Romney second in Iowa's Republican caucus

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Former Gov. Mitt Romney placed second in the Iowa Republican caucus, the first nominating contest ahead of the 2008 U.S. presidential election, CNN and ABC news reported on Thursday.

Romney, a former governor from Massachusetts, had campaigned hard in Iowa, hoping to preserve his preliminary front-runner status in the early state contests as he heads into the next major primary vote in New Hampshire on January 8.