Voting in Iowa: Cruz wins, Trump falters, Clinton, Sanders almost even

Republican voters in Iowa have given a big boost to the campaigns of Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio as Donald Trump only manages 2nd place. On the Democratic side, Clinton and Sanders are almost even as the last votes are counted.

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Voting in Iowa: Cruz wins, Trump falters, Clinton, Sanders almost even

13:30

Ted Cruz has come out on top in the Republican primary election in Iowa, a bitter result for Donald Trump who had predicted a big victory. Marco Rubio whose last-minute surge almost overtook Trump for second place, on the other hand, will be delighted with the result. As more moderate candidates drop out, he is most likely to benefit as the favourite of Republican party leaders. The final vote was 28 percent for Cruz, 24 percent for Trump and 23 percent for Rubio.

On the Democratic side, Hiliary Clinton looks likely to have eked out a narrow victory over rival Bernie Sanders with 99 percent of the vote counted. She leads by a razor-thin margin of 49.8 percent to 49.6.

Democratic presidential candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to supporters as Former U.S. president Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea Clinton look on during her caucus night event in the Olmsted Center at Drake University on February 1, 2016 in Des Moines, Iowa. Win McNamee/AFP

Iowa is a small state with an unusual caucas system, so the vote is quite small. Cruz won by less than five thousand votes, for example. And since it is not a winner-take-all system, he will receive only seven delegates to the national convention where the final decision is made. Trump and Rubio will both win six Iowa delegates.

Clinton's share of the Iowa delegates will be similarly small if her lead holds up. At the moment she would get 24 delegates to Sander's 21.

Early  morning story

Republican and Democratic voters in Iowa are attending caucuses this morning in the country's first vote to choose their party's nominee for president. Results will begin to come in shortly.

A caucus worker checks in a voter prior to the Republican Party Caucus at Keokuk High School on February 1, 2016 in Keokuk, Iowa. After months of fierce campaigning, Iowans take the first steps in deciding which candidate will receive their respective party nomination for the US presidency. / AFP / Michael B. Thomas

Reports from across the state indicate turnout is high. CNN reports first-time caucus-goers are especially high on the Republican side, seen as very good news for Donald Trump.

On the Democratic sign, the turn-out seems to be dominated by experienced voters, seen as a positive for Hillary Clinton.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (2nd R) waits for caucus results with his wife Jane O'Meara Sanders (R) and other family members in their hotel room. Alex Wong/AFP

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump attend a Republican caucus February 1, 2016 in West Des Moines, Iowa. Steve Pope/AFP

The caucus system is more like a convention than simply going to a polling station to cast a ballot and there are often lively exchanges trying to convince voters to change their minds at the last minute. Some do, so, at this time, it is not possible to predict the outcome. Actual results are just starting coming in and the winners should be known this morning.

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