Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Romney Wins Iowa Nail-biter

LOS ANGELES TIMES: He edges Santorum, with Paul a strong third. Perry's fate is all but sealed with a fifth-place finish.

Reporting from Des Moines— In the closest finish in the history of the Iowa caucuses, Mitt Romney edged out Rick Santorum by eight votes in the first battle for the Republican presidential nomination.

A distant fifth-place finish apparently ended the once-promising candidacy of Rick Perry. The Texas governor, who started as a prime contender for the nomination last summer, broke off plans to fly to South Carolina for more campaigning, and said he was returning home instead to "determine whether this is a path forward."

Santorum rode a late-breaking burst of support after getting counted out by virtually everyone until the final days of a long campaign. His Iowa comeback represented a drastic reversal from his last election night, a 17-point reelection drubbing in 2006.

"Thank you so much, Iowa," said the former Pennsylvania senator, who swapped his trademark sweater vest for a coat and tie to address jubilant supporters in a Des Moines suburb.

The victory strengthened Romney's candidacy heading into next Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, where he enjoys a big lead in the polls and a victory would provide momentum to make him the clear favorite to become the GOP nominee. » | Paul West, Washington Bureau | Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Mitt Romney Wins Iowa by Eight Votes

Mitt Romney beat Rick Santorum by just eight votes in Iowa - the tightest finish in the Republican party's history in the state. Romney won 30,015 votes and Santorum 30,007 after a record turnout of 122,225. Ron Paul came third. The biggest loser was Rick Perry, with only 5% of the vote


Mitt Romney Attacks Obama on Economy During Iowa Caucus Day

Republican presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney targeted Barack Obama on economic issues on Iowa caucus day, as the former Massachusetts governor vowed to 'get America working again'.