Where We're at in Iowa: 71% of Results Are In

Buttigieg leads, with Sanders close behind
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 5, 2020 6:24 AM CST
Pete's in the Lead in Iowa—but It's a Squeaker
A woman poses for a portrait while attending a campaign event for Pete Buttigieg on Jan. 26, 2020, in Des Moines, Iowa.   (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Better late than never: The Iowa Democratic Party has released more results from Monday night's Democratic caucuses. After technical glitches with a mobile app used for reporting the results, not much has changed from Tuesday afternoon's rankings, when 62% of precincts had been reported. Per the New York Times, with almost 71% of precincts now reporting, former mayor of South Bend, Ind., Pete Buttigieg retains a slight lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders, with 26.8% of the state's delegate equivalents to Sanders' 25.2%. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is in third place with 18.4%, while former Vice President Joe Biden comes in fourth with 15.4% and Sen. Amy Klobuchar brings up the rear with 12.6%. Sanders, however, is in the lead on popular vote totals for both the first and final caucus alignments, the Des Moines Register reports.

The two front-runners, the youngest and the oldest in the race, are "a study in contrast," the Times notes. "The fact that a young gay mayor from a small Midwestern town and a nearly 80-year-old self-proclaimed socialist appear to be leading the pack out of the first primary contest should make Democrats question their long-held prognostications about what the party is looking for in a nominee," says Jennifer Psaki, the former White communications chief under President Obama. Who might not be as upset at the caucus chaos: Biden, who NBC News notes could benefit from the spotlight being focused on the reporting debacle instead of on what looks to be a weak finish. NPR, meanwhile, reports on the "lessons learned" from the Iowa breakdown, as well as warning signs for what could be next, including the spread of disinformation and conspiracy theories about election legitimacy. (More Iowa caucuses stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X