COMMENTARY | Mitt Romney eked out a narrow win against Rick Santorum in Tuesday's Iowa caucus. It was an extra inning, nail-biter to rival any matchup between the Yankees and the Red Sox.
Republican dissatisfaction with the field of presidential candidates reached critical mass when it came time to cast a vote. A CNN entrance poll found 46 percent of caucus goers had only settled on a candidate "in the last few days" before the big vote, while 67 percent made their choice within "the last month."
Perhaps this explains Rick Santorum's strong showing. Santorum gave Iowans what they wanted, a handshake and a clean, conservative record. After a political season replete with infidelity (Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain), flip flopping and questionable debate performances, Santorum's consistent, competently delivered message and skeleton free closet appealed to traditionalists. Erick Erickson reporting for CNN observed, "after the candidates were vetted, Santorum was the last man standing."
The best quote of the night came from former Republican congressman J.C. Watts, who tried to explain his party's disenchantment with a succession of front-runners, "we don't fall in love," he explained, "we fall in line." The big question is, whose line?
Ron Paul shot to the lead early on but soon fell into a tight three-way tie with Santorum and Romney. For hours the race was "too close to call" as Santorum and Romney alternated at first place
It wasn't until 10 p.m. Iowa time that the threesome became a two-man race, as Paul slipped permanently into third place. An hour later, with 97 percent of precincts reporting, a mere 37 votes divided the two. In another half hour, the spread dwindled to five votes, then for a moment in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, Romney led by a single vote. In the end Romney held on to that lead to capture the win by eight votes.
Even the losers in this contest wield a sort of power going into New Hampshire. Those who drop out have resources to divvy up -- staff, volunteers and donors. Perry's concession speech concluded with the announcement he will return to Texas to "re-evaluate" the viability of his campaign. Santorum's coffers could certainly benefit from some of the Perry's fundraising savvy.
For Michele Bachmann, who was born and raised in Iowa, her sixth-place showing marked the end of her campaign after dropping out this morning.
Santorum gave touching speech, invoking his grandfather, a coal miner, who fled fascist Italy for a life of hard work and freedom in America. The speech offered some insight into how Santorum may have swayed Iowa voters with town hall meetings and stump speeches, and without the funding Romney had.
So on to New Hampshire, where Romney enjoys a commanding 43 percent lead according to the latest Suffolk University poll, and Santorum is a distant fifth. Will the Iowa results have an impact on New Hampshire voters? One thing's for sure, it'll be interesting to watch.
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