Santorum beat Romney in Iowa, new count shows

WASHINGTON — Rick Santorum beat Mitt Romney in the January 3 Iowa caucuses according to a new count, erasing the razor-thin 8 vote win the current front-runner was reported to have had.

Santorum told CNN that the victory, while delayed, was sweet. "We feel very, very good that we not only won, but that we …. pulled off a huge upset," the former Pennsylvania senator said.

The new count, reported by the Des Moines Register, said Santorum actually beat Romney by 34 votes:

THE RESULTS: Santorum finished ahead by 34 votes
MISSING DATA: 8 precincts’ numbers will never be certified
PARTY VERDICT: GOP official says, ‘It’s a split decision’

Rick Santorum – Final total: 29,839 Change: -168
Mitt Romney – Final total: 29,805 Change: -210

Romney, who campaigned little in Iowa but spent heavily, released a statement Thursday calling the tally a "virtual tie." The Washington Post reported that Newt Gingrich is making the fastest gains on Romney before Saturday's contest in South Carolina, but Santorum has been "hinting to crowds in South Carolina for days that the Iowa vote tally might change, and predicting that a shift could 'change the complexion of this race.'"

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Romney was asked Tuesday what would change if Santorum pulled out a two-week-late victory in Iowa and responded, “I’m not sure that changes much," the Post reported. The Des Moines register noted that the true prize of an Iowa win is the immediate boost in media attention. Romney and Santorum, who finished unexpectedly strong, benefited from that attention, but Romney's double win in both Iowa and New Hampshire will now be accompanied by a historical "asterisk."

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