The Iowa caucuses ended Thursday with Mike Huckabee in the lead for Republicans and Barack Obama ahead of fellow Democrats, but UW-Madison professor David Canon says the presidential race is far from over. Canon says several candidates were close on the heels of both candidates, and that could stretch out into other states in the coming weeks. If that happens, Wisconsin could play a pivotal role in deciding who eventually wins the primary race.
Out of the Iowa caucuses, Canon says the results are a big hit to Republican Mitt Romney, who outspent Huckabee by millions, yet still ended up in 2nd place. Canon says Romney put a great amount of focus and money on Iowa, and not pulling out a win hurts his campaign.
For Democrats, Canon says Obama clearly came out as a big winner. Senator Hillary Clinton and former Senator John Edwards were just behind the US Senator from Illinois, but Canon says many voters appear to think Obama is the most likely candidate to bring about change.
Canon says the results show what voters may be looking for in a presidential candidate.
Audio courtesy of Jason Fischer, WIBA