Ted Cruz sets record for most Iowa caucus votes received by single candidate


February 1, 2016 9:42 PM MST

Ted Cruz wins Iowa Caucuses
Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

On Monday, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, won the Iowa GOP caucuses, beating media mogul Donald Trump by four percentage points. Not only did he win what many said was Trump's to lose, he set the record for the most votes received by a single candidate in the Iowa caucuses, the Des Moines Register's Jason Noble said on Twitter.

"Ted Cruz has already set a record for most Iowa caucus votes received by a single candidate," he tweeted. Additionally, Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said that GOP turnout exceeded the previous record by nearly 60,000 votes.

News of the record sparked both praise and criticism. One person, for example, suggested former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush demand a recount.

Some said that Trump will still win the nomination.

One critic played the "birther" card, asking, "I'm curious, is he legally able to run for president?

According to our Constitution?" The issue of Cruz's eligibility became a central part of Trump's campaign. At one point, the billionaire called Cruz an "anchor baby in Canada." But it appears the birther card didn't work in Iowa as Trump had hoped.

The Iowa caucus results also appear to have gone against what many pollsters reported. Prior to Monday's caucuses, the Real Clear Politics average said that Trump was ahead by a 4.7 percent margin. None of the polls cited by RCP showed Cruz in the lead.

The polls, however, didn't impress talk show host and Cruz supporter Steve Deace, who has "virtually predicted the right outcome of every meaningful election in Iowa" since 2008. Over a week before the caucuses, he predicted that Cruz would win, citing the candidate's strong ground game. And he was right.

Deace said that "the same people who typically vote in the caucuses will likely decide the outcome of this one." And, he added, "in that case the best organization wins -- and the best organization belongs to Ted Cruz."

http://www.examiner.com/article/ted-...ngle-candidate