Texas Sen. Ted Cruz notched a win in Iowa Monday when he outlasted business mogul turned presidential candidate Donald Trump in the state's caucuses.
After months of dominating media cycles, Trump came in second to Cruz -- and was nearly bested by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio -- in a contest that saw the first votes cast in the 2016 presidential election season.
Cruz, who was solidly in polls as voting began Monday, came from behind not long after votes were being counted, then never looked back as he beat Trump 28 to 24 percent. A surprising showing, and perhaps the key to Trump’s loss, was Rubio, who ended up only one percentage point behind Trump with 23 percent of the vote.
>>Related: Ted Cruz declared winner of Republican caucus in Iowa
As the day began, pundits and pollsters alike questioned whether Trump could turn the large crowds that showed up at his rallies into votes on Monday night. That question was answered early on when Trump's numbers hit around 25 percent of the vote and didn't budge, proving at least in Iowa, he could not turn media attention into an electoral win.
Iowa voters said “shared values” was one of the most important qualities they wanted in a candidate, and Trump brought up the rear among Republican candidates in that category. Thirty-six percent of Iowa voters polled said they felt Cruz was the candidate whose values they most identified with. Only 6 percent of the voters saw Trump as someone they could relate to.
Not surprisingly, Trump gained much of his support from those to whom immigration was the most important campaign issue. Throughout the race, Trump has hammered the issue, first insulting Mexican immigrants when he announced his intentions of running for president, then saying he would build a wall to keep people from crossing the country’s southern border. His most controversial statement on the issue came when he suggested potential Muslim immigrants should be barred from entering the country.
A record number of voters poured into local caucus sites despite a looming winter storm. Long lines began forming up to an hour ahead of caucus time, and many took that as a good sign for Trump's campaign. But that was not to be the case.
When it came time to choose the candidate they wanted to caucus for, exit polls indicated that while voters supported Trump at rallies, it was Rubio they saw as being more electable.
>>Related: How Marco Rubio turned a loss into a win
A poll released hours prior to the caucus showed Trump in the lead with voters who were new to the process. The Quinnipiac University poll had Trump leading by seven points over Cruz. However, 28 percent of the people in the Quinnipiac poll who named a candidate they would support also said they might change their mind by Monday night.
Trump’s loss came as polling showed his support was deep, but narrow -- he was almost no one’s second choice when it came to the candidate voters would caucus for.
Early Monday, Trump told ABC’s “Good Morning America,” "You have to be a little bit nervous. This is actually my first election night. I've gone through many election nights but it was always for somebody else. This is a little bit different for me."
By Monday night, Trump told his supporters he did better than most thought he would do and pledged to head to New Hampshire to continue the fight there. The New Hampshire primary is set for Feb. 9.
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