Senator Ted Cruz of Texas won the Iowa Republican caucuses in an upset over billionaire Donald Trump, while Democrat Hillary Clinton was clinging to the narrowest edge over Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida exceeded expectations with a strong third place finish that will give him a chance to make a case that establishment Republicans who’ve recoiled at the prospect of Trump or Cruz as the party nominee should coalesce around him.
With 90 percent of precincts counted in the Republican contest, Cruz led Trump 27.7 percent to 24.4 percent. Rubio trailed close behind with 23.1 percent. The rest of the Republican field was far distant; Retired surgeon Ben Carson was fourth with 9.3 percent followed by Kentucky Senator Rand Paul with 4.5 percent. None of the other Republicans, including former Florida Jeb Bush and Ohio Governor John Kasich, polled above 3 percent.
