BERN, BABY!
Blazing Sanders exults in Iowa tie with Hil
DESPITE BEING locked in a dead heat in Iowa, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders both claimed victory in the pivotal early-voting state’s Democratic caucuses Monday.
With more than 96% of Iowa’s precincts reporting, Sanders trailed the former secretary of state 49.9% to 49.6%.
The strong showing, Sanders proclaimed at an rollicking rally at his Iowa headquarters, “sent a very powerful message to the political establishment, to the economic establishment and, by the way, to the media establishment.”
But the Vermont senator stopped short of declaring an actual victory, although he suggested his performance was evidence enough of a win, regardless of what the final count shows.
“Nine months ago, we came to this beautiful state,” the hoarse candidate said. “We had no money, no name recognition, and we were taking on the most powerful political establishment in the United States of America.”
“Tonight, while the results are still not known, it looks like we are in virtual tie,” he added, prompting raucous applause.
Meanwhile, Clinton, who most polls showed had been in a statistical tie with Sanders, suggested that the race’s closeness was “good for democracy,” but warned that nominating the selfproclaimed democratic socialist could spell doom for the party.
“There is so much at stake in this election,” she said at a Des Moines rally, where Mayor de Blasio was present. “It is rare that that we can have a real contest of ideas.”
“I want you to really think hard about what the Democratic Party stands for and what we want the future to look like,” she added, in an apparent hit on Sanders’ progressive vision.
And former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley made it a twoperson race when he officially ended his presidential bid after he got the support of less than 1% of caucusgoers.