’ll be in New Hampshire…” And we were taking on the most powerful political organization in the United States of America.

The Florida senator finished close behind Trump with 23 percent of the vote.

For Clinton’s supporters, the tight race with Sanders was sure to bring back painful memories of her loss to Barack Obama in 2008.

Meanwhile, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said on Twitter he’s ending his second run for president.

I think the people of Iowa have sent a very profound message to the political establishment, to the economic establishment, and by the way, to the media establishment.

That’s because Rubio and Cruz compete for a lot of the same voters. Large crowds filled churches, gymnasiums, and other public buildings across the largely rural state.

Sanders counters with very liberal caucus-goers, independents, young people and first-time participants, according to preliminary exit poll results measuring initial preferences.