After a long battle in the Hawkeye State, Ted Cruz has emerged victorious in the Iowa Republican Caucuses, and moves closer to the GOP nomination for president. The junior senator from Texas won 28% of the vote, beating out Donald Trump and Marco Rubio for a decisive victory in the nation's first presidential nomination contest.
Ted Cruz was the first Republican to announce his candidacy for presidency, and has spent a considerable amount of time courting Iowa voters. The Texas senator visited all of Iowa's 99 counties in preparation for last night's caucuses.
Cruz's success can be attributed both to the longevity and efficacy of his campaign in Iowa, and his ability to win over the evangelical vote, which comprises 60% of the state's Republican voters. Although he is not poised to perform as well in the upcoming New Hampshire primary, Cruz is hoping to galvanize the religious right in South Carolina where a larger share of the electorate share his religious and social beliefs.
Cruz's victory in Iowa follows in a recent legacy of hardline, religious conservatives capturing the imagination of the state's evangelical voters. In 2012, Rick Santorum, whose vehement opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion won him favor with this very demographic, won the Iowa Caucus. Further, in the 2008 election, Mike Huckabee, who attempted to create a similar coalition of socially and economically conservative voters, won the caucus.
Speaking to supporters at a campaign valley after the results had been finalized, Cruz said, "To God be the glory. Tonight is a victory for the grass roots. Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives all across Iowa and our great nation."
The senator continued, "Tonight, the state of Iowa has spoken. Iowa has sent notice that the Republican nominee and the next President of the United States will not be chosen by the media, will not be chosen by the Washington establishment, will not be chosen by the lobbyists, but will be chosen by the most incredible, powerful force by which all sovereignty resides in this nation. By we the people-- the American people."
