Judging by the results of the first caucuses in Iowa, the contest for the Republican presidential nomination could shape up to be a three-horse race between religious conservative Rick Santorum, wealthy moderate Mitt Romney, and staunch libertarian Ron Paul.

"One of the things that's become obvious in the last few weeks in Iowa is that there will be a great debate in the Republican Party before we are prepared to have a great debate with Barack Obama," said former US house speaker Newt Gingrich, who was disappointed to finish fourth in the poll with just 13 percent of votes.

Santorum - the conservative

The big surprise of the Iowa primary was Rick Santorum, who enjoyed a surge in momentum in the late stages of the contest to secure second place in a photo-finish with Mitt Romney, who secured 25 percent of ballots.

Santorum's Iowa campaign tour saw him visit all of the state's 99 counties to promote his conservative credentials at no less than 381 events. Santorum is an advocate of Christian and family values and is a staunch opponent of gay marriage and abortion.

In a celebratory speech in Johnston on Tuesday evening, Santorum told his supporters that he was the right man to challenge Barack Obama for the presidency. He pointed to his previous election victories as a senator in Pennsylvania – a steel-producing region where voters are traditionally aligned with Democratic Party.

"I ran in a tough election year when George Bush Sr. was losing the election by a landslide in my district – and I got 60 percent of the vote. Because I shared the values of the working people in that district," Santorum said.

"If we have someone who can go out to Western Pennsylvania - and Ohio and Michigan and Indiana and Wisconsin and Iowa and Missouri - and appeal to the voters that have been left behind by a Democratic Party that wants to make them dependent instead of valuing their work, we will win this election."

Speaking at a high school hall in precinct 48 of Des Moines, 21-year-old campaign assistant Nathan Arnold told voters that Santorum had what it takes to unite factory workers, farmers and swing voters in America's heartland.

"In this climate I think the conservative alternative is the one that's going to win," he said after Santorum finished second in the Iowa contest. "We're not in the mood for anything less than that right now."

Paul - the libertarian

The winner of the contest in that particular school hall, however, was Ron Paul.

The Texan lawmaker impressed voters with his promise to radically reduce the role of government in the United States and curb the influence of top bankers at the Federal Reserve.

One of the libertarian's supporters, Chris Hern, told Deutsche Welle he was confident Ron Paul had a good chance of making it all the way to the White House.

"I think Iowa is going to send a message to New Hampshire and South Carolina. And we'll see what happens. It's no longer about parties anymore. It's about ideas."

But final results in Iowa gave Paul only 21 percent of the state-wide vote, putting him in third palce behind Romney and Santorum.

The Texan candidate did his best to cheer up his disappointed campaign team: "We will go on. We will raise the money. I have no doubt about the volunteers – they're going to be there!"

While Paul's supporters are renowned for their intense commitment to libertarian values, some analysts doubt whether mainstream voters would embrace his foreign policy vision, which would basically see America retreat from its role as a global power.

Rival Republican candidate Newt Gingrich slammed such a prospect as "stunningly dangerous for the survival of the United States."

Romney - the moderate

With Santorum and Paul taking such extreme positions on key issues, many voters chose to support Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, as a less exciting but safer alternative.

"I'm not über-conservative," Romney supporter Amy Reynolds told Deutsche Welle. "I couldn't care less about gay marriage and Christian values. I care more about how the country is run."

Romney's short but well-funded campaign saw him win the Iowa contest with 30,015 votes, scraping in ahead of Santorum by just eight ballots.

"He seems like he's most likely to beat Obama," Reynlds continued. "He has business experience. He wants to significantly cut the government size – I like that –and he's concerned about the deficit."

When Romney addressed his supporters on Tuesday evening, he chose to attack President Obama rather than his rival Republicans.

"Four years ago tonight (Obama) was giving a victory celebration speech here in Des Moines, and he'd been going across the state making all kinds of promises. The gap between his promises four years ago and his performance is as great as anything I've ever seen in my life."

"This is a campaign night where America wins. We're going to change the White House and get America back on track."

Iowa is, however, only the beginning of a long race for the Republican presidential nomination.

The next primary will be held in New Hampshire on January 10. Many analysts expect Mitt Romney to perform well while weaker candidates drop out.

Texas Governor Rick Perry, who only won 10 percent of the Iowa vote on Tuesday said he would rethink his candidacy.

"I've decided to return to Texas, assess the results of tonight's caucus, and determine whether there is a path forward for myself in this race," Perry told his supporters.

In contrast, Minnesota candidate Michele Bachmann – who only managed to secure five percent of the vote – already ended her campaign after her poor showing in Iowa.

Author: Christina Bergmann, Des Moines, Iowa / sje
Editor: Michael Knigge