Hillary Leads in Iowa; Huck, Mitt Neck-and-Neck

Karl Rove looks at the state of the race headed into NH

(NEWSER) - Not long ago it seemed unthinkable that Mitt Romney would win in über-conservative Iowa. But win it he did—albeit by only eight votes—and if he wins in New Hampshire as expected, “he becomes the prohibitive favorite,” writes Karl Rove in the Wall Street Journal . Sure, Rick Santorum did well, but he “shouldn’t kid himself; he faces huge obstacles.” He has spent little to no time in the other early states, and faces an opponent with “tremendous organizational and financial advantages.” More»

Says his former rival 'will lead from the front'

(NEWSER) - No last-minute change of heart: As expected , John McCain today endorsed former rival Mitt Romney for president in New Hampshire, reports NPR . "He will lead from the front as Ronald Reagan did, not from behind as this president does," said McCain. Four years ago, Romney endorsed McCain after dropping out of the GOP race, and McCain returned the favor today. “I am really here for one reason and one reason only, and that is to make sure that Mitt Romney is the next president of the United States,” McCain said. More»

Anti-Romney voters might have found their candidate

(NEWSER) - Mitt Romney snatched an 8-vote victory in Iowa , but a lot of analysts say "man of the hour" Rick Santorum looks like the real winner. He can now portray himself as the clear alternative to Romney, and to win the nomination he "won’t have to outrun the bear, as the old joke goes, he’ll just have to outrun Mitt," a GOP strategist tells Politico . Other takeaways from last night:

• But Santorum shouldn't gloat just yet, writes James Hohmann for Politico, because this pesky thing called reality is also in the room. "He doesn’t have the money or infrastructure to keep up with Romney in New Hampshire, and he hasn’t been in South Carolina since Nov. 12." Sure, he'll grab a ton of headlines this week, but he needs to "dramatically expand his campaign apparatus virtually overnight."

Move doesn't surprise Rick Santorum

(NEWSER) - As Mitt Romney heads to New Hampshire following his razor-thin win in Iowa , he can expect an endorsement from the man who trounced him there four years ago . John McCain plans to endorse Romney and will travel with him on his campaign bus through the state, a campaign insider tells the New York Times . Romney endorsed McCain after dropping out of the race in 2008. More»

Ron Paul finishes third

(NEWSER) - Mitt Romney has prevailed in what could well be the closest primary or caucus result ever. With the final precinct reporting, Iowa's GOP says Romney has beaten Rick Santorum by just eight votes, with 30,015 to Santorum’s 30,007 out of a total of 122,255 votes cast. Politico (via AP) ranks the candidates in this order:

• Mitt Romney, 24.6%
• Rick Santorum, 24.5%
• Ron Paul, 21.4%
• Newt Gingrich, 13.3%
• Rick Perry, 10.3%
• Michele Bachmann, 5%
• Jon Huntsman, .6%