Iowa caucus: Ted Cruz beats Donald Trump in Republican vote—with Hillary Clinton barely claiming victory over Bernie Sanders

The Sanders camp claimed victory as Trump attempted to seem fine with second place

Ted Cruz speaks during a caucus rally with his wife Heidi in Des Moines, Iowa. (Chris Carlson/Associated Press)

What we know so far:

• Ted Cruz soars to victory in Iowa
• Bernie Sanders claims 'virtual tie' as he pushes Hillary Clinton to less than one percentage point
• The controversy over counting of the Democrat's votes
• Precincts actually used coin tosses as tie-breakers
• From Iowa to Super Tuesday, how the presidential candidate selection process works
• Ted Cruz's life, career and controversial policies
• The Iowa caucus explained in charts
• Inside the high school gymnasium where caucus drama unfolded
• Meet the average Trump supporter and what they reveal about America

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Donald Trump suffered a major setback in Iowa overnight, as the Republican hopeful came second in the first caucus to Texas junior senator Ted Cruz.

The contest between Democratic hopefuls came down to the wire, with Hillary Clinton beating her left-wing rival Bernie Sanders by under one percentage point.

After months of speculation, debate, outrage and bizarre tribute acts we will discover whether Donald Trump really has the support as survey’s suggests.

Iowa is seen as a key moment in the election calendar. It marks the first time in the election that the people have their say, putting an end to the polls and speculation that inevitably take place in the weeks and months before the elections really get going, choosing which hopeful they want to represent their party in the race for the White House.

As Harry Lambert wrote in a recent blog for The Independent, “Once again, the people of Iowa — along with those in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada will wield the considerable power they have to shape the contest to become the leader of arguably the world's most powerful country.”

To see all of The Independent's coverage of the Iowa caucus visit our US elections page.