Clinton takes Iowa, beating back Sanders' strong challenge

Hillary Clinton narrowly won the Democratic caucuses in Iowa, outpacing a surprisingly strong challenge from Bernie Sanders to claim the first victory in the 2016 race for president.
     
The former secretary of state and first lady edged past the Vermont senator in a race the Iowa Democratic Party called the closest in its caucus history.
     
The party said on Feb. 2 it would not do any recount of the close results, and a spokesman for the Sanders campaign said it does not intend to challenge them.
     
For the Republicans, Ted Cruz, a fiery, conservative Texas senator loathed by his own party's leaders, swept to victory over billionaire Donald Trump and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
     
Next up for candidates from both parties is the tiny New England state of New Hampshire, which votes on Feb. 9.
     
Cruz's victory in Iowa was a blow to Trump, the real estate mogul who has roiled the Republican field for months with controversial statements about women and minorities.
     
But Trump still holds a commanding lead in New Hampshire and national polls.
     
New Hampshire has historically favored more moderate candidates than Iowa, and more than 40 percent of the state's electorate are not registered in any political party.
     
Cruz on Feb. 2 suggested he was focused on New Hampshire but also on South Carolina, which votes 11 days later.
     
Trump came in second slightly ahead of Rubio, whose stronger-than-expected finish could help cement his status as the favorite of mainstream Republican voters who worry that Cruz and Trump are too caustic to win the November general election.
     
Trump vowed to keep up his fight, telling cheering supporters that "we will go on to...