Cruz wins as Rubio and Trump prepare for battle

Published February 3, 2016 5:01am ET



Ted Cruz beat the polls and beat Donald Trump Monday in Iowa, garnering the most votes in the history of the Iowa caucuses. Marco Rubio finished a strong third. If history is a guide, those are the only three tickets out of Iowa.

We’ve been saying this is a three-way race for a while. The only question is whether John Kasich — who skipped Iowa — can make it a four-way race by beating Cruz or Rubio in New Hampshire.

The second tier —which includes former front-runners Carson, Bush, and Christie — could thin out rapidly after next Tuesday.