Texas Senator Ted Cruz has won the Iowa Republican caucuses, the first vote to choose US presidential candidates.
“Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives,” he declared, to great applause, as he railed against Washington, lobbyists and the media.
He took 28% of the Republican vote, beating his rival, the frontrunner Donald Trump, and Marco Rubio.
Votes in the Democratic race are still being counted, with Hillary Clinton’s camp believing they have narrowly won.
Iowa caucus results.
Republican vote, 99% reported:
Ted Cruz: 28%, eight delegates
Donald Trump: 24%, seven delegates
Marco Rubio: 23%, seven delegates
Ben Carson: 9%, three delegates
Rand Paul, Jeb Bush: one delegate each. Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, Jim Gilmore, Mike Huckabee, John Kasich and Rick Santorum: no delegates
Democratic vote, 99% reported:
Hillary Clintones50%, 22 delegates
Bernie Sanders 50%, 21 delegates
Martin O’Malley, 1%, no delegates
Her spokesman Brian Fallon has said the former secretary of state and first lady will beat Bernie Sanders, the 74-year-old senator from Vermont, by two delegates in Iowa.
In five precincts the vote was decided by the toss of a coin – all going to Ms Clinton, according to the Des Moines Register.
Mr Sanders said it was a “virtual tie” and Mrs Clinton told her supporters she was “breathing a sigh of relief”.
There was no such ambiguity from Republican victor Mr Cruz, whose triumph was reward for months spent criss-crossing the state to woo influential conservative and evangelical leaders.
As country music blared across the loud speaker at his Des Moines rally, the 45-year-old conservative, who has been a thorn in the side of his party, relished his victory.
In the end it was a victory for organisation over enthusiasm. Despite trailing Donald Trump in the polls for much of the last two weeks, Ted Cruz swept to a comfortable win in Iowa.
During his victory speech, he repeatedly thanked his grass-roots support – and for good reason. He and his campaign had invested considerable time and money to grind out a victory in this key state, and they were ultimately rewarded for their efforts.
With this result Mr Cruz now has the momentum to survive what looks to be an uphill battle among the more moderate voters in New Hampshire next Tuesday, and then win over the deeply conservative, evangelical voters of Southern states that dominate the primary calendar in the following weeks.
It appears increasingly likely that a showdown for Mr Cruz looms on the horizon with the surprise third-place finisher in Iowa, Senator Marco Rubio. And Mr Trump – even if his supporters did not turn out in the numbers expected – will surely remain a factor.
Winners and losers after Iowa vote
“Iowa has sent notice that the Republican nominee and the next president of the United States will not be chosen by the media, will not be chosen by the Washington establishment,” said Mr Cruz.
“Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across this great nation.”
Mr Trump congratulated the Texas senator and said he was “honoured” by the second-place finish.
Mr Rubio, who has struggled to gain support in recent months, has performed far better than expected, and finished in third place – just one percentage point behind Mr Trump.
Meanwhile, two candidates are bowing out.
Sources close to Democrat Martin O’Malley, former Maryland governor, have told the BBC that he will suspend his campaign – narrowing the field to two competitive candidates.
On the Republican side, Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee tweeted that he too would suspend his campaign.
Democratic voters divide themselves into groups based on their preferred candidate, but the Republican caucus process is more like a traditional ballot.
Over the coming months, the other 49 states as well as US territories will vote for the party nominees.
Each states’ delegates will be tallied and a nominee will become apparent towards the middle of the year.
In November, the US will pick who its next president will be. He or she will assume office in January 2017.
(BBC NEWS)
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