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Ted Cruz did what he had to do. Donald Trump fell well short of the shock-and-awe moment he hoped would set up a blitz through the rest of the country. Marco Rubio bought himself a seat at the big table. And Hillary Clinton flirted all night with disaster. (Seib, 2/1)

The close race illustrated just how turbulent the Republican race may be, with the vote fragmenting between Mr. Cruz’s evangelicals and Tea Party adherents, Mr. Trump’s blue-collar political newcomers and Mr. Rubio’s mix of conservatives and pragmatic Republicans hungry for victory. (Martin, 2/1)

Riding a late wave of momentum, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida finished a surprisingly strong third, just behind Trump, which positions him as the leading establishment choice when the campaign moves to friendlier terrain in New Hampshire. (Rucker and Johnson, 2/1)

Hillary Clinton narrowly defeated Bernie Sanders in the Iowa caucuses, according to results announced by the state Democratic Party early Tuesday morning — a dramatic finish to a race so close that the Associated Press declined to call it even after all precincts except one had reported results. Clinton was awarded 699.57 state delegate equivalents, versus 695.49 for Sanders, Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Andy McGuire said in a statement. The results were the closest in state Democratic caucus history, and 171,109 Democratic voters turned out to caucus. (Gass, 2/1)

The former secretary of state, whose once formidable lead over [Vermont Sen. Bernie] Sanders evaporated over months of campaigning, promised to "finish the job of universal health care coverage for every man, woman and child." (Krieg, 2/2)

Even if Clinton ends up on top — as her campaign believes — the close contest in Iowa confirms that Sanders’s anti-establishment message has real muscle and appeal. (Gearan and Wagner, 2/2)