by Alex Porter ’13

On January 3, the nomination process for the Republican presidential candidate began with the Iowa caucuses. Unlike a primary election, Iowans hold community meetings to pick their candidate, usually after hearing from representatives of the major candidates. Iowa was followed by the New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Florida primaries throughout January.

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum came in first in Iowa, while Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, won New Hampshire and Florida, with former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich taking South Carolina. Romney was originally reported as the winner in Iowa as well, by a narrow eight votes, but updated information on January 19 showed Santorum winning by 34 votes. The results from eight precincts are still unaccounted for. Romney’s success in Iowa was followed by an endorsement from Senator John McCain, who ran against President Barack Obama in 2008.

Santorum surprised many with his finish in Iowa after aggressive campaigning before the caucuses. Texas Congressman Ron Paul, known for his libertarian ideology, which differs from the mainstream Republican party, came in third in Iowa and second in New Hampshire, another unexpected finish.

Gingrich finished first in South Carolina and fourth in Iowa and New Hampshire, after leading in the polls in Iowa in December. Gingrich’s performance in South Carolina was another surprise after his poor performances in the previous states and interviews with his second ex-wife speaking critically of him.

Political analysts saw South Carolina as the last chance for any candidate to distinguish himself, and by the time of the primary the race was down to a two-man contest between Romney and Gingrich. Both candidates accordingly ramped up their spending and advertising for the state.

Despite Gingrich’s victory in the notably conservative state, Romney soon took the momentum back in Florida, with a first place finish with 46.4 percent of the vote. Gingrich, Santorum and Paul, the only remaining candidates, followed him in second, third, and fourth, respectively. Romney’s tone after his victory reflected his now presumed status as the Republican nominee, as he proclaimed, “I stand ready to lead this party and this nation.” Romney has long held the most support among Republicans in polls.

Former Governor of Utah Jon Huntsman finished third in New Hampshire, after holding more than 150 events in the state. On January 16, he ended his campaign and endorsed Romney. He also pleaded for unity within the Republican Party, and criticized the negative personal attacks that have characterized the primaries. Huntsman did not actively campaign in Iowa and only received .6 percent of the vote in the state.

Santorum finished fifth in New Hampshire.  Texas Governor Rick Perry, who finished fifth in Iowa and a distant sixth in New Hampshire, suspended his campaign on January 19 and endorsed Newt Gingrich. Perry called him “a conservative visionary who can transform our country,” and supported him the same day that an interview with Gingrich’s second wife attacked his values. Perry said that “Newt is not perfect, but who among us is? The fact is, there is forgiveness for those who seek God and I believe in the power of redemption, for it is a central tenet of my own Christian faith.”

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota finished the lowest of the major candidates, other than Huntsman, in Iowa, with 5 percent of the vote. Shortly after, she announced that she was dropping out of the race.

While the results of these early primaries are the first true indicators of a candidate’s strength, they do not always predict the ultimate winner. In 2008, Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, finished first in Iowa, while McCain secured the actual nomination. However, McCain did win New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida that year.

 The next primary events are the Nevada caucuses on February 4 and the Maine caucuses February 4 through 11.