Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) — Mitt Romney has defeated Rick Santorum in the Iowa caucuses by eight votes, clinching what appears to be the closest-ever margin of victory in a Republican presidential contest, the state Republican Party said early Wednesday.
Ron Paul finished a close third, according to the state GOP. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who placed fifth, said late Tuesday that he would return to his home state to consider whether his campaign would continue.
Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, had 30,015 votes. Santorum, a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania and an upstart challenger who just weeks ago polled in the single digits, had 30,007, the state GOP said.
Each had roughly 25% of the vote in Iowa, the first state to vote in the 2012 presidential caucus and primary season. Paul, a U.S. representative from Texas, had 21%. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was at 13%. Perry was at 10%, Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota had 5%, and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman had 1%.
The closest previous margin of victory in a GOP presidential contest was 257 in 1936, when Alf Landon won the 1936 South Dakota primary. In 2008, Barack Obama earned the closest-ever margin in a U.S. presidential contest, defeating Hillary Clinton by seven votes in the Guam caucus.
Speaking to supporters in Des Moines early Wednesday, before final results were known, Romney framed the Iowa contest as a “great victory” for him, Santorum and Paul.
“All three of us will be campaigning very hard to restore the heart and soul of this nation,” Romney said.
Courtesy of CNN
