Israel Matzav

Santorum and Romney finish in dead heat in Iowa

Rick Santorum, who until two weeks ago was lagging in the GOP Iowa caucus race, finished in a dead heat with frontrunner Mitt Romney, each getting 25% of the vote. Ron Paul finished third and Newt Gingrich finished fourth, followed by Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann.

With 98 percent of precincts reporting the race was too close to call. Both candidates were tied at 25 percent and Ron Paul, a Texas congressman, was set to claim third place with 21 percent of the vote.

Iowa is better known for narrowing the field than picking a future president, and at least one candidate, Texas Governor Rick Perry, indicated his presidential bid may be over.

"I've decided to return to Texas, assess the results of tonight's caucus, determine whether there is a path forward for myself in this race," Texas Governor Rick Perry said after a disappointing fifth place finish.

With deep reserves of cash and a strong campaign infrastructure, Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, will emerge from Iowa in a much stronger position than his rivals even though he faces continued mistrust from conservatives.

A favorite of the party's business wing, Romney holds a commanding lead in the next nominating contest in New Hampshire in one week and has the resources to compete in bigger states like Florida at the end of the month.

Santorum vaulted from the back of the pack to emerge as the latest conservative favorite in a race that has been marked by volatility. Campaigning in all Iowa 99 counties, he emphasized his seven home-schooled children and opposition to gay marriage in a bid to win the state's large bloc of Christian conservatives.

"Game on!" the former Pennsylvania senator told supporters.

Santorum staked his campaign on a strong showing in Iowa but with little cash and a bare-bones campaign operation, he could have difficulty competing in other states.

As an afterthought in the race until now, Santorum also had avoided the scrutiny that has derailed other candidates. Pennsylvania voters threw him out of the Senate by an 18-point margin in 2006, and rivals have begun to comb through his legislative record to paint him as a free-spending budget-buster.

Conventional wisdom holds that there are three tickets out of the state, though John McCain was able to overcome a fourth-place finish in 2008 to win the Republican nomination.

It sounds like Perry and Bachmann are out, and likely throwing their support to Santorum or Gingrich if at all. Santorum is rumored to be picking up a lot of money as his campaign has strengthened in Iowa, and these results have to help him a lot.

UPDATE 10:22 AM

Romney beat Santorum by eight votes. It doesn't get much closer than that.

Labels: Campaign 2012, Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, RIck Santorum, Ron Paul

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:37 AM