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2020 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses

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2020 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses
2020 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses
Tony Patt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Election name2020 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses
CountryIowa
Typepresidential
Previous election2016 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses
Previous year2016
Next election2024 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses
Next year2024
Election dateFebruary 3, 2020
Nominee1Pete Buttigieg
Nominee2Bernie Sanders
Colour100AEEF
Colour2FF6B6B
Home state1Indiana
Home state2Vermont
Delegate count114
Delegate count212
Percentage126.2% (SDEs)
Percentage226.1% (SDEs)

2020 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses were the first-in-the-nation nominating contest for the Democratic Party in the 2020 presidential election, held on February 3, 2020. The caucuses were marred by significant technical failures in a new reporting app, leading to a multi-day delay in finalizing results and widespread criticism of the Iowa Democratic Party. The contest concluded with an extremely narrow victory for former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg over Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont in the key metric of state delegate equivalents, though Sanders won the popular vote in subsequent recanvasses.

Background

The Iowa caucuses have held their first-in-the-nation status since 1972, granting the state outsize influence in winnowing the presidential field. Following the 2016 Democratic primaries, the Democratic National Committee implemented new rules encouraging greater transparency in the caucus process. In response, the Iowa Democratic Party developed a complex new reporting system intended to publicly release three sets of data: first alignment votes, final alignment votes, and the decisive state delegate equivalents. This overhaul occurred amidst a crowded field of candidates seeking to challenge incumbent Republican President Donald Trump.

Candidates

A large and diverse field of Democratic contenders campaigned extensively across Iowa. The leading candidates included former Vice President Joe Biden, Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Amy Klobuchar, and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Other notable participants were Representative Tulsi Gabbard, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, and former Governor Deval Patrick. Candidates spent millions on advertising and built extensive field operations, with Sanders and Buttigieg investing particularly heavily in the state.

Caucus process and results

On caucus night, the new mobile application created by Shadow Inc. for the Iowa Democratic Party failed, preventing precinct chairs from reporting results. This led to widespread confusion, with party officials relying on a backup phone line that was quickly overwhelmed. The Associated Press ultimately declined to declare a winner due to the irregularities. After a prolonged tabulation and partial recanvass, the Iowa Democratic Party certified that Pete Buttigieg secured 14 national delegates with 26.2% of state delegate equivalents, narrowly ahead of Bernie Sanders's 12 delegates and 26.1%. Elizabeth Warren finished third, followed by Joe Biden in a disappointing fourth place, and Amy Klobuchar in fifth.

Aftermath and impact

The technical debacle triggered immediate resignations within the Iowa Democratic Party, including that of Chair Troy Price, and sparked national calls to end Iowa's first-in-the-nation status. The Democratic National Committee launched a review of the caucus process. While Pete Buttigieg claimed victory, the delayed and disputed result blunted the traditional momentum-building effect of the caucuses. The subsequent New Hampshire primary became a more critical contest, which Bernie Sanders won. The chaos in Iowa also heightened scrutiny on the performance of Joe Biden, who rebounded strongly later in South Carolina and on Super Tuesday.

See also

* 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries * 2020 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses * Shadow Inc. * 2020 New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary

Category:2020 United States presidential election Category:Iowa Democratic caucuses Category:February 2020 events in the United States