In the first caucuses in the nation on Feb. 1, Iowa voters chose Texas Sen. Ted Cruz over Donald Trump. On the Democratic side it was a tight race, with Hillary Clinton beating Sen. Bernie Sanders by the thinnest of margins.
Cruz won the Republican caucuses with 28 percent of the vote, according to CNN’s stats. Trump came in second with 24 percent, barely topping Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s 23 percent. That equals eight delegates for Cruz, seven for Trump and six for Rubio.
On the Democratic side, it was a razor thin margin, with Clinton barely earning more delegates than Sanders. Clinton earned 24, while Sanders had 21. Clinton claimed victory before Democratic party officials released final results, while Sanders celebrated the virtual tie.
“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,” Sanders told his supporters last night, reports The New York Times. “That is, given the enormous crises facing our country, it is just too late for establishment politics and establishment economics.”
Next, politicians will set their sights on New Hampshire, which holds a regular primary on Feb. 9. A win there for Cruz would really help his standing in the Republican party, since an Iowa win doesn’t necessarily translate to winning the Republican nomination. The last two Republican caucasus winners in Iowa - Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum - both lost the nomination.