NBC News reports:
Iowa GOP Chairman Matt Strawn says Rick Santorum is the winner of the Iowa Caucus. Period.
After the Republican Party of Iowa released the final certified results Thursday morning with eight missing precincts, Strawn released a statement saying he wanted to congratulate both “Senator Santorum and Governor Romney on a hard-fought effort during the closest contest in caucus history.”The press release specifically did not state a specific winner of the Jan 3. Caucus, rather implying it was a tie.
But this afternoon, Strawn went on WHO Radio in Iowa and announced there should be no “ambiguity,” that Santorum is, in fact, the winner.
“Certified results show Rick Santorum leading or won by 34 votes,” Strawn told Jan Mickelson, noting that he needed to apologize to Santorum for any misunderstanding.