Live Blog: Iowa Caucuses
Posted: January 3, 2012 Filed under: 2012 presidential campaign, Republican politics, Republican presidential politics, U.S. Politics | Tags: 2012 presidential election, Iowa Caucuses, live blog, Republican primaries 121 Comments
Political signs in Des Moines, Iowa
The caucuses are just wrapping up, and it looks like I may get my wish. Ron Paul seems to be leading at the moment with Romney second, and Santorum third. I can’t wait to see the elite Republicans freak out if Paul wins. From CBS News:
Doors have closed at caucus precincts across Iowa, and early results from CBS News entrance polls show a three-way race for the Republican presidential nomination among Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum.
Entrance polling reveals that Paul’s voters are male, younger, and many are first-time caucus goers. Romney’s voters are looking for someone who can beat President Obama, while Santorum’s voters looking for a true conservative.
Much data has yet to be collected, and those arriving earliest may not reflect the total caucus voters. The precincts closed their doors at 7 p.m. CT, leaving Republican voters in the Hawkeye State to be the first to weigh in on this year’s presidential contest. Mitt Romney took the lead among the early entrance polls four years ago, but finished second in the caucuses to Mike Huckabee, who was then the choice of evangelical conservatives.
USA Today has a Live Blog of events in Iowa, and so does CNN. CNN also has live video from several caucus sites.
I’m listening to MSNBC on satellite radio. What are you watching or listening to? What are you hearing? Who do you think is going to win this thing? Let us know in the comments. If you have found a good place to watch on-line, let me know and I’ll post it up here.
peej
Carissa
bostonboomer
ecocatwoman
mablue2
Mama Lopez
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
6% reporting, via nyt…
Santorum
1,229 24.2%
Ron-paul_38 Paul
1,204 23.7
Mitt-romney_38 Romney
1,132 22.3
Newt-gingrich_38 Gingrich
690 13.6
Rick-perry_38 Perry
460 9.0
Michele-bachmann_38 Bachmann
323 6.3
Jon-huntsman_38 Huntsman
26 0.5
Others_38 No Preference
9 0.2
Others_38 Other
7 0.1
Herman-cain_38 Cain
4 0.1
Buddy-roemer_38 Roemer
2 0.0
11% reporting….
Ron Paul
2,273 24.2%
—
Rick-santorum_50 Rick Santorum
2,160 23.0
—
Mitt-romney_50 Mitt Romney
2,152 22.9
—
Rachel Maddow just said results are too close to call among the three candidates, Paul, Santorum, and Romney. Theres only .3% difference between candidates.
They’re saying it’s going to be a long night. It’s literally a three-way tie.
This is so fitting:
Picture of the Day: The Real Underdog in the (Drag) Race – David A. Graham – Politics – The Atlantic
I saved this article because of the picture below.
that’s what I’m talking about!
but it needs to be a 2012 poster
Yeah, I didn’t notice the 2008 until I posted it! That picture was put up over at the Atlantic over a week ago…
ROFLOL!
Michele Bachmann’s inner circle are getting ready to tell her to call it quits. They don’t think she should go to South Carolina. She failed to get support from evangelical pastors–largely because she’s a woman.
foxnewspolitics foxnewspolitics
Fox News decision desk projects Michele Bachmann will end in last place in Iowa GOP caucuses.
Even after Huntsman?
He’s technically not running in Iowa.
Gotcha…
Gary Johnson has dropped his run for president on the Libertarian Party ticket and has endorsed Ron Paul.
Wow, what was that…less than a week since he switched to the Libertarian ticket?
Lol
What was it Gump used to say? Stupid is as stupid does.
What a maroon!
Just saw this: Gary Johnson Is Not Dropping Out, His Spokesman Says – Garance Franke-Ruta – Politics – The Atlantic Some kind of high-jacked email…
16% reporting…
Ron Paul
3,821 24.1%
—
Mitt-romney_50 Mitt Romney
3,650 23.0
—
Rick-santorum_50 Rick Santorum
3,636 22.9
CNN has this neat interactive with a map: http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/primaries/county/map/r/ia?hpt=hp_pc1
Willard needs to lie faster. That’s his problem.
Unlike Rick Perry who Charlie Pierce says is a man with his radio dial permanently stuck on Scan. 🙂
Pierce is hysterical!
Reading his blog is the best medicine for this lousy campaign. It’s just hilarious.
Rick Santorum’s nephew has a hit piece on him at the Daily Caller.
http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/03/the-trouble-with-my-uncle-rick-santorum/
C-Span live streaming coverage
http://www.c-span.org/Events/Watch-C-SPANs-Coverage-of-Iowa-Caucuses/10737426781-1/
CNN also has live feeds from each of the candidates’ headquarters. It’s at their home page.
This page at WNYC has a map that shows which counties are voting for whom and even has breakdowns of what kinds of people live in each county.
http://www.wnyc.org/articles/its-free-country/2012/jan/03/patchwork-vote-iowa/
30% reporting… Romney, Paul, and Santorum are all within 0.1% of each other
Mitt Romney
7,425 23.1%
—
Ron-paul_50 Ron Paul
7,375 23.0
—
Rick-santorum_50 Rick Santorum
7,358 22.9
46% reporting…
Santorum 24.1%
Romney 23.9
Ron Paul 21.9
They’re saying that Polk county holds 20% of the Iowa vote [or least did last time out]. Looks like final results there may decide it.
One thing is clear: the voters detest Romney since they are willing to give a pass to the likes of Ron Paul or Rick Santorum.
See what happens when the MSM chooses only to cover the top tier candidates and ignores the bottom feeders until it is too late to expose them?
Santorum is a direct tool of K Street, whining and moaning about our loss of freedoms while beating his chest with harnessing women as chattels.
Ron Paul is a racist fool who has largely been ignored and treated as some cute, grumpy old man who hates, hates, hates government to the extent that he would abolish every agency in DC if given the chance.
So the dumbbells in Iowa race to the polls and cast their vote for either one of these two morons who would never be able to face a general election without going down in flames.
Michele got taken down early. Cain hung himself. Perry revealed his lack of intelligence. And Newt was and is a lying weasel with enough baggage to envy Louis Vuitton. But these two “winners”, down in the lower rungs of this stellar group, went unvetted until the end and all because the GOP detests the idea of a Mitt Romney.
I also but it just goes to show how little love there is for him if either Paul or Santorum is able to “best” him in this insignificant race.
There’s a lot about Willard to hate but not as much as those other clowns. They really are just flat out insane. I can only conclude that the republican “base” is also nuts.
I don’t know. I think Romney is every bit as bad as the others.
Fox saying Romney 1st and Santorum 2nd with 80% reporting
87% reporting… Santorum technically leading just barely over Romney …both at 25%
Santorum: 25% 26,443
Romney: 25% 26,398
According to CNN, it’s flipped again–Santorum leading Romney by about 1000 votes. Paul trailing by 4 pts but the college vote from the one country isn’t in yet–that could give Paul a bounce.
Needless to say the Contest for Ugly will be a squeaker. Most appropriate, methinks :0).
CNN is behind.
NBC is projecting that Ron Paul is going to be third. It’s still too close to call between Romney and Santorum.
Paul’s giving his my ticket got punched speech.
Nice talk about privacy rights and government leaving us alone. Unless you are a woman. I really think some woman or women needs to get in his face about that during this campaign.
Rand instead of Ron, but still 😉 …..
http://letthemlisten.wordpress.com/2011/03/10/rand-paul-hes-for-a-womans-choice-of-toilet/
I’ll “call” Romney and Santorum:
One is a flaming asshole and the other is mechanical asswipe.
Hahaha. Tell us how you ‘really’ feel, Pat. :0)
Pat, I love it!
LOL
Now Santorum is 13 votes ahead of Romney. 88% in
CNN aligns with ABC: Ron Paul is 3rd place.
Romney technically ahead… 89% reporting
Romney 27,101 25%
Santorum 26,976 25%
Take a look at the Fox News site: 2012 Iowa Caucus – Results | Politics | Fox News
They have Huntsman and even Cain on the graphic, but check out the Cain image…
Cain suspended his campaign so I think that’s why it’s like that.
I know but it is funny to see him blotted out like that.
Huntsman just kinda punted on Iowa, didn’t really campaign there, and went after NH instead. But, he didn’t suspend his campaign.
Lol, Minx… they should have just put 9-9-9 in the graphic
oops, there’s a UCMJ violation, active duty military campaigning in uniform. That’s a big No-No.
Carville on GOP Voting for Romney: ‘It’s Like You’re Trying to Give Your Dog a Pill. They Keep Spitting it Up’ | Video Cafe
LOLOL
The GOP needs to get pill pockets. My puppies slobber all over them, the pills hidden inside a smelly casing.
I think it could work!!
cheese works too.
So does shoving the pill down their throats… 😉
After listening to Newt speak, I think he’s going to after Willard with all he’s got in the next weeks. He plays the injured party so well.
93% reporting
Santorum pulling ahead
by “ahead” I mean…
Santorum 28,201 25%
Romney 28,086 25%
Lol
Santorum 28,276 25%
Romney 28,147 25%
I sat through Newt’s speech, but I had to shut Michele off. She’s calling Obama a socialist and his health care plan “socialized medicine.” Good grief!
I know!! Ugh. Sounds so bad.
Newt’s gonna try to kill off Willard, You can see it coming.
Yep. Did you see the ad he has in tomorrow’s Union Leader (h/t Taylor Marsh):
http://twitpic.com/82ufvq
That’s pretty wicked. The next debates should be fun to watch as Newt goes after him with an axe.
There’s a real vendetta in the wind. Eye of the Newt is the injured party. I found his speech hard to listen to, the great whine over negative advertising after what he did to Clinton in the 90s and the negative spin he helped create. Karma’s a bitch! But it will be interesting if Gingrich tries to play defense for Santorum, anything to skewer Romney.
Poor Michelle. Deluded to the end.
Newt made it pretty clear he’s going to try to help Santorum beat Romney. This is going to be fun to watch.
still too close to call at 96%
The cows in the field next to my house are voicing their discontent…sounds like a car alarm going off!
It is going to be close…my bet is on the flaming ass!
Ugh! An ‘ugh on all their houses [the candidates, not the cows].
Oh, now Perry is up. He finished in front of Michelle. When you flame out, you really flame out. He’s rambling as usual. Reading a fan letter. This is a sad spectacle. Perry chokes up midway.
Oh, please let this be over!
Which one is that? I think Santorum will end up on top. LOL
I figured the flaming ass was Santorum…Pat, you out there? Which was which?
Only on top by 37 votes.
OMG Goodhair’s speech is so ridiculous
I had to turn it off. I was getting embarrassed.
He’s still stuck on Scan 🙂
The very first thing he said about the Ag Commissioner race in TX was an outright lie. Then he went downhill from there.
RICK 29,210
MITT 29,173
NOW 37 VOTE DIFFERENCE!
Per Drudge
MSNBC is reporting same thing. Rick Santorum! Can you believe this nonsense?
Rove says he’d bet on Romney eking this out.
Really, I would have thought that Santorum would be the one eeking out…I mean isn’t that part of the urban definition of santorum?
Joe Trippi (yeah that Joe Trippi) said Santorum should go declare victory before the final votes come in. And, then almost instantly Santorum’s campaign announced it will be arriving on stage in five minutes.
With 98% CNN says Romney just pulled ahead.
@ Minx, Lol. Well, Santorum is definitely eking out something on that stage right now…
Is Trippi a Fox commentator now? Santorum is giving the same speech I heard him give earlier–the immigration story from fascist Italy, the grandfather in the coal mines, etc.
Romney is now a few votes ahead according to Fox, a 36 vote spread. Eke, eke.
yeah I haven’t really watched cable news in ages, but I remember him magically appearing as a Fox commentator awhile back on some other election night or something.
Per CNN
Romney
29,625
25%
Santorum
29,584
25%
Paul
25,875
21%
98% estimated in
Turdblossom knows how to read an electoral map.
HaHa! That is too funny…
Yes, he does!
Ekey santorum just pulled ahead…by 5 votes
Yup, it is a slow eek…but he is ahead. I said head.
I have only one word to say: Huckabee
CNN:
Updated 12:29 a.m. EST, Jan 4, 2012
Republicans »VotesVote%
Santorum
29,662
25%
Romney
29,657
25%
Paul
25,926
21%
99% estimated in
“Airplanes and SUVs oh my!” WTF is Santorum saying?
I thought Santorum was a little bad but Romney blows chunks. He opens his mouth and sucks all the energy out of a room.
“it’s really an election about the soul of America” …so says the perfectly lubricated weather vane
CNN
Santorum
29,892
25%
Romney
29,865
25%
Paul
26,082
21%
99% estimated in
Per Drudge:
RICK 29,908
MITT 29,874
The screen graphics of those results (at least the one I’m looking at on Fox with the “Too close to call” and 99% reporting and 25% 25%) is toooooo funny.
Geez, I can’t keep my eyes open….are we there yet?
CNN:
VotesVote%
Santorum
29,924
25%
Romney
29,911
25%
Paul
26,149
21%
99% estimated in
They updated again:
Republicans »VotesVote%
Santorum
29,935
25%
Romney
29,916
25%
per yahoo news… 99.55% reporting….
#
Rick Santorum (R)
29,908
25%
#
Mitt Romney (R)
29,874
25%
per fox news channel screen…
santorum 29,944 25%
mittens 29,926 25%
Turdblossom’s latest electoral calculations are that Romney may reverse Santorum’s lead but probably not
Turdblossom needs a new pair of glasses. He’s been wrong a lot lately so I don’t listen anymore.
anyone else watching Fox & fools? Is it just me or does Megyn Kelly seem personally invested in Romney’s campaign?
Not watching but I wouldn’t be surprised. Half the Fox people are probably connected to it in some way.
What the hell? Iowa GOP official doesn’t know where the remaining votes are?!
They’ve found 1 of the 2 precincts that was missing. Waiting on Clinton county.
4 votes separate Santorum (29,968 25%) and Romney (29,964 25%)
Some Turdblossom source says there may have been some undercounting for Romney that has to be checked in another precinct. Turdblossom says Clinton county will bring votes for Romney, so Romney may erase santorum’s 4 ekes.
OMG this is such drama… Karl Rove’s “breaking news” right now from NY RNC source (that Romney will end up winning, which both camps are going to agree to) makes it sound almost like the vote was rigged for Romney… he’ll win by 10? (or 14?) votes.
Time for late night political insomniac jukebox….
What’s Going On… Marvin Gaye…
Great song…I just could not stay awake. Thanks Wonk for keeping the fire burning.
This is cute: Watch The Entire CNN Team Lose It At 1:30 AM Waiting For Iowa Results | Mediaite