Democrats face first real test in the race for the nomination
Dem hopefuls face first true test of 2020 election
On Monday, tens of thousands of participants in Iowa’s famed caucuses kicked off a political season of more than 50 contests to decide which Democratic candidate is believed to be best suited to take on President Donald Trump in this year’s election.
On the Republican side, Trump was declared the winner, an outcome never truly in doubt.
DES MOINES, Iowa – Caucus voting began across Iowa Monday night as Democrats balanced their desire for fundamental change with their craving to defeat President Donald Trump in the opening contest of the 2020 presidential primary season.
Nearly a dozen White House contenders were still vying for the chance to take on Trump in November, although Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses were expected to provide some clarity for what has been a muddled nomination fight for much of the last year.
As the evening caucuses opened their doors, there were signs of major enthusiasm.
By day’s end, tens of thousands of Democrats were to have gathered at community centers, high school gyms and more than 1,600 other caucus locations in the premiere of more than 50 contests that will unfold over the next five months. The caucuses were rendering the first verdict on what the party stands for in the age of Trump – and who it feels is best positioned to take on the Republican president, whom Democratic voters are desperate to beat this fall.
One unsurprising development: Trump won the Republican caucus, a largely symbolic victory given that he faced no significant opposition.
For Democrats, the moment was thick with promise for a party that has seized major gains in states since Trump won the White House in 2016. But instead of clear optimism, a cloud of uncertainty and deepening intraparty resentment hung over Monday’s election as the prospect of an unclear result raised fears of a long and divisive primary fight in the months ahead.
“I’m the one who can pull our party together,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren told supporters on a telephone call before voting began, suggesting her rivals could not. They said they were the ones to bring unity.
Polls suggested that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders might have a narrow lead, but any of the top four candidates – Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, Warren and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg – could score a victory in Iowa’s unpredictable and quirky caucus system as organizers prepared for record turnout. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who represents neighboring Minnesota, was also claiming momentum, while outsider candidates including entrepreneur Andrew Yang, billionaire activist Tom Steyer and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard could be factors.
For the first time, the Iowa Democratic Party reported three sets of results at the end of the state’s first-inthe-nation caucuses: a tally of caucusgoers’ initial candidate preference; vote totals from the “final alignment” after supporters of lower-ranking candidates were able to make a second choice, and the total number of State Delegate Equivalents each candidate receives.