The results of the Iowa caucuses indicate that the US presidential race is still wide open. Hillary Clinton who seemed a juggernaut till last week has been pushed back to third place in the race for the Democratic nomination, coming after Barack Obama and John Edwards.

Obama’s spectacular performance at the Iowa caucus – he won 38 per cent of the Democrat vote at Iowa – is historic. Iowa is often described as a “whiter than white” state. That Obama, a Black, won here is no small achievement.

Whether America is ready for a Black President is still not clear but the results from Iowa indicate that this state’s Democrats at least are. Whether or not Obama goes on to win the Democrat nomination, he has already made history, going further than any other Black in the race for the American presidency. Obama’s promise of change seems to have struck a chord with Democrats.

His performance at Iowa indicates that he has been able to reach out to the youth and women. As to the race for the Republican nomination, Mike Huckabee, a former preacher, has emerged the frontrunner. His victory is an achievement as he has run his campaign on a small budget. Otherwise, the demographic profile of Iowa was eminently suited to Huckabee. The population is devoutly Christian and Huckabee was buoyed to victory on support from born-again and evangelical Christians, who backed him because of “shared values”.

It is still too early to write off Clinton or Republican hopefuls Mitt Romney, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani. Clinton is a fighter and is backed by deep pockets but she has been wounded badly at Iowa and will need to recover quickly to recover ground in the New Hampshire caucuses. Winning at Iowa was not important in the McCain and Giuliani campaign strategies. They could spring back as issues like tax rather than religion will dominate the Republican debate in the coming weeks. Huckabee could find the advantages he enjoyed in Iowa melting away in New Hampshire. 

The battle for nominations can still go anyway. The Iowa caucuses, while crucial in providing winners with an edge and momentum to fight on, are no guarantee of eventual victory. Candidates trailing at Iowa are known to have bounced back. Bill Clinton stood fourth at the Iowa caucuses in 1992 but went on to capture the American presidency a few months later. Presidential hopefuls will bear his example in mind as they chart their strategies for the coming weeks.