Santorum Ties Romney in Iowa Caucus

DES MOINES, Iowa – Mitt Romney claimed victory by a mere eight votes over in the closest race in the storied history of the Iowa caucuses. Ron Paul, who grew up in Green Tree, finished a strong third.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who finished a poor fifth, behind former U.S. Speaker Newt Gingrich, said he would return home to "assess the results," politicial speak for his probably decision to drop out of the race.

Iowa native Michele Bachmann, who failed to win even one of the state's 99 counties, finished in sixth, just ahead of Jon Huntsman, who did not compete.

In percentages, the results showed Romney and Santorum with 25 percent each, Paul with 21, Gingrich with 13, Perry with 10 and Bachmann with 5. Jon Huntsman, who did not campaign in Iowa, had 1 percent.

"Those who believed in the cause and were willing to stand behind us, to each and everyone of you I want to thank you for leading and doing what was necessary for liberty," Santorum told a cheering crowd at The Stoney Creek Inn in nearby Johnston following the results, which were essentially a tie.

He made the case that he could connect with the "ordinary Americans" in Ohio and his home state of Pennsylvania, important swing states in any presidential election.

"What wins in America are bold ideas, sharp contrasts and a plan that includes everyone," he said. "A plan that says, we will work together to get America to work."

Santorum, whose campaign wheels were spinning in the mud only about 10 days ago, finally gained traction in the final week of the campaign, but whether his finish would be strong enough to help him in New Hampshire or South Carolina remains to be seen.

Santorum was  from Bob Vander Plaats and Chuck Hurley of The Family Leader, a prominent evangelical group in Iowa who helped sweep Huckabee to victory eight years ago. The Family Leader’s board of directors, though, chose not endorse as a group, making it unclear how much Santorum would benefit from its organization on the ground.

Romney worked in his speech at the Hotel Fort Des Moines to convey that his nomination is inevitable, congratulating Santorum and Paul but otherwise turning his attention solely to President Obama, who the eventual GOP nominee will face on November 6. 

He said Obama is in "over his head" in dealing with the country's faltering economy.

"You have 25 million people out of work," Romney said. "This is not just a statistic. These are real people."

His finish, though, is sure to make fresh an old question: Does Romney have the appeal to broaden his support?

Based solely on the Iowa results, the answer is no. His percentage of the vote was almost identical to that in 2008. His total this election, in fact, was 30,015, six votes fewer than four years ago. 

The finally tally brought to an end a screaming, jolting, roller-coaster ride of a Caucus season to an end. Six candidates had surged to the top of the polls then fell away; three of them splattered on the local political landscape and one campaign, Herman Cain’s, was dead before it hit the ground. Overall, Iowans were going to their caucuses without much conviction for any candidate. Less than a week before the vote, more than 40 percent of likely Iowa caucus-goers reported they had not settled firmly on any candidate.

Gingrich was defiant in his concession speech and seemed even angry in his loss, criticizing Romney and Paul for a blitz of negative advertising against him and congratulating Santorum for running "a great, positive campaign."

He was subjected to an unprecedented $3.3 million negative campaign of television spots and direct mail by Restore Our Future, an independent but Romney-connected super PAC, which reversed Gingrich's rise. Paul’s campaign, and then Perry’s, blasted Gingrich as well.

He hinted to his supporters at the Veteran's Auditorium in Des Moines that he would return fire with Romney and Paul after largely retreating when they attacked him over the Iowa airwaves.

"We are not going out to run nasty ads," he said. "But I also reserve the right to tell the truth."

Next week, New Hampshire voters have their say, which bodes well for Romney. Polls there show him with the support of 46 percent of likely primary voters, far head of Ron Paul’s 18 percent, Gingrich’s 14 percent and Santorum’s 4 percent.

 South Carolina and Florida are next on the nominating calendar, and Romney may not fare so well there. Polls show Gingrich with leads in those states, although the surveys of likely voters occurred in mid-December.

Paul finished with only 10 percent in the 2008 caucuses, taking only Jefferson County in Iowa. But he finished a strong second in last summer's Straw Poll, and while other candidates spent the campaign gaining and then losing supporters, Paul slowly climbed to the top of the polls.

His 21 percent finish more than doubled his previous effort in Iowa.

In Ankeny, he addressed supporters just after 10 p.m., when it was clear he would finish third.

"Nobody else has people like you, who are working hard and are so enthusiastic and who believe in something," he told a cheering crowd at the Courtyard Des Moines-Ankeny.

He looked forward to next Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, and said that the race was no between him, Romney and Santorum.

"Believe me, this momentum is going to continue," Paul said. "This effort is going to continue, and we're going to keep scoring just as we have tonight.”