Marco Rubio was a happy 3rd place finisher, considering he came from back in the pack to nearly surpassing Donald Trump for second. His speech sounded very much like a victory speech.
Donald Trump's speech surprised many because it was somewhat humble by his standards. Trump said he was "honored" by the second place finish behind Ted Cruz. Still, he declared that he would win the GOP nomination and beat Clinton or Sanders.
Ted Cruz called his first place finish among Republicans "a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across the great nation."
Paul Rand, who finished 5th with just 4% of the vote, focused his words on the candidates who did even worse than him "Tonight, the liberty movement beat four sitting governors from the establishment."
Hillary Clinton stopped short of declaring victory over Bernie Sanders, considering she held only a razor-thin margin with votes left to be counted. She did try to claim the "progressive" label and said she was "thrilled" at the prospect of more debates with Sanders.
Bernie Sanders used his moment in the national spotlight to share his "radical idea" to "create an American economy that works for working families and not just the billionaire class." As did Clinton, Sanders did not declare victory, but acknowledged a "virtual tie" that will likely give each candidate an equal share of the 44 delegates at stake.
