Whilst it was hoped that the Iowa Caucus would bring some much-needed clarity to the 2020 US Democratic Presidential Nominee race, the first round of caucuses turned out to be a night of confusion and chaos, with full vote counts not being released until several days after the votes took place.
Many critics have already suggested that the political drama surrounding the Iowa caucuses has significantly tarnished the reputation and credibility of the Democratic party, providing an easier gateway for Trump to be elected in 2020 due to the lack of a clear opposition to his government.
“Therefore, the delay in information over releasing these results has been scarring for the Democrats who want to take a defiant stance againt Trump being victorious in Iowa in 2016”
As Iowa is the first of the caucus votes, (the process by which election candidates are narrowed down and a clear front runner is determined) many Democratic supporters were eager for this vote to have a clear outcome to see who had the popularity to oppose Trump in the forthcoming elections.
As well as Iowa being positioned first in the caucus rounds by the Democratic National Committee it has also been a key battleground state for both parties historically with the vote numbers often being relatively close, flitting between Republican and Democratic support over time. Most recently the Democrats have had more of a foothold in the State having won six of the seven elections from 1992 through to 2012 with Trump taking this from the Democrats in 2016.
Therefore, the delay in information over releasing these results has been scarring for the Democrats who want to take a defiant stance against Trump being victorious in Iowa in 2016. Many in the party feel that the bureaucratic disorganisation over the night could cost the Democrats heavily, potentially meaning they won’t win Iowa back at all in 2020.
“The night of the Iowa Caucus consisted of all candidates carrying out a speech as though they had won, which many onlookers felt was frustrating and borderline parodic.”
Of the Candidates vying for the Democratic leadership, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are regarded as the top candidates, closely followed by Elizabeth Warren and Pete Butigeig. Sanders and Biden both unsuccessfully challenged Hilary Clinton to the leadership position but Sanders especially is very optimistic that he will make a comeback and take the spot of Presidential nominee.
Pete Buttigieg on the other hand is more of a newcomer to politics having not gone down the Senatorial route of both Warren and Biden. Many supporters of Buttigieg have pointed to his youth and open homosexuality as a way for the Democratic party to shift towards an even more progressive route away from its establishment norms.
The night of the Iowa Caucus consisted of all candidates carrying out a speech as though they had won, which many onlookers felt was frustrating and borderline parodic. In Sanders’ speech he said “I have a good feeling we’re gonna be doing very very well here in Iowa,” whilst a crowd of supporters cheered behind him.
Pete Buttigieg in a separate speech announced, “tonight an improbable hope became an undeniable reality,” showing how conflicted the candidates were over who was the clear front runner and how divided the Democratic party and politics in general has become.
As 100% of the precincts have now been announced, Pete Buttigieg has technically won with 26.2% of delegate equivalents compared to Sanders’ 26.13% yet Bernie Sanders has still declared himself victorious having won the popular vote of nearly 2,000 voters more.
The Democratic National Convention chair has called on the Iowa Democratic Party to begin a recanvas of the results due to the close nature of the results and inaccuracies in voting. It seems, then, that a final result may never be clear in Iowa, casting shadows over the credibility of the Democrat party.
Lauren McGaun
Featured image courtesy of Phil Roeder via Flickr. Image license found here.
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