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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
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| Huckabee and Obama take Iowa wins | Huckabee and Obama take Iowa wins |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama have won the Iowa caucuses - the first nominating contest of the 2008 US presidential election. | Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama have won the Iowa caucuses - the first nominating contest of the 2008 US presidential election. |
| Mr Huckabee won for the Republicans, defeating Mitt Romney. | Mr Huckabee won for the Republicans, defeating Mitt Romney. |
| At the Democratic caucuses, Mr Obama won a close race to defeat Hillary Clinton and John Edwards - but it is still unclear who was second. | At the Democratic caucuses, Mr Obama won a close race to defeat Hillary Clinton and John Edwards - but it is still unclear who was second. |
| Past Iowa caucuses can give big boosts to candidates. The next contest is on Tuesday in New Hampshire. | Past Iowa caucuses can give big boosts to candidates. The next contest is on Tuesday in New Hampshire. |
| IOWA RESULTS (incomplete) DEMOCRATSBarack Obama - 38%John Edwards - 30%Hillary Clinton - 29%Bill Richardson - 2%REPUBLICANSMike Huckabee - 34%Mitt Romney - 26%Fred Thomson and John McCain - both 13% | |
| With nearly all of the results from more than 1,780 caucuses (or public meetings) counted, Mr Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and Baptist minister, polled 34% of the vote. | |
| Mr Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, secured 26% support. | |
| "Tonight what we have seen is a new day in American politics. Tonight we proved that American politics is still in the hands of people like you," Mr Huckabee told his cheering supporters. | |
| The victory for Mr Huckabee is seen as a huge blow for Mr Romney, who has spent tens of millions of dollars more on his campaign. | The victory for Mr Huckabee is seen as a huge blow for Mr Romney, who has spent tens of millions of dollars more on his campaign. |
| Mrs Clinton said she was "confident" going into the next contest | |
| However, Mr Romney said the battle for the nomination was far from being lost. | However, Mr Romney said the battle for the nomination was far from being lost. |
| "This is obviously a bit like a baseball game, first inning. Well, it's a 50-inning ball game. I'm going to keep on battling all the way and anticipate I get the nomination when it's all said and done," he told Fox News. | "This is obviously a bit like a baseball game, first inning. Well, it's a 50-inning ball game. I'm going to keep on battling all the way and anticipate I get the nomination when it's all said and done," he told Fox News. |
| In the democratic race, Mr Obama won 38% of the vote. | |
| Mr Edwards and Mrs Clinton were polling 30% and 29% respectively. | Mr Edwards and Mrs Clinton were polling 30% and 29% respectively. |
| "We are choosing hope over fear, we are choosing unity over division and sending a powerful message that change is coming to America," Mr Obama, who is vying to become the first black US president, told his supporters. | |
| Mr Obama, a senator from Illinois, will now be hoping to build momentum for the rest of the race, the BBC's Kevin Connolly in Iowa says. | |
| However, both Mr Edwards and Mrs Clinton vowed to continue the fight for the Democratic nomination. | However, both Mr Edwards and Mrs Clinton vowed to continue the fight for the Democratic nomination. |
| "We have always planned to run a national campaign all the way through the early contests," said Mrs Clinton, flanked by her husband - former President Bill Clinton. | |
| New Hampshire battle | |
| More than 220,000 Democrats took part in the caucuses, compared to 124,000 in 2004, according to projections. | |
| KEY DATES 3 Jan: Iowa caucuses8 Jan: New Hampshire primary15 Jan: Michigan primary19 Jan: Nevada caucuses; South Carolina primary (Rep)26 Jan: South Carolina primary (Dem)29 Jan: Florida primary5 Feb: some 20 states including California, New York, New Jersey At-a-glance: 3 JanIowa state profileQ&A: Primaries and caucuses | |
| Turnout was also up on the Republican side, with more than 110,000 people taking part. The last contested Republican caucuses, in 2000, drew fewer than 90,000 participants. | |
| Similar caucuses or primaries will take place across all American states before each party backs a single candidate to contest the November election for the White House. | Similar caucuses or primaries will take place across all American states before each party backs a single candidate to contest the November election for the White House. |
| The Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary on 8 January are regarded as key for building momentum in the state-by-state process of winning the presidential nomination. | The Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary on 8 January are regarded as key for building momentum in the state-by-state process of winning the presidential nomination. |
| Candidates who do poorly tend to drop out of the race. Democratic veterans Chris Dodd and Joe Biden said late on Thursday they were bowing out after poor showings in Iowa. | |
| Polls from New Hampshire have indicated that the Republican contest is between Mr Romney and Senator John McCain, while for the Democrats Mrs Clinton and Mr Obama lead the field. | Polls from New Hampshire have indicated that the Republican contest is between Mr Romney and Senator John McCain, while for the Democrats Mrs Clinton and Mr Obama lead the field. |