Posted on 01/04/2012 10:50:38 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
DES MOINES, Iowa - With only eight votes separating them, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum have proved after last night’s Iowa primary vote that the battle between moderate and conservative forces in the Republican party will continue to both define and divide the GOP 2012 caucuses.
Ron Paul landed in a close third place, while U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, one of the strongest social conservatives in the race, announced the end of her candidacy Wednesday after coming in at sixth place.
In the final count released this morning, Santorum’s 30,007 (24.54%) votes were defeated by 30,015 (24.55%) cast for the former Massachusetts governor. Ron Paul, whom many earlier polls placed at second or even first place, garnered 26,219 votes, or 21.5 percent. Newt Gingrich was fourth at 13 percent.
The results were a stunning turnaround for the pro-life and pro-family Santorum, who had trailed badly in polls earlier last year before shooting to the top of the pack in recent days after former House Speaker Newt Gingrich hit a downward spiral. The outcome was even more surprising given the financial spread of the Iowa campaign: Santorum spent a mere $22,000 in personal funds, while Romney laid out $1.47 million, according to data published by Buzzfeed.
Ron Paul, another social conservative, was the overwhelming winner of a Drudge poll the same night, with 33.6 percent of Iowans on the popular news nexus favoring him, leaving Santorum in second at nearly 21 percent and Romney at 20 percent. Paul also had a significant lead among nationwide Drudge participants.
Polls show Romney in a distant lead in the run-up to the New Hampshire caucus, with Ron Paul in second.
In a speech earlier this morning, Santorum thanked God for the strong showing and said that America faces a choice: “whether we will be a country that believes that government can do things for us better than we can do for ourselves, or whether we believe, as our founders did, that rights come to us from God, and when he gave us those rights, he gave us the freedom to go out and live those rights out to build a great and just society, not from the top down but from the bottom up.”
Romney said the sharper contours of the race means that he will have a “big target” on him, but said he isn’t fazed. “I’ve got broad shoulders. I’m willing to handle it,” he said. Ron Paul said that he was not disappointed with the outcome, pointing out his popularity with both young and independent voters.
In a press conference this morning, Bachmann said that Iowa voters had made it clear she would have to stand aside. “I have no regrets, none whatsoever. We never compromised our principles and we can leave this race knowing we ran it with the utmost integrity,” she said.
The pro-life women’s political group Susan B. Anthony List praised Bachmann for her leadership on the right to life issue following the announcement of her departure from the race. Echoing the sentiments of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, SBA List president Marjorie Dannenfelser said the group looked forward to Bachmann’s continued leadership in the House of Representatives.
“We are sad to see such a strong leader leave the race, but know that her pro-life leadership is desperately needed in Congress,” said Dannenfelser.
Gov. Palin also weighed in on the tumultuous nature of the race, saying that the party must coalesce behind one conservative candidate. The Tea Party favorite stopped short of backing Santorum, however, whose support of life and family she commended.
Palin also emphasized that, in order to win, the GOP must recognize the power behind Ron Paul’s message of radical fiscal reform, which continues to attract enthusiastic, particularly among a younger crowd: the 76-year-old politician drew a rockstar reception at an Iowa high school among caucus-eligible youths just before Tuesday’s vote.
If Paul continues to be ignored by party elites, Palin said, “the GOP is going to lose, and there will be no light at the end of the tunnel.”
Despite Paul’s strong social conservatism, his flagship issue of states rights has run him into conflict with pro-family leaders such as the National Organization for Marriage, who launched a campaign attacking his unwillingness to support a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Paul responded that he supports the Defense of Marriage Act, but that otherwise the matter should be deferred to the states as a matter of Constitutional integrity.
shoulda spent it on Godfathers pizza
“He probably even sleeps in the thing”
He did.
Epic fail!
I think there is and will be a movement of people that will migrate away from the outlandish display of the DC elite we saw in 2008 and in the current Administration. It will be a visceral reaction and show of distaste to the perfectly creased pant legs of DC.
This reaction of the public, while unnamed and unrecognized, will be a driving force. I think gone are the days of a politician appearing too slick. Neat, clean, honest, principled, disciplined....not slick, not Hollywood, not this week's rock-star.
This particular model features WiFi, three granite tables, luxury mood lighting and a porcelain commode, not to mention a wide array of televisions, according to the company’s website.
verses Santorum barnstorming Iowa with 7 kids and two minivans?
Americans often love their underdogs!
In the end it is STILL the message. This is why Obama can campaign with TEN BILLION DOLLARS and he will still lose.
“A sizable portion of that $22K went towards gasoline for the minivan he uses to travel from county to county.”
It actually went for ethanol, which Santorum grades so highly with Iowa caucus-goers on.
“He probably even sleeps in the thing and takes showers at truck stops.”
Yeah. Right. By the way, he could sleep and take showers just fine at either of his houses in Virginia or Penn Hills.
“This is the guy I want running our own federal budget. Think of how much money will be left over at the end of each fiscal year.”
Please. Once he’s done with blowing federal taxpayer money on ethanol, expanding Medicare, and the Department of Education, what would make you think there will be anything left over?
Santorum was just the last man standing. They notion of him running around county to county is not going to translate nationally.
Santorum is still behind kookpaul in NH and we still have open primaries to fight.
The Democrats are doing everything they can to screw Republican conservatives. The elites of both parties are afraid of the man who has said Washington is broken and must be fixed.
Between flooding the cauci in Iowa with liberal Democrats voting in Republican assemblies, to Romney’s caustic and negative attack ads against Gingrich, his numbers have been driven downwards. No one is surprised by that.
We will see what happens in South Carolina and Florida. I hope Gingrich stays in for the long run and accumulates delegates to use for bargaining at the convention.
also, did you see the county-wise percentage votes they got? wherever Santorum won, the difference between him and Romney were more than 10%, but where Romney won, Santorum was never far behind (withing 2-3%). That is interesting!
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