Politics

Santorum wins Iowa caucuses*

Christopher Bedford Senior Editor, The Daily Caller
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Don’t pull out the record books just yet — former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum just may have won the Iowa caucuses after all.

In a close race that could have set former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney up to be the first Republican presidential candidate to win all 50 primary contests, a final count of the votes shows Santorum ahead by 34, with 29,839 to Romney’s 29,805.

But put an asterisk next to that win: The Des Moines Register reports that “Results from eight precincts are missing — any of which could hold an advantage for Mitt Romney — and will never be recovered and certified.”

Initial reports had put Romney eight votes ahead of Santorum. Romney then went on to handily win the New Hampshire primary. The race’s third contest — South Carolina’s “First in the South” primary — will be held on Saturday. Polls show Romney is the front-runner in that primary. (RELATED: Rick Perry to drop out of race)

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