Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio leave Iowa with momentum in GOP presidential race

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Senator Ted Cruz of Texas swept to victory in the Iowa Republican Caucus Monday night, claiming momentum in the race for the GOP presidential nomination. Frontrunner Donald Trump came in second, with a narrow margin ahead of Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. Rubio's campaign argues that his showing makes him the leading candidate among mainstream Republicans.

Click here for complete results from the Iowa Caucus

Cruz hoped his Iowa victory would solidify his position as the leading outsider candidate in the GOP field. In an interview with the Associated Press Monday night, Cruz said, "We've built our campaign as a movement for Americans to organize, rallying and banding together against the disaster of the Washington cartel."

Rubio exceeded expectations based on most poll numbers in advance of the caucus. "We have taken the first step, but an important step, to winning the nomination," he told supporters Monday night

The race now shifts to New Hampshire, where Republicans vote in the first primary of the nominating contest next Tuesday. Trump has had a commanding lead in polls there. It's not clear how his surprise defeat in Iowa may affect the New Hampshire contest. At a campaign rally Tuesday night, Trump told supporters, "We finished second, and I want to tell you something: I'm just honored. We're just so happy with the way everything worked out."

Cruz will leave Iowa with at least 30 Republican convention delegates. Trump won seven delegates and Rubio won six.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee dropped out of the race following a disappointing showing in Iowa. Other mainstream candidates, including Chris Christie, Jeb Bush and John Kasich, focused their efforts on New Hampshire, where each believes he can perform better than in Iowa. The remaining Republican candidates will meet in a debate Saturday in Manchester, New Hampshire.