Iowa aftermath: Perry to “reassess” – Huntsman to follow?

Although Mitt Romney edged out Rick Santorum in the Iowa caucuses last night by a mere 8 votes, there's no doubt that Santorum will be considered the upset star of the first vote of the 2012 election season.

Ron Paul came in about 3,700 votes behind those two top contenders, getting 21.4 percent of the vote to Romney's 24.6.

Rick Perry, who came in a disappointing fifth with 10.3 percent of the vote, announced last night that he was blowing off New Hampshire and will "reassess" his campaign, which has looked moribund for months now.

Michele Bachmann said she was moving on to South Carolina, but has announced this morning she will hold a press conference in Iowa — which might mean she's dropping out.

Newt Gingrich, who finished fourth, says he will carry on to New Hampshire and beyond, where there still might be some hope for him yet in South Carolina and Florida.

But with Romney a heavy favorite in New Hampshire, the question remains: Can the Tea Party rally behind Santorum, Gingrich or even Perry and keep this race alive into February?

This article appears in Dec 22-28, 2011.