Rick Santorum Wins: Iowa Caucus Results

As both CNN and Politico are reporting, the Republican Party of Iowa has officially declared Rick Santorum the winner of the 2012 Iowa Caucus.

Initial results showed fellow GOP contender Mitt Romney winning the contest by 8 votes. Upon further evaluation, the Iowa Republican Party released the following statement on Friday night (via Politico):

In order to clarify conflicting reports and to affirm the results released January 18 by the Republican Party of Iowa, Chairman Matthew Strawn and the State Central Committee declared Senator Rick Santorum the winner of the 2012 Iowa Caucus.

As HuffPost's Elise Foley reported on Thursday, party officials found that Santorum had won the caucus by 34 votes, "but the results are inconclusive because votes from eight precincts will never be counted." More from Foley:

Officials found inaccurate counts in 131 precincts, including one that had an error by 50 votes, the Des Moines Register reported on Thursday.

Chad Olsen, the party’s executive director, told the Register that the results showed "a split decision." The final tallies, exempting the eight precincts that will not be tallied, were 29,839 for Santorum and 29,805 for Romney, according to the Register.

The Santorum campaign said the change in results could change the narrative of Romney as a front-runner.

"The narrative for a long time has been that Mitt Romney was 2-0," Spokesman Hogan Gidley told CNN on Thursday. "And if these results are true and Rick is ahead by 34 votes, then that's not the narrative anymore. There have been two states, two different victors."

The Daily Caller reported on Thursday that Romney called Santorum to "congratulate him" on the new Iowa vote tally.

Comments

[David Moore]

07:45 PM on 01/22/2012

If anyone sees a conservative name of cutsonpants floating around on the threads, feel free to ignore his ad hominem attacks. Instead of discussing and debating the article, he flings needless and ridiculous attacks on me. First, President Obama is hardly a dictator. His recess appointments alone serve as an example of how he has tried to work with Congress. Previous administrations such as Ronald Reagan's two terms had as many as 30 recess appointments per year. President Obama has had a total of at most 9 per each year of his term. He has hardly signed a law that had a signing statement attached, unlike his predecessor who signed statements with nearly every law passed by Congress. President Obama has drawn down troops in a war started under false pretenses by his predecessor, and cutsonpants has the temerity to call me a lib! I wear the name lib as a badge of honor. At least the current president is not wanted in Switzerland for crimes against humanity!

[mater]

07:31 AM on 01/22/2012

That and about $5 will getcha a cuppa coffee.

[reachrobinw]

07:57 PM on 01/21/2012

Doesn't that make you really start to wonder about previous elections ... ?

[defelicep]

06:00 PM on 01/21/2012

"The libertarians on the right have this idea that people should be left alone, be able to do whatever they want to do, Government should keep taxes low and regulations low, that we shouldn't get involved in the bedroom, we shouldn't get involved in cultural issues. That is not how true conservative view the world. There is no such society that I am aware of, where we've had radical individualism and that it succeeds as a culture!" -rick santorum! Um Rick my man...America is doing just fine without you in peoples bedrooms!!!!!

[TimFredrickson]

11:37 PM on 01/21/2012

Sorry, but libertarians have advanced the conservative agenda and supported the effort to control people's lives. They are being used by the Koch Brothers and the bankers and Wall Street as their pawns. If libertarians were true to their fundamental ideals they would detest the Mitt Romneys, Newt Gingriches, the Rick Santorums and the other fundie-taliban evangelists that want to tell us all what to think, say, and do.

[defelicep]

08:21 AM on 01/22/2012

I agree with you that libertarians should "detest" Romney, Santorum, and Gingritch. But they don't. They are easily fooled by the media and can't determine when they're being played for a fool. I guess the old saying is true that "you can't cure stupid." The only clear choice for me is Ron Paul and my vote cannot be swayed by any of these fools. They're the same ol' big government, big spenders, run your life career politicians. I am very disappointed in S.C.

[rrzeus26]

05:36 PM on 01/21/2012

Now we know why it starts in Iowa.

[barb582]

05:21 PM on 01/21/2012

Shows how much pull that fat guy from Jersey has. Maybe he'll go take out a couple of farmers. Wasn't that his threat?

[bouncer827]

05:19 PM on 01/21/2012

oh, thank god, thank god. i knew he won that caucus. i actually saw a vision off him winning on a godfather's pizza that i had ordered from one of cain's outlets. miracle of miracles, that is all i can say.

[honeyspcg]

05:16 PM on 01/21/2012

Mike Huckabee also won the Iowa straw caucus. I don't recall he was the nominee. It takes 50 states (Ricky boy) to win the nomination.

[honeyspcg]

05:14 PM on 01/21/2012

Who cares. We out west really don't have a say in who we get to nominate. Candidates spend all of their money in states east of the Mississipi River and then drop out before we ever have a say. It ticks me off when 46 states talk about immigration issues when it is the 4 border states who have the impact. If allowed to, we can stop the flow before it hits your state making it a non issue. We heard obama is visiting our state next month. He sure has his nerve. It was his administration that sued this state. Now I suppose he'll be wanting our Sheriff Joe to protect his backside. Hopefully he'll state in giffords district. There sheriff is a dupnik.

[David Moore]

07:51 PM on 01/22/2012

You act as if the United States has only one border, the southern one. Might I suggest you check a map and note that we have a northern border (with Canada) too. Incidentally, the Canadian border is far more porous that most people think. States which should reasonably be concerned include New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania (along Lake Erie), Vermont and Maine. I realize that they are not run amok with illegal immigrants, but drug trafficking is just as bad a problem. As for Obama suing Arizona, that's your problem Should have thought of that before your idiot Governor Jan "Glazed Eyes" Brewer signed such a ridiculous immigration law into effect.

[rt1027]

04:34 PM on 01/21/2012

too funny

[terry2xxmc]

04:32 PM on 01/21/2012

Took them long enough. Isn't it a little late considering all the hype Mr. Mass. Government Health Care got?

[bootsnchaps60]

04:06 PM on 01/21/2012

Wow! Michelle won the straw poll! What a great pair they'd make as prom king and queen! Or king and queen of Iowa!

[terry2xxmc]

04:35 PM on 01/21/2012

Make a better couple than the fools in the White House right now.

[Palerider1]

04:45 PM on 01/21/2012

I agree, if Rick Santorum and Michelle Bachman were running this country, it would be the only way God might be persuaded to save this deviant nation.

This nation has already failed due to the liberal progressive attacks of the last 100 yrs.

Turning back to God is the only way to keep it from dying.

[bootsnchaps60]

05:47 PM on 01/21/2012

Sorry you have so little faith.

[JShep]

03:59 PM on 01/21/2012

Wonder what the result would be if the original vote count from the 8 excluded precincts were included. Any way you look at it, the missing precincts make the total vote count questionable either way, especially when you consider that as many as 50 votes could be counted incorrectly in any one of those 8 precincts. Aah don't you just love politics.

[indogwetrust]

03:58 PM on 01/21/2012

Well I can see it now, a late night tv talk show on FOX called "SantoRANT!"

[pasquamar]

03:53 PM on 01/21/2012

Hey Ricky just remember this Michele Bachmann won one also and look where she is now...Buddy. Actually she is where you should be. OUT!!!