01/04/2012
 
Tie in primaries in Iowa
Romney and Santorum fear for every vote

There is a dramatic prelude to the Republican primaries: More than 95 percent of the vote in Iowa have been counted – and Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are on par. It is still an open question of who decides the prestige duel in the Midwestern United States for themselves.

Des Moines – The starting gun for the election of the Republican U.S. presidential candidates had been eagerly awaited – and keeps the race, what one has promised them. Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney in Iowa provide a head-to-head race. After counting the votes in about 97 percent of the electoral districts were both in the Tuesday night almost on par. The former governor of Massachusetts and former Senator from Pennsylvania come to just under 25 percent each, followed closely by the Texan Ron Paul (21 percent).

Relegated to the rear seats landed at the election meetings (caucuses), the Republican candidate Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann. Them in the polls had been given little chance to distinguish themselves in the rural Midwest as a challenger for the Democratic incumbent Barack Obama. The seventh candidate of the party, Jon Huntsman occurred in Iowa does not.

In the Republican caucuses in Iowa were all met for about two hours of election meetings to discuss the candidates and vote. The importance of the primaries is mainly symbolic: Quotes from the small state fall in the nationwide candidacy negligible. However, the winners will lay claim to have won the first real test at the ballot box.

Romney represented the more moderate Republicans and four years ago was to lead on his first attempt, the Republicans in a presidential election campaign, behind in Iowa behind his opponent Mike Huckabee. Yet it was the Iowa caucus this year have a good chance because he is the candidate who best speaks to the voters from the political center.

Rick Santorum is in its clear rejection of the right to abortion for the Christian conservatives. Ron Paul on the other hand tries to score with his promise, the government taking away more and more powers and the fate of the country largely be left to market forces.

Obama in Iowa without competition

President Obama in Iowa may be based on a broad electoral base and took up the party meeting of the Democrat unopposed. Found to Iowa on 10 January, the second primaries in New Hampshire instead, then follow in dense clock more votes.

As the last of the 50 states holding primaries Utah from his end of June. At the Republican convention in Tampa, Florida, select the end of August, delegates from the states then officially the Obama challenger in the elections on 6 November 2012.