Republican presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum were locked in a dead heat as the party's Iowa caucus turned up a fractured verdict in the first vote for the 2012 battle.
Republican presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum were locked in a dead heat as the party's Iowa caucus turned up a fractured verdict in the first vote for the 2012 battle, kicking off the primary season for Barack Obama's challengers.
The Republican's Iowa caucus vote headed for a very close finish with former Massachusetts Governor Romney and former Pennsylvania Senator Santorum leading neck and neck while Texas Congressman Ron Paul a close third as more than 90 per cent of the votes were counted.
From Iowa, the Republican primaries to pick the candidate who will challenge the incumbent Obama, will head to New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida, and if the first vote is anything to go by the overall race might well be headed for a photo finish.
With 93 per cent of counties reporting, Santorum and Romney had almost 25 per cent of the vote each with fewer than 100 votes separating them.
Paul, on the other hand, ranked third in this race of seven Republican presidential candidates with 21 per cent of the vote.
Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Newt Gingrich, and Texas Governor Rick Perry had taken fourth and fifth slots respectively, while Minnesota Congresswoman, Michele Bachmann, and former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman were at the bottom of the heap.
"Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney appear to be heading for a photo finish in Iowa, with the two Republican presidential candidates locked in one of the closest caucus contests in modern political history," Fox news said after 91 per cent of the votes were counted.
The Iowa Caucus kicks off the months-long process to select the Republican presidential nominee to challenge Obama in the November presidential elections.
"Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum were in a razor-thin battle for the lead with more than 90 per cent of the vote in Tuesday night from the Iowa caucuses — the crucial opening act of the 2012 presidential race," The Politico said.
According to MSNBC, Santorum performed best among Caucus-goers who describe themselves as very conservative. He also won over evangelical Christians and caucus attendees who tabbed social issues as one for their priorities.
More than 100,000 Iowans are expected to cast ballots at 809 caucus sites, representing 1774 precincts throughout Iowa.
ABC News estimated that turnout for the Iowa caucus will be around 123,000, a record for the state.
Before heading for New Hampshire, Gingrich said he would continue the fight.
"We are not going to go out and run nasty ads... but I do reserve the right to tell the truth" while suggesting the truth could seem to negative.
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