Romney, Santorum off to New Hampshire after tie

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — A squeaker of an Iowa victory behind him, Mitt Romney jumped into the New Hampshire primary, declaring that his staying power sets him apart from caucus runners-up Rick Santorum and Ron Paul and the rest of the GOP presidential field. Michele Bachmann underscored his point by quitting the race, while Rick Perry promised to soldier on to South Carolina.

The withdrawal of Bachmann, who called herself the true conservative of the bunch, left her supporters up for grabs as the pace of the campaign quickens, and that could help Santorum. His appeal to Christian conservatives in recent weeks lifted him from the dregs of the opinion polls to become Romney’s top challenger and the conservative of the moment.