<i>What do the Iowa results mean? </i>

Democratic presidential hopeful and Illinois Senator Barack Obama stands on stage with his wife Michelle and their daughters Sasha and Malia during his caucus night rally at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines, Iowa on Thursday. Obama surged to a stunning victory in the first 2008 White House nominating contest on Thursday, dealing a severe blow to Hillary Clinton's bid to be America's first woman president. Photo: AFP

US presidential hopefuls are digesting the outcome of the first contest of the 2008 election race.
It was celebrations for Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama, who won the Republican and Democratic nominations respectively, as voters in Iowa turned out in force to make their selection.
The Iowa caucuses can give big boosts to candidates' campaigns in the long haul to reach the White House.
What were the key factors in the results?
For Barack Obama, one of the key words was "change".
It cropped up regularly in Obama's campaign speeches. And about half of the people attending the Democratic caucuses said a candidate's ability to bring change was the most important factor.
For Huckabee, the key word was "values", with many Republican caucus-goers saying the former Baptist minister was someone "who shares my values".
What about the turnout?
This was also another important factor.
The Republican turnout was about 115,000, up on the 2000 figure of 87,666. For the Democrats it was even higher, with some 239,000 turning out to register their choice, up from 124,000 four years ago.
This seems to reflect Obama's success in reaching out to first-time caucus-goers and independents.
Who were the biggest losers?
Without doubt the most glaring loss was for Senator Hillary Clinton, long considered the Democratic frontrunner and who once enjoyed a significant lead in the Iowa polls.
On the Republican side, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney saw the many millions of dollars he spent campaigning in Iowa translate only into second place.
What about the other candidates?
John Edwards, who also campaigned on a theme of a break with the status quo, will be hoping his strong finish to secure second place in Iowa, ahead of Hillary Clinton, will boost his campaign.
Republican Senator John McCain, who came fourth behind Huckabee, Romney and Fred Thompson, spent little time in Iowa and has been much more focused on the next election stop of New Hampshire.
Are any campaign changes likely?
Hillary Clinton and Romney have the funds, the organisational backing and plenty of supporters. But it is clear they have both been wounded politically and need to regroup fast.
Hillary Clinton has long had to negotiate the line between presenting herself as an experienced pair of hands but also the right person to take over from George W Bush in the White House.
It may be telling that as she recognised Obama's win, Hillary Clinton said: "We're sending a clear message that we are going to have to change and that change will be a Democratic president in the White House in 2009."
What happens next?
The nomination battle is set to intensify further, with only a few days for the respective campaigns to gear up for New Hampshire's primary on Tuesday.
Polling data from there has indicated that Hillary Clinton's once-secure lead has been dented and it is virtually neck-and-neck between her and Obama. While not necessarily fatal, a defeat in New Hampshire would be a bitter a blow to her campaign.
The polls for the Republicans show a much more open contest. McCain, who has devoted much more time to campaigning in New Hampshire than Iowa, is doing well, surveys suggest.
New Hampshire polls put Romney and McCain about level.
Huckabee will face a tougher test in this state where issues like taxation and national security are set to figure more prominently than in Iowa, where social and religious issues came to the fore.
He will be aiming to use his Iowa victory to boost his chances in New Hampshire, where he cannot count on the same level of Christian conservative support.