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See unofficial caucus results of the counties reporting so far.
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Mitt Romney has won the Iowa Republican caucuses by just eight votes.
The final vote total for Romney was 30,015 to Santorum's 30,007. Total votes cast: 122,255. It's the closest race in Iowa caucuses history.
Texas U.S. Rep. Ron Paul ran third.
He was followed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and, in last place, Minnesota U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann.
Perry said Tuesday that he would head home "to determine whether there is a path forward" for his White House bid after he finished a distant fifth in the caucuses.
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DES MOINES, Iowa - Partygoers hoping to celebrate a win for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney Tuesday night watched, stunned, while results showed their candidate in a close tie with former Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum.
They enjoyed their cocktails - it was a cash bar - but nervously kept their fingers crossed that Romney would soon come out on top.
"I'm really surprised," said Eric Holdmeyer, 33, a logistics consultant from Adel, Iowa. "He's been my guy."
Holdmeyer admitted that Romney in some ways is too middle-of-the-road to fit his conservative taste, however, "I actually think a candidate needs to be moderate to beat Obama."
-- Maggie O'Brien
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Polk County results jumped former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney briefly back into the lead at about 9:45 p.m., but conservative Sioux and Woodbury Counties came in from northwest Iowa, lurching the race with Rick Santorum back into a statistical tie.
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With 40 of 41 precincts reporting in Pottawattamie County, it looks like Mitt Romney's going to take it.
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With 180 of 183 precincts in, it looks like Romney is about to take Polk County -- home of Des Moines, Iowa's largest city.
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Many western Iowa counties now have final results: Santorum leads in Page, Montgomery, Cass, Cherokee and Ida, all with 100 percent results in.
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Romney supporter John Strong, 70, a retired manager with Greyhound bus line and an Army veteran, makes a statement at the former governor's caucus night party tonight. Strong supports Romney for his business and political experience but says veterans so far have been left out of the mix. He hopes that changes. He'd like veterans to receive better healthcare benefits and job training. Strong lives in west Des Moines, Iowa.
-- Maggie O'Brien
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TREYNOR, Iowa -- Rick Santorum's late surge in Iowa swept over the Republican precinct caucuses in Treynor.
Santorum won the Keg Creek Township and Silver Creek Township precincts, which included the town of Treynor, along with precincts covering the Washington and York townships in surrounding rural Pottawattamie County.
“We do not need compromise, what we need is a warrior,” Jon Jacobsen, a Santorum supporter, told a crowd of about 115 people gathered in the Treynor High School auditorium.
“We've found our warrior. Rick Santorum is the one we were looking for.”
Before the vote attendees were allowed to speak on behalf of candidates.
Richard Ryba of rural Treynor said the caucuses allow for a free flow of ideas and persuasion.
“If you have the guts, you have the chance to voice your opinion among people, can tell them why you've chosen your pick for our next president,” he said. “The people here -- not the big money interests.”
After the votes were tallied Platt and Donna Perdue, Rick Perry supporters from Treynor, said they were satisfied with the result.
“I voted for Perry, but Santorum will do,” Platt said, who mentioned he was thinking hard about Santorum before casting his ballot. “We support him.”
The sentiment of “we support him” – whoever won – was most apparent when Jacobsen roused the crowd with these words:
“Tonight in Iowa marks the beginning of the end of the Obama administration,” he said to the longest and loudest applause of the night.
-- Mike Brownlee / World-Herald News Service
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The crowd is getting bigger at Mitt Romney's caucus night party in Des Moines.
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COUNCIL BLUFFS -- It was a good night Tuesday for Ron Paul on the west side of Council Bluffs.
Paul swept the five precincts voting at Woodrow Wilson Middle School.
While the night belonged to Paul, candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich also had strong showings.
Paul representative Vincent Campos said he voted for Paul because his candidate has never voted to raise taxes.
“It doesn't get much more conservative than that,” he said.
Joe Bolin and his wife Kim, both of Omaha, brought their son Nicholas to the caucuses at Wilson.
While they couldn't vote, they wanted to see what a caucus was about. The Bolin family also supports Paul.
Dexter Koontz said he was torn between Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann. But he said he could support any Republican candidate.
“This is a good field of candidates; whoever comes out, I know, we will all support them,” Koontz said.
Mary Jones served as the caucus chairwoman, with Pottawattamie County Supervisor Loren Knauss serving as secretary.
Knauss said he appreciated seeing the 216 caucus-goers turn out, because unlike a primary, you have to devote at least an hour of your time.
“It's a process that is tried and true,” he said. “And very unique to Iowa.”
-- Chad Nation / World-Herald News Service
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DES MOINES, Iowa - Just before 9 p.m., Romney supporters and staff nervously milled about the hallway outside the Hotel Fort Des Moines' Grand Ballroom, as the race became a dead heat between Romney, Santorum and Paul.
Tim Will, a 61-year-old retired utility executive from Des Moines, said he hoped to celebrate a Romney victory but admitted that the governor was his second choice. He had initially supported former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who has skipped campaigning in Iowa to focus on New Hampshire.
Since Huntsman had no Iowa presence, Will decided to caucus for Romney Tuesday night.
"They're both electable, more than the others," he said. "We'll see what happens in New Hampshire and South Carolina."
-- Maggie O'Brien
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DES MOINES, Iowa - Two University of Nebraska-Lincoln freshmen are checking folks in to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's caucus night party at the Hotel Fort Des Moines.
Alana Tucker, 18, and Tayler Hough, 19, crossed off names from a list and gave supporters yellow wrist bands to get inside the party.
The girls drove to Des Moines this week to get an up-close look at the Iowa caucuses. They hooked up with the Romney camp, who put them to work.
"We wanted to be in the middle of it all," said Tucker. "We're really excited and learning a lot."
Tucker is an advertising/public relations major from Lincoln. Omaha native Hough is studying political science and communications.
-- Maggie O'Brien
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Romney supporters, many dolled up in black cocktail attire, began to arrive at the Hotel Fort Des Moines at about 8 p.m. after caucusing for their candidate. They were given a yellow wristband, which got them access to the party. They grabbed a drink and hoped to spend the night celebrating a Romney win.
Romney "is extremely polished, and he's very presidential," said Bob Griffin, a 60-year-old real estate attorney from Des Moines, who sipped a bourbon and 7-Up. "He's the one who can make things happen."
-- Maggie O'Brien
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Rick Santorum waits to greet students and supporters Tuesday afternoon at Des Moines Christian School in Urbandale, Iowa.
URBANDALE, Iowa - Former Pennsylvania Gov. Rick Santorm, who has enjoyed a recent surge in popularity, has the support of some Iowans too young to caucus for him tonight.
About 350 middle school and high school students from Des Moines Christian School ended their day with a visit from Santorum.
After Santorum gave brief remarks - he talked about the importance of abstinence from sex before marriage, among other things - the kids were allowed to ask him questions.
They wanted to know his positions on jobs, foreign policy and veterans' benefits, and applauded his answers.
Santorum told them he's running for president to help their generation.
"Every election has a bigger impact on you than it does any other group," he said. "Why? Because you're going to live with the consequences of these actions."
-- Maggie O'Brien
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Reporters aren't being allowed inside the Grand Ballroom of the Hotel Fort Des Moines, where former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will give remarks following tonight's Iowa caucus results. Instead, they're setting up inside a ballroom across the hall and will watch the current GOP frontrunner on one of four large screens.
At the same time, hotel bartenders are waiting listlessly for the night to begin, as Romney staff checks in reporters and gears up for their leader's arrival.
It wasn't immediately known if Romney would go to a caucus site. His sons, however, were expected to attend one.
-- Maggie O'Brien
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Bartenders at the Hotel Fort Des Moines wait for the start of former Gov. Mitt Romney's caucus night party.
— Maggie O'Brien
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The Duggars sing for Santorum
URBANDALE, Iowa — The Duggar clan is still in Iowa stumping for Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum.
At his final campaign stop before tonight's Iowa caucuses, Santorum, a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, was welcomed to Des Moines Christian School by the Duggar kids, who sang the Star Spangled Banner.
The family is famous for being on the TLC cable TV reality show, "19 Kids and Counting." They have endorsed him for his religious and conservative values.
Helping Santorum campaign, "gave it a little more awareness, because people recognize us, and that can't hurt," said Mary "Grandma" Duggar.
Santorum, who has seven children, has seen a recent surge in the polls. He said raising a large family helped him gain the fiscal responsibility needed to be president.
"People ask, 'Do you know how much a gallon of milk costs?'" Santorum said. "No, but I know how much six gallons of milk costs."
— Maggie O'Brien
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No Deal
No one will be landing Steve King's endorsement.
The Iowa congressman says he recently came to the conclusion that he could not endorse any of the candidates with absolute "conviction."
King, who is considered a leader in Iowa's social conservative movement, has been repeatedly wooed by several candidates in the Republican field who hoped to land his endorsement. Many came to his forum earlier this year, where they heaped praise on the western Iowan.
But, in the end, King said he had trouble picking a single candidate. All of them had pros and cons, he said
King said his decision not to endorse does not mean he had problems with any of the candidates, and he will back whoever gets the nomination. — Robynn Tysver
Prediction
Iowa U.S. Rep. Steve King says he thinks Mitt Romney will win.
The big question, says King, is whether Rick Santorum will run a close second or Romney will win Iowa with a big margin.
If Romney wins big, he will have a good shot of winning the party's nomination. But if Santorum runs a close second, the race will continue for a while, King said.
He also said the Newt Gingrich could get back in the game if he has a respectable third- or fourth-place finish. --Robynn Tysver
Perry's road show
Rick Perry says whatever happens in Iowa, it's not the end.
The Texas governor, who has been polling in fifth place, said today that he plans to continue his campaign no matter what happens tonight.
"This is a marathon. It's going to go on for some time," said Perry, who spoke to the employees at Principal Financial Group this afternoon in downtown Des Moines.
Perry talked about his belief that the federal government has taken too much power away from the states, who are in the best position to lead on health-care reform and education.
"We have 50 laboratories of innovation in this country. Free them up to compete with each other," said Perry.
Perry is traveling with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback.
Unofficial caucus results of counties reporting so far:
MORE COVERAGE
2012 Republican presidential candidate bios
Omaha.com's Iowa caucuses Election 2012 page
Caucus Tweets from reporters Maggie O'Brien, Robynn Tysver and Andrew Nelson:
More caucus Tweets
MARK DAVIS/THE WORLD-HERALD
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