Romney wins GOP Iowa caucus by eight votes

GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney edged out rival Rick Santorum by a margin so slim it is viewed by many as a tie. News outlets review the political dynamics behind the vote tally, and highlight how the outcome reflects the ongoing GOP ideological divide as well as what might happen next.

Politico: Iowa Caucus Results: Mitt Romney Edges Rick Santorum In Iowa
Mitt Romney edged Rick Santorum by a mere eight votes in Tuesday's Iowa caucuses -; a margin that amounted to a tie in the crucial opening act of the 2012 presidential race and propelled the newly reshaped contest to New Hampshire and beyond. After a three-way dead heat for much of the night, Romney and Santorum moved slightly ahead of Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who finished in third place (Nichols, 1/3).

The Wall Street Journal: Romney Ekes Past Santorum To Win Iowa
Mitt Romney pulled out a razor-thin victory by just eight votes in the Iowa caucuses, edging out Rick Santorum and opening the Republican primary season with a dose of momentum going into a New Hampshire primary he is heavily favored to win. … The returns illustrate divisions in the Republican Party among three factions: social conservatives backing Mr. Santorum; a more centrist group backing Mr. Romney; and an unusual coalition of young people, antiwar advocates and limited-government advocates backing Mr. Paul, a libertarian icon (King and O'Connor, 1/4).

Politico: Iowa Caucus: Rivals Seek To Rally Right Against Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney won the Iowa caucuses Tuesday night over runner-up Rick Santorum by a margin so small he could count it on his fingers, the culmination of a months-long heartland slog in which he was never subject to a sustained assault by his more conservative rivals (Martin and Harris, 1/4).

The New York Times: News Analysis: First Vote Reinforces GOP's Ideological Divide
Mr. Romney is seeking to take control of a party still in search of a post-Bush identity and divided into factions. Republicans were energized by the rise of the Tea Party movement in 2010. But the movement's influence on Congressional Republicans -; its willingness to press its principles right up to the brink of a government shutdown, make life difficult for its own party's leaders and take provocative positions on issues like Medicare -; have also sparked a countermovement from the left focused on income inequality, and provided Mr. Obama another chance to occupy the center (Rutenberg, 1/4).

ABC News: Santorum On Romney: 'We Cannot Put Up A Presidential Candidate' Who Is Same As Obama On Health Care
"This has been a debate about health care, that's what the behemoth of government, the signature issue is Obamacare.  We cannot put up a presidential candidate who is in basically in the same place as Obama on government-run health care" Santorum said on ["Good Morning America."] He acknowledged that he supported Romney in 2008 but said there was only "one question" about health care in a debate four years ago. This year it's one of the biggest issues (Stephanopoulos, 1/3).

The Associated Press: Entrance Poll: 1 In 3 Voters Prizes Electability
About a third of GOP caucus-goers say the top quality they seek in a candidate is the ability to defeat President Barack Obama. That finding comes from early results from an entrance poll of Iowa caucus-goers conducted for The Associated Press and television networks. ... The economy and the federal budget deficit are top issues for caucus attendees, with few citing abortion or health care as their most important concern (1/3).

The Fiscal Times: What's at Stake in Iowa? The Economy, Stupid!
Romney also promised to issue executive orders to pave the way for ending President Obama's health care reform law, for eliminating government red tape ... But the flip-flopper charge successfully leveled against him by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in the 2008 GOP primary has haunted him during the 2012 campaign, in large part because as governor he signed a sweeping health care reform bill that served as the model for President Obama's Affordable Care Act  (Pianin and Goozner, 1/3).

The Associated Press/Washington Post: In Politically Crucial Ohio, Obama Seeks A Share Of The Political Limelight
Addressing Iowa Democrats by teleconference as the GOP caucus counting was still under way, Obama described Republicans as embracing a "theory that says we're going to cut taxes for the wealthiest among us and roll back regulations on things like clean air and health care reform, Wall Street reform, and somehow that automatically that assures that everybody is able to succeed" (1/4).