NewsNational News

Actions

Sanders campaign assessing whether to request recount

<p>The Iowa caucuses ended with Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton in a near tie.</p><p>Hillary Clinton finished ahead of Bernie Sanders by about four state delegate equivalents. <a href="http://iowademocrats.org/statement-from-idp-chair-on-tonights-historically-close-caucus-results/" target="_blank">The Iowa Democratic Party</a> still hasn't declared a winner in the race but instead called it "historically close." (Video via <a href="695.49" target="_blank">Bernie 2016</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjarHX2MGTQ" target="_blank">Hillary for America</a>)</p><p>The Des Moines precinct had not reported as of early Tuesday morning, but it's worth only 2.28 state delegate equivalents.</p><p>"As I stand here tonight, breathing a big sigh of relief — thank you, Iowa," Clinton said.</p><p><a href="http://www.c-span.org/video/?404037-1/hillary-clinton-caucus-night-speech" target="_blank">Hillary Clinton touted</a> the narrow margin as a win, while Bernie <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSli5uxd_qk" target="_blank">Sanders said the near tie</a> was a victory over traditional political establishments.</p><p>"Nine months ago, we came to this beautiful state, we had no political organization, we had no money, we had no name recognition and we were taking on the most powerful political organization in the United States of America," Sanders said.</p><p>Meanwhile, Martin O'Malley — the third Democrat in the race — suspended his campaign after pulling in less than 1 percent of the vote. (Video via <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFpPh9QB2qg" target="_blank">Martin O'Malley for President</a>)</p><p><i>This video includes images from Getty Images.</i></p>
<p>Ted Cruz has been declared the Republican winner at the Iowa caucuses.</p><p>The Texas Senator garnered about 28 percent of the vote and narrowly beat the front runner in the polls, Donald Trump, who had 24 percent of the vote. Marco Rubio came close as well with 23 percent. (Video via <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/693140501109735424" target="_blank">Ted Cruz</a>)</p><p>Cruz was boosted by winning the coveted evangelical vote, securing 33 percent of voters who identified themselves as evangelical, <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/nbc-news-projects-ted-cruz-wins-iowa-republican-caucus-n509266" target="_blank">according to </a><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/02/01/what-we-can-learn-from-the-iowa-republican-entrance-poll/" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>.</p><p><i>This video contains images from Getty Images.</i></p>
<p>"So this is the moment they said would never happen," Marco Rubio <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw_1hJspo6A" target="_blank">says at a rally</a>.</p><p>Marco Rubio did not win the Iowa caucuses. He didn't even do much better than expected. But due to a master class in political spin by his campaign, you wouldn't know it.</p><p>"I'm hearing that Rubio is having a strong night based on the crowds and based on things happening in the room," <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/" target="_blank">MSNBC</a> reported.</p><p>"Marco Rubio an impressive third so far with 18 percent," <a href="http://www.cnn.com/" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.</p><p>"We heard quite a bit about the Rubio 3-2-1 strategy: third in Iowa, second in New Hampshire," Brian Williams said on MSNBC.</p><p>The expectations game is important in politics, and Team Rubio played it perfectly Monday by setting the bar low, hitting that low bar, then basically using cable news as their mouthpiece.</p><p>"Top Rubio aide tells <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/" target="_blank">Fox News</a> they are expecting a very good night."</p><p>There aren't any tangible benefits to Rubio's finish in Iowa, but he could see good word of mouth heading into New Hampshire and in South Carolina, where Sen. Tim Scott's new endorsement could also come in handy.</p><p><i>This video contains Getty Images.</i></p>
<p>Donald Trump just <a href="https://www.iagopcaucuses.com/#/state" target="_blank">came in second</a> in Iowa.</p><p>Clearly, that’s interesting because it wasn’t in line with the months of predictions on how he would do.</p><p><a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/ia/iowa_republican_presidential_caucus-3194.html" target="_blank">RealClearPolitics</a>’ average of Iowa polls since August showed Trump in the lead, besides brief leads from Ben Carson and Ted Cruz.</p><p>And leading up to the caucuses, <a href="http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-final-des-moines-register-iowa-poll-is-out-how-accurate-will-it-be/" target="_blank">trusted pollsters</a> had Trump ahead in Iowa with 28 percent, with Cruz in 2nd with 23 percent.</p><p>All along, pundits said the polls might not be showing reality, his campaign might not have the actual organization to turn out caucus-goers, voters might change their minds when it came down to it.</p><p>Now, with results from the first state in the nation, we have the beginnings of an answer to whether or not that’s true. </p><p>At least in Iowa, those polls were wrong. For the first time in the 2016 race, conventional wisdom may have actually held true.</p><p><i>This video includes Getty Images.</i></p>
Posted
and last updated

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The opening contest of the 2016 presidential election delivered an Iowa victory to hard-charging conservative Ted Cruz, humble pie to Donald Trump and a night of bristling suspense in a too-close-to-call contest between Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

Soon it will be on to New Hampshire, where the calculus is different. But first there's a Democratic race to sort out. Hillary Clinton has declared victory, CNN reported

"Hillary Clinton has won the Iowa Caucus," the Clinton campaign said according to CNN. "After thorough reporting -- and analysis -- of results, there is no uncertainty and Secretary Clinton has clearly won the most national and state delegates."

But CNN and others are calling the race too close to call. Iowa Democratic party officials released a statement saying the race is the closest in history.

A spokesman for Sanders said the campaign is, "still assessing" whether to ask Iowa's Democratic Party for a recount.

With just one precinct outstanding in Monday's caucuses, Clinton led Sanders by less than three-tenths of 1 percent. The Iowa Democratic Party declared the contest "the closest in Iowa Democratic caucus history." Landing in the early-morning dark in New Hampshire, Sanders did not concede the race to Clinton.

Data curated by InsideGov

 

“The results tonight are the closest in Iowa Democratic caucus history," the statement read. "Hillary Clinton has been awarded  699.57 state delegate equivalents,  Bernie Sanders has been awarded 695.49 state delegate equivalents, Martin O’Malley has been awarded 7.68 state delegate equivalents and uncommitted has been awarded .46 state delegate equivalents.

"We still have outstanding results in one precinct (Des Moines—42), which is worth 2.28 state delegate equivalents. We will report that final precinct when we have confirmed those results with the chair."

Developments in the presidential scramble as all eyes turn east:

PATH TO VICTORY

—Neither party's race in the Iowa caucuses produced a quick winner, but it was immediately apparent that the flamboyant Trump, a magnet for excitement from his massive crowds and derision from his rivals, had a terrific fight on his hands — from Marco Rubio as well as from Cruz.

Cruz went into the caucuses with a ground organization that was the envy of his rivals. He scored heavily with conservatives and won the day, leaving Trump and Rubio in a close struggle for second. Late preference polls had suggested a tight finish between Cruz and Trump — with the New York billionaire having a clearer advantage heading into the Feb. 9 New Hampshire primary.

Data curated by InsideGov

 

—Clinton's team spent nearly a year building a massive get-out-the-vote operation in Iowa, trying to power her to an Iowa victory that eluded her eight years ago against Barack Obama on his way to the presidency. But she was confronted by surging enthusiasm for Sanders.

Their Iowa race remains up in the air; Sanders, a senator from Vermont, has the advantage in bordering New Hampshire.

Whatever the outcome, Clinton and Sanders will emerge from Iowa with a similar number of delegates. The Associated Press has awarded 43 of the 44 pledged delegates at stake. Clinton currently leads Bernie Sanders, 22 to 21. If she's declared the Iowa winner, she'll have 23. If he is, their delegate allotment will be tied.

___

END OF THE ROAD

After a negligible Iowa performance, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley dropped out of the Democratic race, leaving only Clinton and Sanders to duke it out. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, winner of the 2008 GOP caucuses, also exited.

___

BEATING EXPECTATIONS

Even though Rubio's team had made clear he was fighting for third place — and that's where he finished — Rubio outperformed expectations. That's because he shrank a gap in preference polls to finish just behind Trump.

With Iowa (and New Hampshire) offering only a small contingent of delegates needed to win the party nominations, the national campaign at this point is very much about who does better and worse than people think they will.

That changes when the rush of big-state primaries begins and the delegate math becomes decisive.

___

GOP DISAFFECTION

Voters at Republican caucuses indicated they were deeply unhappy with the way the federal government is working. Half said they were dissatisfied and 4 in 10 said they were angry, according to surveys by Edison Research for The Associated Press and the television networks.

___

YOUNG & OLD

Democrats under 45 favored Sanders; those older tended to back Clinton, the surveys found. That trend was even more pronounced among the youngest and oldest Democrats interviewed.

___

THE DEMOCRATS

The bracing Sanders-Clinton contest came down to a struggle between practicality and passion, with both candidates from the left but Sanders farther to the left. That continues in New Hampshire and beyond.

Clinton went hard after Sanders for "magic wand" ideas, like substituting government-paid health care for the hard-won and landmark health law everyone knows as Obamacare.

She called herself a "progressive who wants to make progress and actually produce real results in people's lives."

Said Sanders, "You don't make progress unless you have the courage to look reality in the eye."

___

THE REPUBLICANS

From one provocative comment to the next, Trump was the man to beat in Iowa, just as he will be in New Hampshire next week despite his defeat Monday. He flouted convention at every turn and capped his iconoclastic ways by blowing off the final Iowa debate in a snit with Fox News.

Cruz, who campaigned and organized exhaustively in Iowa, put into motion a strong ground game to get Iowans to the caucuses.

___

IOWA VOTERS SAY...

— "Hillary goes out and works with what we have to work with. She works across the aisle and gets things accomplished." — John Grause, 54, of Nevada, Iowa, served as a precinct captain for Clinton.

— "He's the one true conservative in the race. I don't think he's the wolf in sheep's clothing." — Brad Sorensen, 46, of Waukee, who works for the Iowa Farm Bureau, on why he came out for Cruz.

— "I think he's got leadership written all over him." — Wayne Wagemann, 35, who was among more than 2,000 people at a concert hall in Clive, a Des Moines suburb, on why he backed Rubio.