Ted Cruz swept to Republican victory in Iowa, stealing the thunder from Donald Trump who was pushed into second place, while the race between Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders came down a margin of just 0.2 points.
As Mr Cruz celebrated his victory and Donald Trump offered his congratulations, Democratic officials were still trying to tally the results.
With more than 96 per cent of precincts having reported, Ms Clinton stood at 49.8 per cent while Mr Sanders was on 49.6 per cent. Former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley secured less than one per cent and dropped out of the race.
Mr Sanders said that Iowa had sent a message to the world
Mr Cruz did better than the final poll before Monday night’s vote had predicted, securing 28 per cent of the total. Mr Trump was on 24 points and Senator Marco Rubio, whose performance was one of several success stories of the night, came third on 23 points.
Mr Cruz, a Texas Senator with a reputation as a hardliner and a scourge of the Republican establishment, said the victory was the result of the hard work of his team and claimed he had secured the backing of evangelical Christians.
“God bless the great state of Iowa. Tonight is a victory for the grass roots,” Mr Cruz, 45, said during a victory speech that lasted more than 30 minutes.
“Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across this great nation.”
He said the results showed that the nominee would not be chosen by the media, the Washington establishment or lobbyists, according to the Associated Press.
Mr Cruz’s win and Mr Rubio’s strong showing could dent the momentum for Mr Trump, whose candidacy has also alarmed the Republican establishment and been marked by controversies such as his calls for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States.
It is likely that Mr Rubio will start to secure more and more donations as the Republican establishment seeks to rally a candidate it believes could defeat Mr Cruz and Mr Trump.
A subdued and chastened Mr Trump spoke briefly to supporters at the Sheraton hotel in the west of Des Moines and said he was heading to New Hampshire with polls showing him ahead.
“I’m just honoured, I’m really honoured,” Mr Trump said.
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