Buttigieg has narrow lead in Iowa, Biden lags in Democrats’ first results
06 February, 2020
Pete Buttigieg took a narrow lead on Tuesday in the first batch of long-delayed results from the chaotic Iowa Democratic Party caucuses, and former Vice President Joe Biden trailed badly in fourth place with about 62% of precincts reporting.
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders was a close second and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren placed third in the results, released nearly 21 hours after Iowans poured into more than 1,600 public locations to begin the five-month process of picking a challenger to Republican President Donald Trump for November’s election.
Buttigieg, the moderate 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, had 26.9% of state delegate equivalents, the data traditionally reported to determine the winner. Sanders had 25.1%, while his fellow progressive, Warren, was at 18.3% and Biden at 15.6%. Senator Amy Klobuchar was fifth at 12.6%.
Buttigieg, who would be the first openly gay U.S. president if elected, has argued it is time for a new generation of leaders and that his lack of experience in Washington makes him an ideal candidate to break the partisan gridlock in the nation’s capital.
Speaking to supporters in Laconia, New Hampshire, after the first results were announced, he recalled he began the race a year ago with four staff members, no name recognition and no money.
“A campaign that some said should have no business even making this attempt, has taken its place at the front of this race to replace the current president with a better vision for the future,” Buttigieg said.
After more than a year of campaigning and more than $800 million in spending, the results in Iowa had been expected to provide some answers for Democrats desperately trying to figure out how to beat the businessman-turned-president.
But the Democratic candidates had already departed Iowa and turned their attention to the next contest in New Hampshire on Feb. 11 before the first results were even released.
Asked in New Hampshire about his possible poor Iowa finish, Biden cautioned reporters to wait until all the results were in.
“At this rate, New Hampshire might get the first vote after all,” he joked at a rally in Concord.
Sanders, 78, was ahead in the Iowa popular vote, which is not used to determine the delegates who will cast ballots at the Democratic National Convention in July. The complicated caucus rules allow for multiple votes as the backers of candidates who do not reach a 15% level of viability switch to other contenders.
“So far, it’s clear that in the first and second round, more people voted for Bernie than any other candidate in the field,” Sanders senior adviser Jeff Weaver said.
Source: the-japan-news.com
TAG(s):