Cruz beats Trump 28-24; Hillary edges Sanders by just four delegates

Let's start with the Democrats. How do you like this for my lead? Inevitable nominee, most qualified person ever, smartest woman in the world just barely beats wild-eyed socialist by four delegates. No. Not by four percentage points. By four votes. That's closer than Florida 2000. A lot closer. The doddering liberal who denies being a socialist and is under FBI investigation acted like she won a big victory over the even more doddering liberal who admits to being a socialist. It's a hell of a day at sea, sir

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The results of the Democratic race put pressure on Clinton to siphon support away from Sanders, who has won over politically left-leaning voters with his promises to take on Wall Street and start fresh with healthcare reform. Clinton, 68, said she was breathing a "big sigh of relief" after the results. She lost Iowa to then-Senator Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic race and never recovered. "It is rare that we have the opportunity we do now to have a real contest of ideas,” Clinton said with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and daughter Chelsea joining her on stage. Sanders, 74, declared himself overwhelmed. The lawmaker, who smiled broadly as he addressed supporters, is leading in New Hampshire, home to next week's second contest, but trails Clinton in other states such as South Carolina, which holds the third contest. "Nine months ago, we came to this beautiful state, we had no political organization, we had no money, we had no name recognition, and we were taking on the most powerful political organization in the United States of America," Sanders said.

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Meanwhile - and I'll avoid using the media cliche that compares what candidates do to what Adrian Peterson does (on the field, you cynics), Cruz defied the polls but not unsurprisingly because Iowa is as much about organizing as it is about your sheer popularity:

Cruz's win and Rubio's strong showing could dent the momentum for Trump, whose candidacy has alarmed the Republican establishment and been marked by controversies ranging from his calls to ban Muslims temporarily from entering the United States to promising to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border. "Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across this great nation," Cruz, 45, said during a victory speech lasting more than 30 minutes. An uncharacteristically humbled Trump, 69, congratulated Cruz and said he still expected to win the Republican nomination. Opinion polls show Trump leading nationally and in New Hampshire, which holds the next nominating contest. "I'm just honored," Trump said.

The importance of Iowa has always been a little bit in winning delegates and a lot in public perception. Because it's the first vote of any kind, it's overblown in terms of media attention, and getting this one win under his belt gives Cruz the chance to at least appear stronger as he heads into the early primary states. Trump still leads in New Hampshire, and I have no idea if voters are really influenced by "momentum." I think that really just means the media talks about you having won something. As for Rubio, he got 23 percent to Trump's 24 percent, so he's certainly in this thing. And for those of you constantly railing against the "RINO establishment" for foisting the likes of Romney, McCain and Dole on us, doesn't it feel like a victory to you that Rubio - the guy now embraced by the establishment - has a 90 percent ACU rating on his voting record? Or is the Gang of Eight fiasco so an apostasy to you that nothing can overcome it? Because I'm trying to show you the sunny side of life, just in case any of you want to see it.

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