RED ALERT: Gay Commissioner Files $1 Million Sexual Discrimination Lawsuit Against IOWA Governor

Iowa's Workers Conpensation Commissioner Chris Godfrey has filed a lawsuit against Governor Terry Branstad (below) saying that the governor asked him to resign twice and cut his pay by half when he refused, because he's gay, the Des Moines Register reports: Iowa’s workers’ compensation commissioner today filed a lawsuit against the state, alleging defamation, harassment, sexual discrimination and extortion after Gov. Terry Branstad cut his pay by almost $36,000 last year.

A claim from commissioner Chris Godfrey asks for $1 million in compensation, a common line-item request in such litigation, said his attorney, Roxanne Conlin.

MELTED: Michele Bachmann Suspending Campaign!

The National Journal reports that Bachmann, who has scheduled a press conference for 11am ET this morning, is out of the race: Rep. Michele Bachmann is suspending her presidential campaign, said a senior Republican official with direct knowledge of the lawmaker’s plans. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Minnesota lawmaker, a favorite of the tea party wing of the party and a harsh critic of President Obama, realized after her sixth-place finish in Iowa’s caucuses that “there was no viable way forward.” By suspending her campaign, Bachmann is effectively dropping out.

FINISHED: Romney Beats Santorum in 8-Vote Squeaker!

Mitt Romney has prevailed in what could well be the closest primary or caucus result ever. With the final precinct reporting, Iowa's GOP says Romney has beaten Rick Santorum by just eight votes, with 30,015 to Santorum’s 30,007 out of a total of 122,255 votes cast. Politico (via AP) ranks the candidates in this order:

• Mitt Romney, 24.6%
• Rick Santorum, 24.5%
• Ron Paul, 21.4%
• Newt Gingrich, 13.3%
• Rick Perry, 10.3%
• Michele Bachmann, 5%
• Jon Huntsman, .6%

BACKLASH: Bachmann Insists Paul Bribed My Guy!

Michelle Bachmann may be down in the polls, but she's certainly not backing down. The GOP candidate yesterday continued to insist that her Iowa campaign chair defected to Ron Paul's camp because he was bribed to do so, reports Bloomberg. Kent Sorenson "told me that he was offered money, he was offered a lot of money by the Ron Paul campaign,” Bachmann said. "No one else knows about that conversation other than Kent Sorenson and myself." Sorenson continues to maintain that he "was never offered money from the Ron Paul campaign or anyone associated with them and certainly would never accept any."

DITCHED: Bachmann's Iowa Chair Defects to Ron Paul!

With the Iowa caucuses just days away, it's not looking good for Michele Bachmann: Her Iowa campaign chair has defected to Ron Paul. Kent Sorenson, an Iowa state senator, says it was a tough decision, but he felt obligated to defend Paul against the Republican establishment, the Washington Post reports.

"We're going to take Ron Paul all the way to the White House," he told a Paul rally just a few hours after appearing at a Bachmann rally where he declined to speak, citing dental work. "I still maintain an immense amount of respect for Michele," Sorenson said in a statement. "But the fact is, there is a clear top tier in the race for the Republican nomination for president, both here in Iowa and nationally. Ron Paul is easily the most conservative of this group." Bachmann told reporters that Sorenson left her campaign because Ron Paul's people offered him a large sum of money. The Paul campaign says it is not paying Sorenson.