Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul leaving Valley High School after a Rock the Caucus event in Des Moines on Jan. 3, 2012, the day of the Iowa caucuses.

Your afternoon reading: Huntsman hits Paul over ad on adopted daughters; new South Carolina poll shows Romney in front, Santorum on the rise; weekend debate could prove pivotal for Perry

Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich

Gov. Rick Perry waits to go on stage at the 7 Flags Events Center in Clive, Iowa, on Jan. 3, 2012. Perry placed fifth in the Iowa caucuses.

A clearer picture of Gov. Rick Perry's abrupt about-face on Wednesday has begun to emerge.

Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich

Rick Santorum leaving the stage at Valley High School in Des Moines, Iowa, after a Rock the Caucus speech on Jan. 3, 2012.

Your afternoon reading: parsing Perry's about-face; post-Iowa polls show bump for Santorum; Wentworth and Ames Jones in residency dispute

Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich

Gov. Rick Perry rallying supporters in an early morning gathering of his team of Texas volunteers on Jan. 3, 2012.

One question has sprung from many minds since Rick Perry's stunning reversal on Wednesday: What's the governor thinking?

Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich

Republican candidate Michele Bachmann waves to reporters from her bus after leaving the Rock the Caucus event at Valley High School in Des Moines on January 3, 2012.

Your afternoon reading: Perry stays in; Bachmann drops out; conservative elites to meet in Texas to find "consensus" candidate

Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich

Gov. Rick Perry while leaving the Republican presidential debate at Dartmouth College on Oct. 11, 2011.

The first defeat of Rick Perry's electoral career has likely marked the end of one of the most extraordinary flame-outs in modern political history.

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Want to track the results live in Iowa? Using data provided by the Iowa Republican Party via Google, WNYC has built an embeddable app that will update live as results come in this evening.

Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich

U.S. Rep Ron Paul before going onstage at a Rock the Caucus event at a Des Moines high school on Jan. 3, 2012.

Your afternoon reading: Paul and Perry make last-minute appeals in Iowa; Dewhurst touts Perry's praise in new ad; Paul releases sharpest anti-Romney attack ad yet

Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich

Gov. Rick Perry gives his last campaign speech of 2011 in Boone, Iowa, on Dec. 31, 2011.

Tonight, the voting begins, and two Texans' political futures hang in the balance.

Enlarge photo by: Gage Skidmore

Supporters of business tycoon Donald Trump have filed paperwork to establish the Make America Great Again Party so that "The Donald" might still be able to run for president here. Could he actually win Texas?

Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich

Young Ron Paul supporters gather outside the Sioux Center library to greet the Republican candidate on December 30, 2011.

Your afternoon reading: Santorum accuses Paul supporters of negative robocalls; Perry calls Santorum unelectable; Perry says he's not skipping New Hampshire

Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich

Ron Paul leaving a venue in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Dec. 30, 2011, after delivering a campaign speech.

On caucus eve, the political fortunes of the two Texans running for president stand in stark contrast.

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So much for the terrible twos. In our second full year in operation, the traffic to our site — measured by unique visitors, visits and page views — was pretty terrific.