In the Democratic race Clinton had 50 per cent support to 49 per cent for Sanders with more than three-quarters of precincts reporting.
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Republicans produced a record turnout for the Iowa caucuses. For the Republicans, Texas Sen.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, is greeted by his wife Melania Trump at a campaign rally at the Ramada Waterloo Hotel and Convention Center on February 1, 2016 in Waterloo, Iowa.
Clinton had battled an insurgent challenge from Sanders, a self-described Democratic socialist.
Trump doubled down on winning the nomination and besting either Hillary Clinton or Vermont Sen. “That’s a fact”, Sanders told volunteers and supporters in Des Moines. Rubio had 23 percent. To defeat Clinton, Sanders would have to repeat the momentum-building triumph of Barack Obama in 2008 – when he closed a huge gap with her in later-voting southern states.
Candidates faced an electorate deeply frustrated with Washington. Meanwhile, with his promise to appoint judges to overturn nationwide marriage equality and overturn President Obama’s executive orders banning LGBT discrimination among federal contractors, Marco Rubio’s “New American Century” looks a lot like the last one. Four in 10 said they were angry and half said they were dissatisfied.
The Florida senator was the clear favorite of caucus-goers who were most concerned about electability.
Sanders, for his part, held a raucous rally Saturday in Iowa City with rockers Vampire Weekend, underlining his popularity with younger voters. Clinton won the majority of voters over age 45. But, given its prime leadoff spot in the primary season, the state gets extra attention from presidential campaigns.
While recent polls gave Trump a slight lead over Cruz in Iowa, Cruz told supporters he saw a statistical tie as voters headed for caucus locations Monday night.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is also skipping New Hampshire.
And Clinton was seeking to cement her frontrunner status within that party. Sanders declared the results a tie.
“I will be our nominee because of what you have done here in this great state”, he continued, pledging to “unify this party and the conservative movement”.
Monday’s contest provided hard evidence that Trump could not easily turn the legion of fans drawn to his adversarial populism into voters. He intensified his campaign schedule during the final sprint, including dropping by a caucus site in West Des Moines. He spent the closing days of the Iowa campaign focused intensely on Rubio, in an unsuccessful attempt to keep the Florida senator from competing for second place.
The victory in the first Republican nominating contest ensures that Cruz will be a force in the presidential race for weeks to come – if not longer. “Ted Cruz proved he could successfully beat back Trump attacks because he had a great ground game and identified well with evangelical voters”.
The caucuses resulted in two casualties – one on each side.
Rubio also saluted former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, the 2008 caucus victor who announced he was suspending his campaign after a poor finish on Monday.
The threat of a snowstorm late Monday appeared to do little to deter voter turnout, though campaigns were still anxious that the weather could hinder the hopefuls in their rush out of Iowa. Registration is available for both parties on caucus night.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016 in Waterloo, Iowa.
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Cruz, arguing that he is eligible because his mother was a US citizen, responded by questioning Trump’s commitment to conservatism, citing his past support for Democratic candidates and causes. If the number in any group is less than 15 percent of the total, they can either bow out or join another viable candidate’s group.
