CNN screwed up and put out misleading information.
Members of two campaigns forwarded that information to people: Rubio's and Cruz'. Afterwards, the Rubio campaign joined in the chorus to attack Cruz, even though they had done the same thing, perhaps even more aggressively.
If you look at the 'who decided on who they were going to vote for when' data, Rubio was most likely to have gained from the dissemination of CNN's erroneous information.
Cruz supporters had their minds made up when they got there. Pretty much the same with Trump. But Rubio gained votes and blew past Carson, whom he had been polling behind.
Considering the Cruz campaign had been on the ground in Iowa, running an intense and virtually door-to-door campaign, that effort paid off.
So much for "questionable vote getting".
If you read Machiavelli, you'd know it is pretty much required reading for politics. I'd wager most, if not all of the candidates read it at one time or another.
I guarAHNtee that Rubio didn’t gain Carson supporters. Rubio’s support came from the country club set, belonging to mainstream liberal denominations, who even rejected the pleas of establishment Governor Branstad to support Christie.
Cruz didn’t pick up Carson voters?
Steve King tweet: “Carson looks like he is out. Iowans need to know before they vote. Most will go to Cruz, I hope”
King has little influence in Iowa, right?