IOWA CAUCUS RESULTS Republican 97% of precincts reporting Bush 41% Forbes 30% Keyes 14% Bauer 9% McCain 5% Hatch 1% Democrats 98% of precincts reporting Gore 63% Bradley 35% Percentages will not necessarily add to 100. MORE COVERAGE FROM THE GLOBE Bush, Gore wrap up Iowa The votes tell the contentment Lesson of Iowa: Counterattack quickly Candidates have one goal remaining: closing the deal Tight-three way race in New Hampshire envisioned Gore plays it cool and girds for battle Hatch to announce he's quitting race Small-town USA sees big time turnout at polls On the road in N.H., McCain dismisses Iowa Sharing quarters, but ever so briefly EARLIER NEWS Gore, Bush easy winners of Iowa caucuses Voters say Bush best choice on moral values, can win in November Democrats: Iowa picks fighter Gore over Bradley's fresh start Republicans: Bush aims to use caucus victory to set up showdown with McCain Fiery Keyes gets strong caucus support Down-home politics shape Iowa Iowa's only the first step in picking nominee With a final flury, candidates focus on turnout Former president waits nervously as son competes in Iowa caucuses After Iowa: On to New Hampshire ABOUT THE CAUCUSES How Iowa caucuses work Why they are important ABOUT IOWA Population: 2.85 million. Registered voters: 1.8 million -- 36 percent unaffiliated, 32 percent Republican, 31 percent Democrat. Percentage of voters attending GOP caucuses in 1996: 17 percent. Race: 97 percent white. 2 percent black. 1 percent Asian. 2 percent Hispanic origin. Median age: 36.3. Median household income: $33,877. Poverty rate: 9.4 percent. Unemployment rate: 2.7 percent. Abortions: 9.8 per 1,000 women in 1995, compared with the national average of 22.9 per 1,000. 1996 vote: 50 percent Clinton; 40 percent Dole; 9 percent Perot. Average life span: 77 years, compared with the U.S. average of 75. Housing: Just over 72 percent of Iowans own their own homes, national average 66.3 percent. Crime rate: 3,816 victims per 100,000 people in 1997, vs. national average of 4,923. Tax burden: On a per-person basis, Iowa paid $4,530 in federal taxes in 1997 and got back $4,661 in federal spending.

Publisher Steve Forbes, powered by a well-financed campaign and strong organization, scored a strong second in the precinct caucuses and said he was "a very happy man." John McCain saved his powder for New Hampshire, where most polls put him even with Bush or ahead. "In my view, the game is here," he told supporters.

"I feel great," Bush said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I'm humbled and honored about the outpouring. ... I'm grateful for the outpouring of support my message of compassionate conservatism has received and I'm looking forward to taking it to the state of New Hampshire."

Later, in remarks to supporters in a hotel ballroom, Bush declared: "The Americans who began choosing our next president tonight took a stand for a leader who unites and an agenda that inspires. A messenger committed to bringing people together, and a message meant for every American."

Taking aim at the partisanship of Washington, he added: "as I travel this land, I'm going to have this call to Americans: If you are tired of the bitterness that poisons our politics, come join us. If you think that government should be less partisan and more results oriented, come and join us. If you are weary of polls and posturing, of scandals and alibis, come and join us."

Alan Keyes, a former State Department official and radio talk show host, was running a respectable third while conservative activist Gary Bauer and Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah trailed far behind with McCain.

An AP analysis showed that Bush's support was likely to translate into 10 delegates, compared to eight for Forbes, four for Keyes, two for Bauer and one for McCain. They represent the first of 1,034 delegates needed to clinch the GOP nomination.

With 92 percent of precincts counted, Bush had 34,208 votes or 41 percent, Forbes 25,178 or 30 percent, Keyes 11,861 or 14 percent, Bauer 7,089 or 9 percent, McCain 3,909 for 5 percent and Hatch 857 for 1 percent.

McCain declared at an evening Dartmouth College rally: "The playoffs start tomorrow and we're going to win those playoffs. We are in for a history-making seven days."

"We really can do this," he assured supporters.

Forbes, in an interview with The AP, cast himself as "a conservative versus two moderates" -- Bush and McCain -- in the campaign fight ahead. "I can't wait," he said.

Keyes said his third-place show was a reward for his firm stance on moral issues -- including opposing abortion -- and his energetic performance in the Republican debates.

"I think that's really important because when we get down to the general election, we're not just going to have somebody out there taking a stand," Keyes said. "It's going to have to be someone who can defend that stand and who can persuade the American people to support it."

Showing his confidence as he prepared for the next battleground, Bush took time out from a campaign stop in Ames to tape a TV ad that will appear in New Hampshire. It recounts his record as governor and recaps his positions as a presidential candidate.

Bush's voters identified moral values and taxes as their top issues, and said they voted for Bush because they believe he can win in November, according to interviews conducted at caucus sites by Voter News Service, a consortium of The Associated Press, ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN. Among Forbes voters, the top issue was taxes and the top quality was that Forbes stands up for what he believes in.

Forbes did better than Bush among voters who said that representing conservative values was the most important quality, and among those who said standing up for what he believes in was most important. Those two groups represented half of Republican voters.

The Bush team hoped that a strong victory Monday and an intense focus in New Hampshire over an eight-day period would shut down McCain's challenge and winnow the field. Bush plans to focus next on education, arguing that he has a strong plan for improving schools and McCain does not, according to Bush aides.

One Bush supporter was unimpressed with the governor's Iowa showing.

"Given that Forbes finished so high and Keyes did well, it's kind of turned it into a three-person race. I think it could affect him going into New Hampshire," said Monty Lockyear of West Des Moines. "Didn't Gore beat Bradley by better than 2-to-1?" Lockyear said, referring to Democratic rivals Al Gore and Bill Bradley.

McCain, meanwhile, was focusing on portraying himself as more qualified to lead than Bush, running a television ad in New Hampshire that touted his war record and Senate experience in foreign policy.

He said of the other candidates: "I look forward to having them join me in New Hampshire, where we can continue to debate my conservative reform agenda to save Social Security, cut taxes, pay down the national debt and restore pride in the House and our government again.

Hatch issued a brief statement saying he'd be back in New Hampshire this week. He promised "a more complete statement" on the Iowa results Tuesday.

Even before the first votes were cast, four Republican candidates had quit the race: John Kasich, Dan Quayle, Lamar Alexander and Elizabeth Dole.