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 On the Democratic side, officials said former Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton had won by a razor-thin margin against U.S. Senator
Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the closest in Iowa Democratic caucus
history.
Cruz, a conservative lawmaker from Texas, won the first state
Republican contest in the 2016 race with 28 percent of the vote
compared with 24 percent for businessman Trump. Rubio, a U.S.
senator from Florida, came in third with 23 percent, making a
stronger-than-expected finish.
With Democrat Clinton prevailing by only four delegates, according
to party figures, Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist,
declared the result a "virtual tie."
"Hillary Clinton has won the Iowa Caucus," Matt Paul, the Iowa state
director for Clinton said in a statement released in the early hours
of Tuesday morning.
Cruz's win and Rubio's strong showing could dent the momentum for
Trump, whose candidacy has alarmed the Republican establishment and
been marked by controversies ranging from his calls to ban Muslims
temporarily from entering the United States to promising to build a
wall on the U.S.-Mexican border.
 "Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and
all across this great nation," Cruz, 45, said during a victory
speech lasting more than 30 minutes.
An uncharacteristically humbled Trump, 69, congratulated Cruz and
said he still expected to win the Republican nomination. Opinion
polls show Trump leading nationally and in New Hampshire, which
holds the next nominating contest.
"I'm just honored," Trump said.
Unusually large crowds poured into schools, churches and other
venues for the caucuses, in which voters gather together to select a
candidate.
Cruz's well established get-out-the-vote effort helped overcome the
enthusiasm from large crowds that have shown up for Trump's rallies.
Trump skipped the last Republican debate before the caucus because
of a dispute with host FOX News. A Trump adviser said his
second-place finish was expected.
Iowa has held the first contest in the country since the early
1970s, giving it extra weight in the electoral process that can
translate into momentum for winning candidates.
Rubio, 44, may benefit from that momentum as much as Cruz. The
Florida lawmaker established himself as the mainstream alternative
to the two front-running rivals.
“Rubio has staying power. He weathered $30 million in negative ads
and late deciders broke his way due to his upbeat and optimistic
close,” said Republican strategist Scott Reed.
Cruz was buoyed by evangelical support and thanked God for his win.
CLINTON SIGHS, SANDERS SMILES
The results of the Democratic race put pressure on Clinton to siphon
support away from Sanders, who has won over politically left-leaning
voters with his promises to take on Wall Street and start fresh with
healthcare reform.
Clinton, 68, said she was breathing a "big sigh of relief" after the
results. She lost Iowa to then-Senator Barack Obama in the 2008
Democratic race and never recovered.
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"It is rare that we have the opportunity we do now to have a real
contest of ideas,” Clinton said with her husband, former President
Bill Clinton, and daughter Chelsea joining her on stage.
Sanders, 74, declared himself overwhelmed. The lawmaker, who smiled
broadly as he addressed supporters, is leading in New Hampshire,
home to next week's second contest, but trails Clinton in other
states such as South Carolina, which holds the third contest.
"Nine months ago, we came to this beautiful state, we had no
political organization, we had no money, we had no name recognition,
and we were taking on the most powerful political organization in
the United States of America," Sanders said.
Former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, who had trouble gaining
any traction in the Democratic race, suspended his campaign after
coming in third in Iowa with 0.6 percent.
The 2016 election is shaping up to be the year of angry voters as
disgruntled Americans worry about issues such as immigration,
terrorism, income inequality and healthcare, fueling the campaigns
of Trump, Sanders and Cruz.
Republican establishment candidates more traditional than Rubio did
not fare well in Iowa. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush took 2.8
percent, Ohio Governor John Kasich took 1.9 percent, and New Jersey
Governor Chris Christie took 1.8 percent.
Surgeon Ben Carson, an outsider, placed fourth among Republicans
with 9 percent while former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said he
was suspending his campaign for the party's nomination. Huckabee won
the Iowa caucus in 2008.
Market reaction in Asia to the results was muted, with U.S. stock
futures down around half a percent.
“Financial markets might be more comfortable with Hillary (Clinton)
than Bernie (Sanders)," said Sean Callow, a strategist at Westpac
Bank in Australia.
"There would have to be at least some jitters over the guy who plans
to break up the big banks. But it's probably too early to expect the
U.S. presidential race to have an impact on the U.S. stock market."
(Additional reporting by John Whitesides, Ginger Gibson, Valerie
Volcovici, Dustin Volz, Amy Tennery, Megan Cassella, Alana Wise,
James Oliphant, and Jonathan Allen, and Vidya Ranganathan in
Singapore; Writing by Jeff Mason; Editing by Howard Goller/Jeremy
Gaunt)
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