Ted Cruz has won the Iowa caucuses while Democratic candidates Sen.
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While the Republican and Democratic contests were fiercely contested, the showdown between Clinton and Sanders was down to the wire with incomplete results giving Clinton less than a one percent margin of victory.
Two contenders: Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, dropped out after poor showings today in Iowa.
Rubio finished a solid third, just one percentage point behind Trump but well ahead of the rest of the GOP field.
“Tonight, the state of Iowa has spoken”, Cruz said at a rally in Des Moines following his win. Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across this great nation.
Cruz spent months touring the state and reaching out to important evangelical voters in the state.
“It is just too late for establishment politics, and establishment economics”, he said amid boisterous chants of “feel the Bern” – his campaign slogan.
Latino Republican presidential candidates had a good night in Iowa, while Democrats nearly encountered a statistical tie.
Clinton, 68, said she was breathing a “big sigh of relief” after the results.
The former first lady congratulated Sanders and did not declare victory in her remarks.
“It’s rare that we have the opportunity we do now – to have a real contest of ideas, to really think hard about what the Democratic Party stands for and what we want the future of our country to look like”, Clinton said in a speech.
As recently as a week before the caucuses, polls showed Clinton and Sanders in a statistical tie in Iowa.
“We came in and we took on the entire political establishment and we fought them to a draw”, said Sanders adviser Tad Devine.
The results could shift momentum in both races.
Mr Sanders maintained his strong social media presence during the caucuses, commanding more Twitter mentions than Ms Clinton.
Clinton’s victory in Iowa shores up her footing somewhat heading into the next contest – with even a narrow Iowa win under her belt, a potential loss in New Hampshire won’t be quite as painful. Based on polling data prior to the caucus, Cruz, Trump and Rubio were expected to place in the top three, but the Florida senator actually performed better than expected. In fact, I think I might come here and buy a farm.
The results could have ramifications going forward.
The Republican and Democratic party nominees will be chosen by the summer, and USA voters will pick current president Barack Obama’s successor in November.
But Sanders says he took a “giant step” in Iowa to overcome doubts among voters that he could win a general election.
The newspaper said party officials ordered another coin flip to decide a dispute between the campaigns at an Ames precinct. Huckabee won the Iowa caucus in 2008.
Sanders has railed against economic inequality, making it a hallmark of his campaign.
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Market reaction in Asia to the results was muted, with USA stock futures down around half a per cent. Bernie Sanders and Sec.
