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Linda Wertheimer talks to Carolyn Tallet, president of the Clinton County Republican Women's Club, and Edith Pfeffer, chair of the Clinton County Republican Central Committee, about the events leading up to the final tally of votes in the Iowa Republican caucuses.

In recent weeks a lot of polls and pundits said the Iowa caucuses might be too close to call. But nobody imagined just how close things would turn out Tuesday night in the first voting of the 2012 presidential nominating season. Mitt Romney was declared the winner by just eight votes. Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum came in second.

Transcript

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has been considered a front-runner in this race since before the campaign began. Yet, at the end of voting yesterday, he did no better than he had four years earlier.

NPR's Ari Shapiro was at Romney campaign headquarters in Des Moines, and walks us through that tense and dramatic evening.

Steve Inskeep has business news.

Linda Wertheimer has the Last Word in business.