UPDATE: The Des Moines Register is reporting there are "too many holes" to determine who truly won, but that Santorum came on top of Romney.
THE RESULTS: Santorum finished ahead by 34 votes
MISSING DATA: 8 precincts’ numbers will never be certified
PARTY VERDICT: GOP official says, ‘It’s a split decision’
Rick Santorum – Final total: 29,839 Change: -168
Mitt Romney – Final total: 29,805 Change: -210
It’s a tie for the ages.
There are too many holes in the certified totals from the Iowa caucuses to know for certain who won, but Rick Santorum wound up with a 34-vote advantage.
Results from eight precincts are missing — any of which could hold an advantage for Mitt Romney — and will never be recovered and certified, Republican Party of Iowa officials told The Des Moines Register on Wednesday.
If you thought it was over, you thought wrong. Although eight precincts are still not certified, Rick Santorum is leading Mitt Romney with certified official votes in the Hawkeye State's caucus results.
Mitt Romney says he and Rick Santorum ended up in a "virtual tie" in the Iowa caucuses after Republican Party officials finished counting results from the closest outcome in the event's history. Romney had initially been considered the winner by 8 votes but fell behind in the final counting.
The Des Moines Register reported Thursday that certified vote totals will put Santorum ahead by 34 votes, with results from eight precincts expected to remain missing.
As Romney said, it is fair to call Iowa a tie and it is unlikely vote totals that favor Santorum will shift the race in his direction in any major way at this point. Stay tuned for updates.