theguardian--2020-02-03--Iowa caucuses: Democratic candidates face first major test amid Sanders surge – live

Howard county , a mix of blue-collar workers and farmers , saw the largest swing of any county in the US from Obama to Trump in 2016 - by more than 40 % .
But before that , it voted solidly for Bernie Sanders ( by 54 % ) in the Democratic primary against Hillary Clinton that year .
The chair of the county Democratic party , Laura Hubka , said that in both cases , the votes were kicking back against the ‘ establishment candidate ’ in Clinton .
Hubka was a big supporter of Sanders in 2016 but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that , as much as she liked his policies , the rest of America wasn ’ t ready for them .
So this time she ’ s supporting Pete Buttigieg .
But what concerns Hubka more than who wins tonight ’ s primary are signs that Howard County is swinging away from Trump .
‘ I really want to see the turnout .
I want to see swing voters .
I want to see the Republicans that are coming in to switch parties and vote for one of our candidates , and who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ return voters .
People that left us last time .
And I want to see first time registrations , ’ she said .
‘ My biggest thing is to see how energised people are for our candidates , and hopefully this caucus is very well-attended .
That will show me there ’ s a lot of excitement in the county , and I ’ m going to have all of those names and all of those phone numbers to continue my work until November.
’ The biggest concentration of voters tonight will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the Crestwood high school which includes among its graduates five US navy admirals , the country ’ s first flight attendant and Norman Borlaug , ‘ the father of the Green Revolution ’ .

4 Feb 2020 07.18 GMT One reporter described Iowa Democratic party chairman Troy Price’s voice on the press call as “deflated”, which is understandable considering the organization saw its worst nightmare unfold before its eyes tonight. "Thank you and we will be in touch soon," Price said.
An understatement to say he sounded deflated. Since his election in 2017, it's been his sole mission to try to make a fairer, more transparent Iowa caucus that would also run seamlessly. Tonight was IDP's worst nightmare. — Ruby Cramer (@rubycramer) February 4, 2020
Updated at 07.26 GMT
4 Feb 2020 07.15 GMT IDP says results will be released 'later today' In a one-minute press call that consisted entirely of Iowa Democratic party chairman Troy Price reading a prepared statement, the IDP said caucus results would be released “later today” (as in Tuesday because it is now 1am CT). Price reiterated that the delay was not the result of a “hack or intrusion” and that the IDP was verifying results with a “paper trail” and “back-up system”. Then, without taking any questions from reporters, Price abruptly ended the call.
Updated at 07.27 GMT
4 Feb 2020 07.09 GMT The chief strategist for Elizabeth Warren criticized the campaigns releasing internal numbers, as Pete Buttigeg and Joe Biden have, accusing the candidates of contributing to the “chaos and misinformation” surrounding the results. Any campaign saying they won or putting out incomplete numbers is contributing to the chaos and misinformation — Joe Rospars (@rospars) February 4, 2020
4 Feb 2020 07.07 GMT Meanwhile, Joe Biden’s campiagn manager has released this statement, which does not seem to voice as much confidence as Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg espoused when they addressed their supporters tonight. Greg Schultz said in the statement that the Biden campaign believed the former vice president would “emerge with the delegates we need” to capture the nomination and that the results would show a “tight race with bunched up candidates.” Tonight was a great night for us. We are thrilled with our performance across the state. We believe we will emerge with the delegates we need to continue on our path to make Joe Biden the Democratic nominee. pic.twitter.com/xiHrYsRfmF — Greg Schultz 🥁 (@schultzohio) February 4, 2020
4 Feb 2020 06.52 GMT The Iowa Democratic Party is reportedly holding a second late-night call with the presidential campaigns about the delay in reporting caucus results. Iowa Democratic Party officials are telling campaigns on this second call just now that they are planning to release caucus results later on Tuesday, and that they are hand-checking results. — Matt Viser (@mviser) February 4, 2020
4 Feb 2020 06.46 GMT Multiple political reporters pointed out the discrepancies between Pete Buttigieg’s partial internal numbers and those from Bernie Sanders, underscoring the vital need for actual results from the Iowa Democratic Party. Notable this is based on 40% of precincts in Iowa. Pete's team sent info based on 77% of precincts. https://t.co/RO3lFcUz0w — Alexi McCammond (@alexi) February 4, 2020 So, I’m curious what precincts they’re missing and then I’m curious what we are going to see from Sanders and what precincts they’ll be missing. It’s almost like it helps to have a neutral party counting the vote https://t.co/XbKI8Bb5oW — Clare Malone (@ClareMalone) February 4, 2020
4 Feb 2020 06.25 GMT Bernie Sanders’ campaign has released internal numbers that (unsurprisingly) show the Vermont senator winning the final alignment and the state delegate equivalent. The @BernieSanders campaign just released 40% of precinct results via their captains; shows Sanders winning in every first count, final count, and delegate tally. pic.twitter.com/tHS1Dusxmt — Cara Korte (@CaraKorte) February 4, 2020 The blog cannot emphasize this point enough: there is no way of knowing whether these numbers are accurate because we have no results to compare them to. Did Sanders win the Iowa caucuses? He might have, but Pete Buttigieg might have as well. It’s anyone’s guess how exactly the top three shook out tonight.


theguardian--2020-02-03--Iowan Democrat expats gather in Glasgow for satellite caucus

The Iowa Democratic caucuses – the crucial first vote in the long process of nominating the party ’ s presidential candidate – usually take place in community centres , churches and even living rooms in the midwestern US state .
As 20-year-old Carolyn Bernemann explains , she ’ s used to seeing them in “ a conference room in a motel somewhere ” .
But for her and a few others , Monday night ’ s setting was a little different .
For the first time , Carolyn and fellow Iowans abroad gathered in a cosy second-floor tenement flat in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cast their votes for their preferred candidate remotely .
Caucuses are a complicated way of voting which require caucusgoers to physically show up and have long been criticised for being inaccessible .
But this is the first year Iowans could gather in the three international satellite locations , which also included Paris , France , and Tbilisi in Georgia .
Satellite Iowa caucuses were also held in 12 other states , as well as Washington DC , as well as a few in the state itself held earlier in the day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flat is home to Colyn Burbank , 31 , originally from Iowa ’ s capital Des Moines , but studying a postgraduate degree in Glasgow , and the chair of Monday ’ s caucus .
He opened up proceedings in the flat decorated with photographs of famous Iowans , facts about the state and American flag balloons , before most caucusgoers in Iowa will start voting .
Cheers went up as he welcomed his fellow Iowans to “ one of the first caucuses in the world ” for the election .
A count @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to caucus at the Glasgow venue , with other attendees there just to observe the event and enjoy the heaving snack table which boasted Iowan delicacy “ puppy chow ” , made from chocolate , peanut butter and cereal , as well as pretzels and Iowan themed cookies .
Those present were a fairly even split of genders and a range of ages , although almost all attendees were white , reflecting the demographics of their home state ( the 3 million strong population is 90 % white ) .
Some travelled from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like student Max Fenton , 23 , made the trip from London .
At the first stage of voting , Vermont senator and self declared democratic socialist Bernie Sanders led the crowded field of candidates , with Massachusetts senator and fellow liberal Elizabeth Warren , backed by a core of young female students , in second .
The only other votes went to millennial and former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg , tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang , and moderate Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar , none of whom crossed the threshold needed to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the evening progressed towards the second round of voting , conversations around the room ranged from Universal Basic Income , women ’ s rights , income inequality and the merits of socialism .
But at the second voting stage , the Yang and Klobuchar voters realigned , both throwing their weight behind Warren , who ultimately won one delegate , as did Buttigieg .
Bernie Sanders finished first .

The Iowa Democratic caucuses – the crucial first vote in the long process of nominating the party’s presidential candidate – usually take place in community centres, churches and even living rooms in the midwestern US state.
As 20-year-old Carolyn Bernemann explains, she’s used to seeing them in “a conference room in a motel somewhere”. But for her and a few others, Monday night’s setting was a little different. For the first time, Carolyn and fellow Iowans abroad gathered in a cosy second-floor tenement flat in the west end of Glasgow in Scotland to cast their votes for their preferred candidate remotely.
Caucuses are a complicated way of voting which require caucusgoers to physically show up and have long been criticised for being inaccessible. But this is the first year Iowans could gather in the three international satellite locations, which also included Paris, France, and Tbilisi in Georgia. Satellite Iowa caucuses were also held in 12 other states, as well as Washington DC, as well as a few in the state itself held earlier in the day, to help more people vote.
Bernie Sanders finished first among people at the flat in Glasgow, with Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg winning a delegate. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian
The flat is home to Colyn Burbank, 31, originally from Iowa’s capital, Des Moines, but studying a postgraduate degree in Glasgow, and the chair of Monday’s caucus. He opened up proceedings in the flat decorated with photographs of famous Iowans, facts about the state and American flag balloons, before most caucusgoers in Iowa will start voting. Cheers went up as he welcomed his fellow Iowans to “one of the first caucuses in the world” for the election.
Q&A What are the Iowa caucuses? Show On 3 February, the midwestern state of Iowa will kick off the long process of choosing the Democratic party’s presidential nominee, who will take on Donald Trump in the US election in November. Most US states hold primary elections, in which voters go to a polling place, mail in their ballots or otherwise vote remotely. But a handful of states hold caucuses – complicated, hours-long meetings with multiple rounds of balloting until one candidate emerges as victor. Both Democratic and Republican caucuses will take place on 3 February. But because Trump doesn't face any serious Republican challengers, all eyes will be on the Democratic contest. Put simply, Iowans aged 18 (at the time of the November 3 election) and over who are registered Democrats will gather in caucus sites (school gyms, churches, community halls) in their designated precinct, and vote with their feet by splitting into groups based on their preferred candidate. Once voting is over at a caucus site, the support for viable candidates (those with more than 15% of the votes) is translated into a number of “state delegate equivalents”. That result is used to calculate the number of national delegates each candidate receives. National delegates eventually choose the nominee at the Democratic convention in July. On the night, the candidate with the most SDEs is considered the winner. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback.
A count confirmed that 19 party members were eligible to caucus at the Glasgow venue, with other attendees there just to observe the event and enjoy the heaving snack table which boasted Iowan delicacy “puppy chow”, made from chocolate, peanut butter and cereal, as well as pretzels and Iowan themed cookies.
Those present were a fairly even split of genders and a range of ages, although almost all attendees were white, reflecting the demographics of their home state (the 3 million strong population is 90% white). Some travelled from elsewhere in Scotland, while others, like student Max Fenton, 23, made the trip from London.
At the first stage of voting, the Vermont senator and self-declared democratic socialist Bernie Sanders led the crowded field of candidates, with th Massachusetts senator and fellow liberal Elizabeth Warren, backed by a core of young female students, in second. The only other votes went to the millennial and former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg, the tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang, and the moderate Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar, none of whom crossed the threshold needed to make it to the second round.
As the evening progressed towards the second round of voting, conversations around the room ranged from universal basic income, women’s rights, income inequality and the merits of socialism.
But at the second voting stage, the Yang and Klobuchar voters realigned, both throwing their weight behind Warren, who ultimately won one delegate, as did Buttigieg. Bernie Sanders finished first.


theguardian--2020-02-03--Iowa caucuses: live results, county by county

Iowa voters have kicked off the long process of choosing the Democratic and Republican party ’ s presidential nominees ahead of the November election .
All eyes will be on how the 11 candidates in the Democratic contest perform , while Donald Trump faces little competition .
What is a caucus and how is it different to a primary ?
Most US states hold primary elections , in which voters go to a polling place , mail in their ballots or otherwise vote remotely .
But a handful of states hold caucuses – complicated , hours-long meetings , which continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And the process is different for Democrats and Republicans .
How do the Democratic caucuses work and why are they important ?
Iowans aged 18 and over who are registered with the party will gather in caucus venues such as school gyms and churches in their designated precinct .
They start voting publicly at 7pm CT ( 8pm ET ) by splitting into groups based on their preferred candidate .
Voters have to go and stand in the area where their candidate is represented .
So Joe Biden supporters would be in one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bernie Sanders supporters in another .
Everyone is tallied .
If a particular candidate does not attract 15 % of total voters present , they are taken off the ballot , and their voters are free to throw their weight behind another candidate .
Once voting is over at a caucus site , the support for viable candidates ( those with more than 15 % of the votes ) is translated into a number of “ state delegate equivalents ” .
That result is used to calculate the number of national delegates each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nominee at the Democratic convention in July .
On the night of the caucuses , the candidate with the most SDEs is considered the winner .
How do the Republican caucuses work ?
With all the attention being paid to the Democratic side , it is easy to forget that there is a Republican primary happening , too .
Trump is facing challenges from the former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld and former US representative Joe Walsh , but it ’ s extremely unlikely that they , or the others ( according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are running for president as Republicans ) will win against the president .
In the Iowa Republican caucus , people still have to physically show up at a location .
They then cast a straightforward vote , secretly .
The votes are tallied up , and the delegates are dished out in the same manner .
In the Republican caucuses , there is no 15 % threshold , meaning candidates with relatively little support could still pick up delegates .

Iowa voters kicked off the long process of choosing the Democratic and Republican party’s presidential nominees Monday, ahead of the November election.
Following a shock delay, the first partial results were released on Tuesday and continued to trickle in through Wednesday and Thursday. The Associated Press said it was unable to declare a winner Thursday evening.
*Election results source: Associated Press
What is a caucus and how is it different to a primary?
Most US states hold primary elections, in which voters go to a polling place, mail in their ballots or otherwise vote remotely. But a handful of states hold caucuses – complicated, hours-long meetings, which continue until one candidate emerges as victor. And the process is different for Democrats and Republicans.
How do the Democratic caucuses work and why are they important?
Iowans aged 18 and over who are registered with the party will gather in caucus venues such as school gyms and churches in their designated precinct. They start voting publicly at 7pm CT (8pm ET) by splitting into groups based on their preferred candidate.
Voters have to go and stand in the area where their candidate is represented. So Joe Biden supporters would be in one corner, Elizabeth Warren in another and Bernie Sanders supporters in another. Everyone is tallied.
If a particular candidate does not attract 15% of total voters present, they are taken off the ballot, and their voters are free to throw their weight behind another candidate.
Once voting is over at a caucus site, the support for viable candidates (those with more than 15% of the votes) is translated into a number of “state delegate equivalents”. That result is used to calculate the number of national delegates each candidate receives. National delegates eventually choose the nominee at the Democratic convention in July.
On the night of the caucuses, the candidate with the most SDEs is considered the winner.
How do the Republican caucuses work?
With all the attention being paid to the Democratic side, it is easy to forget that there is a Republican primary happening, too.
Trump is facing challenges from the former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld and former US representative Joe Walsh, but it’s extremely unlikely that they, or the others (according to the Federal Election Commission, 153 people are running for president as Republicans) will win against the president.
In the Iowa Republican caucus, people still have to physically show up at a location. They then cast a straightforward vote, secretly. The votes are tallied up, and the delegates are dished out in the same manner.
In the Republican caucuses, there is no 15% threshold, meaning candidates with relatively little support could still pick up delegates.


theguardian--2020-02-03--Super Bowl show's Latino flavor and political edge hits home with audience

Jennifer Lopez and Shakira wowed the crowd at Super Bowl LIV on Sunday , bringing their greatest hits to the National Football League ’ s half-time show in Miami .
The 12-minute extravaganza was complete with fast-paced salsa dancing and Afro-Colombian footwork but it also included a not-so-subtle political message on the plight of Latinos in America .
In an apparent reference to immigration enforcement under Donald Trump , the show featured a scene with children in illuminated pods that appeared to mimic cages .
Last year , the Trump administration ’ s policy of separating migrants families at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as images of children in holding cells began circulating online .
“ Latinos are going through a difficult time in the US right now , ” Shakira , a native of Barranquilla , Colombia , told reporters in the days leading up to the game .
“ I think it ’ s very important for us to convey a message of unity.
” The NFL ’ s half-time show is a popular feature in a week of events surrounding the Super Bowl , which garners about 100 million TV viewers in the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year , is majority Latino .
Greeting the crowd with “ Hola , Miami ” , Shakira was joined by Puerto Rican reggaeton artist Bad Bunny before uniting with Lopez for hip-shaking and acrobatic routines .
The NFL had attracted criticism for not including native Floridian talent in the lineup but the two Latina headliners met with praise .
And their rebuke of growing anti-Latino sentiment received high marks online .
Lopez is a Bronx-born child of Puerto Rican parents .
The island of more than 3.2 million , a US territory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5 hurricane in 2017 and more recently a series of powerful earthquakes .
In a mash-up of her hit Let ’ s Get Loud with Bruce Springsteen ’ s Born in the USA , Lopez revealed a rectangular boa with the US flag on one side and the Puerto Rican flag on the other .
The coat aimed to remind the audience that Puerto Ricans are Americans , too .
Puerto Ricans , also known as “ Boricuas ” , relished the shout-out .
The camera then panned to the illusion of children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into an appearance of a choir led by Emme Maribel Muñiz , Lopez ’ s daughter with her ex-husband , the singer Marc Anthony .
Not everyone was a fan of the political messaging .
Some noted an inconsistency behind Lopez and Shakira appearing to criticize the Trump administration .
In the game itself , the San Francisco 49ers faced the Kansas City Chiefs .
Former 49er Colin Kaepernick is the last quarterback to lead the team to the Super Bowl .
He has not played since making a political statement of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Chiefs defeated the 49ers to win the championship 31-20 .

Jennifer Lopez and Shakira wowed the crowd at Super Bowl LIV on Sunday, bringing their greatest hits to the National Football League’s half-time show in Miami.
The 12-minute extravaganza was complete with fast-paced salsa dancing and Afro-Colombian footwork but it also included a not-so-subtle political message on the plight of Latinos in America.
In an apparent reference to immigration enforcement under Donald Trump, the show featured a scene with children in illuminated pods that appeared to mimic cages.
Last year, the Trump administration’s policy of separating migrant families at the border with Mexico created a public outcry as images of children in holding cells began circulating online.
“Latinos are going through a difficult time in the US right now,” Shakira, a native of Barranquilla, Colombia, told reporters in the days leading up to the game. “I think it’s very important for us to convey a message of unity.”
The NFL’s half-time show is a popular feature in a week of events surrounding the Super Bowl, which garners about 100 million TV viewers in the US alone. Miami, the host city this year, is majority Latino.
Greeting the crowd with “Hola, Miami”, Shakira was joined by Puerto Rican reggaeton artist Bad Bunny before uniting with Lopez for hip-shaking and acrobatic routines.
The NFL had attracted criticism for not including native Floridian talent in the lineup but the two Latina headliners met with praise. And their rebuke of growing anti-Latino sentiment received high marks online.
What’s more American than seeing this country’s immigrant culture featured on stage in the Super Bowl halftime show? — Dan Rather (@DanRather) February 3, 2020
Lopez is a Bronx-born child of Puerto Rican parents. The island of more than 3.2 million, a US territory, is still recovering from a category 5 hurricane in 2017 and more recently a series of powerful earthquakes.
In a mash-up of her hit Let’s Get Loud with Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA, Lopez revealed a rectangular boa with the US flag on one side and the Puerto Rican flag on the other.
The coat aimed to remind the audience that Puerto Ricans are Americans, too. Puerto Ricans, also known as “Boricuas”, relished the shout-out.
For me, the best part of JLo’s halftime performance was her bringing out her daughter to sing, and how she turned the American flag into the Puerto Rican! Yo soy Boricua, pa'que tu lo sepas! #SuperbowlLIV #superbowl2020 #JLo #Boricua — Ada (@SoooAda) February 3, 2020
The camera then panned to the illusion of children in cages as a motif that blended into an appearance of a choir led by Emme Maribel Muñiz, Lopez’s daughter with her ex-husband, the singer Marc Anthony.
Emme Daddy is so proud of you. You are my ❤ and I am forever yours. pic.twitter.com/GLhmZOneBv — Marc Anthony (@MarcAnthony) February 3, 2020
Not everyone was a fan of the political messaging.
I understand why Americans like to watch football. However, the superbowl has become nothing more than the biggest opportunity to slap Americans in the face. Whether that's an anti-American half time show or commercials that promote degeneracy.
Done with it a long time ago. — FoxworthForCongress (@FoxworthFor14) February 3, 2020
Some noted an inconsistency behind Lopez and Shakira appearing to criticize the Trump administration. In the game itself, the San Francisco 49ers faced the Kansas City Chiefs. Former 49er Colin Kaepernick is the last quarterback to lead the team to the Super Bowl. He has not played since making a political statement of his own.
Today during the Super Bowl, the National Football League and its allies will sanitize and co-opt a black protest movement. I refuse to watch that happen before my eyes as if it’s all good. Some things are worth more than an afternoon of football. https://t.co/jl5N8VfoyA — Ava DuVernay (@ava) February 2, 2020
In the game itself, the Chiefs defeated the 49ers to win the championship 31-20.
Reuters contributed to this report


theguardian--2020-02-03--Montana Republican rebuked for saying socialists should be ‘jailed or shot'

The Republican party of Montana has rebuked a state legislator who insists the US constitution says socialists should be jailed or shot .
According to the Billings Gazette , in responding to a speech in Helena on Friday by former US interior secretary Ryan Zinke , Billings state representative Rodney Garcia said “ he was concerned about socialists ‘ entering our government ’ and socialists ‘ everywhere ’ in Billings , before saying the constitution says to either shoot socialists or put them in jail ” .
According to the paper , Zinke , who served in the Trump administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ You know , Montana ’ s a great state.
” Garcia said : “ We have to do something.
” Zinke did not continue the exchange , the Gazette reported .
As the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders , who describes himself as a Democratic socialist , has surged in the Democratic primary , Donald Trump has focused much of his political messaging on the supposed dangers of socialism .
In his Super Bowl interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity , for example , the president said : “ I think of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think of Bernie sort of as a socialist but far beyond a socialist.
” He also claimed Sanders got married in Moscow .
Sanders has called his 10-day visit to Soviet Russia in 1988 “ a very strange honeymoon ” .
Garcia ’ s Democratic opponent in the last election cycle was Amelia Marquez , a trans Sanders supporter who describes herself as a democratic socialist .
She told the Gazette she wished “ Garcia would continue to focus on the issues rather than this constant worry over things that are somewhat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to clarify his remarks , Garcia was unrepentant .
“ So actually in the constitution of the United States [ if ] they are found guilty of being a socialist member you either go to prison or are shot , ” he said .
The Gazette said Garcia , who said socialism was “ very dangerous ” for Montana , could not say where the constitution says socialists should be shot or jailed , but repeated that he thought it should happen .
“ They ’ re enemies of the free state , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we do with our enemies in war ?
In Vietnam , ( Afghanistan ) , all those .
What did we do ?
” In a statement , the Montana Republican party said it “ wholeheartedly condemns the comment that was made and under no circumstance is violence against someone with opposing political views acceptable ” .
The Washington Post asked Anthony Johnstone , a law professor at the University of Montana , to analyse Garcia ’ s claim .
“ Nothing in the constitution of the United States authorises the government to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ basis of their political beliefs , ” he said , adding that political speech is protected under the first amendment and the state constitution of Montana , which state representatives swear to uphold , “ expressly prohibits discrimination on the basis of political beliefs ” .

The Republican party of Montana has rebuked a state legislator who insists the US constitution says socialists should be jailed or shot.
According to the Billings Gazette, in responding to a speech in Helena on Friday by former US interior secretary Ryan Zinke, Billings state representative Rodney Garcia said “he was concerned about socialists ‘entering our government’ and socialists ‘everywhere’ in Billings, before saying the constitution says to either shoot socialists or put them in jail”.
According to the paper, Zinke, who served in the Trump administration from 2017 to 2018, replied: “You know, Montana’s a great state.”
Garcia said: “We have to do something.”
Zinke did not continue the exchange, the Gazette reported.
As the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, who describes himself as a Democratic socialist, has surged in the Democratic primary, Donald Trump has focused much of his political messaging on the supposed dangers of socialism.
In his Super Bowl interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, for example, the president said: “I think of communism when I think of Bernie … I think of Bernie sort of as a socialist but far beyond a socialist.”
He also claimed Sanders got married in Moscow. Sanders has called his 10-day visit to Soviet Russia in 1988 “a very strange honeymoon”.
Garcia’s Democratic opponent in the last election cycle was Amelia Marquez, a trans Sanders supporter who describes herself as a democratic socialist. She told the Gazette she wished “Garcia would continue to focus on the issues rather than this constant worry over things that are somewhat ludicrous”.
Asked by the Gazette to clarify his remarks, Garcia was unrepentant.
“So actually in the constitution of the United States [if] they are found guilty of being a socialist member you either go to prison or are shot,” he said.
The Gazette said Garcia, who said socialism was “very dangerous” for Montana, could not say where the constitution says socialists should be shot or jailed, but repeated that he thought it should happen.
“They’re enemies of the free state,” Garcia said. “What do we do with our enemies in war? In Vietnam, (Afghanistan), all those. What did we do?”
In a statement, the Montana Republican party said it “wholeheartedly condemns the comment that was made and under no circumstance is violence against someone with opposing political views acceptable”.
The Washington Post asked Anthony Johnstone, a law professor at the University of Montana, to analyse Garcia’s claim.
“Nothing in the constitution of the United States authorises the government to punish socialists or anyone else on the basis of their political beliefs,” he said, adding that political speech is protected under the first amendment and the state constitution of Montana, which state representatives swear to uphold, “expressly prohibits discrimination on the basis of political beliefs”.


theguardian--2020-02-03--The Iowa caucus is a reminder that 'horserace' journalism is still the norm | Jon Allsop

As campaigning in Iowa enters the home stretch , the Democratic candidates for president are finally at the starting gate , and mixed horserace metaphors are everywhere .
Over the weekend , it felt as if today ’ s caucuses in the state – which typically are an all-consuming story on their eve – were themselves in a race for media attention , nosing out in front of Trump ’ s impeachment , the coronavirus , the Super Bowl , and other big stories .
We heard about candidates ’ “ jockeying ” – “ for an edge ” and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that “ the horse race has overtaken policy as a focus right now ” .
And that was just in the New York Times .
On Saturday , the handicappers in the political press waited for an update on the running : the final Des Moines Register poll of the cycle .
( The poll , conducted by local pollster Ann Selzer , has traditionally been a useful guide to the result ; ahead of its planned release , David Weigel , of the Washington Post , called it “ an event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Then , a shock stumble : the poll was pulled at the last minute , after a respondent informed Pete Buttigieg ’ s campaign that Buttigieg had not been offered to them as an option .
The Register wrote in a note that “ while this appears to be isolated to one surveyor , that could not be confirmed with certainty ” ; CNN , which was also involved with the poll , said it was scrapped “ out of an abundance of caution ” .
Lis Smith , who speaks for Buttigieg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for their integrity , as did prominent journalists like Art Cullen , editor of Iowa ’ s Storm Lake Times .
Still , the cancellation left a hole in CNN ’ s schedule ; it had planned to give the poll an hour of airtime .
( As the data guru Nate Silver noted , planning to obsess over a single poll for so long is silly , for reasons that go far beyond unexpected technical problems . )
CNN wasn ’ t the only outlet to be inconvenienced .
Sunday shows on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , too .
Looking through the holes left by the poll , our obsession with the horserace was clear to see .
The preponderance of such framing is a favorite punching bag for many media critics , who see it , variously , as trivial , unfair and unreliable .
Its defenders counter that knowing who ’ s up and who ’ s down is what elections are all about , and that this year , in particular , Democratic voters and candidates alike have been heavily preoccupied with the need to beat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote on Saturday : “ A 2020 primary season that was initially seen as a contest of ideas , with liberal activists largely setting the agenda ” has “ given way ” to the electability question . )
This weekend , of all weekends , wasn ’ t all the horserace talk justified ?
As ever , the problem , over the weekend , was one of proportionality .
When it comes to campaign coverage , the press is not a passive actor – candidates and voters obsessing about electability isn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same , not least because we have a habit of warping their ideas of who can win and who can ’ t .
And the primary is not over : there ’ s still an awfully long way to go until a winner is crowned .
It ’ s hardly like coverage of the race , to this point , has struck an appropriate balance between substance and handicapping .
Some coverage of policy has been good , but more often , it ’ s been broad-strokes stuff , and preoccupied with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s been ample indication that the framing errors that shaped coverage in 2016 are being repeated , despite insistence , in many media circles , that we should avoid them .
On Friday , Dean Baquet , executive editor of the Times , went on The Daily , the paper ’ s flagship podcast , to address mistakes he ’ s been accused of making in ( and since ) 2016 , including “ bothsidesism ” , the Times ’ s handling of stolen information , and , prominently , horserace errors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked Baquet to evaluate specific examples of coverage from the last cycle .
But the discussion dealt more with the Times ’ s misreading of the field – Clinton was inevitable ; Trump was impossible – than with the deeper problems of the horserace model .
( Last year , Todd Gitlin reflected , for CJR , on the inadequacy of our collective self-criticism .
Ahead of 2020 , he wrote , “ learning trivial lessons will not do ” . )
This weekend alone , other specters of 2016 loomed large in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bowl “ interview ” ( sic ) with Sean Hannity , Trump sprayed insults about his Democratic rivals ( “ sleepy ” Joe Biden ; “ short ” Michael Bloomberg ) that mainstream outlets eagerly amplified .
( As I ’ ve written before , Trump ’ s insults are powerful rhetorical darts but the press tends to handle them carelessly . )
Trump and Bloomberg ’ s “ dueling Super Bowl ads ” drove some coverage , too , proving again that paid publicity reliably begets free publicity .
We even literally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bernie coverage , fueled by recent sniping from Clinton , and by Rashida Tlaib , a Sanders surrogate , booing Clinton at a rally .
Some of the Sunday shows took all this as fresh evidence that the Democrats are tearing themselves apart , which felt a bit contrived given that Clinton isn ’ t running , and that those who are have mostly behaved cordially until now ( with some notable exceptions ) .
Genuinely divergent ideas aren ’ t dangerous ; they ’ re what elections should be about .
Try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yesterday , on ABC ’ s This Week , one of them called Sanders unelectable because he ’ s “ a grumpy , angry person ” .
The host , George Stephanopoulos , instantly pivoted to socialism ’ s bad rep. ) Last month , CJR and the Guardian spoke with journalists and media-watchers about these errors and others , and how we might avoid them .
Those we canvassed disagreed as to the ills of horserace coverage , specifically : Ben Smith , the editor of BuzzFeed ( who is headed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dead ” ; Chris Hayes , of MSNBC , called it “ fine ” .
Smith ’ s and Hayes ’ s respective audiences have different tastes , but Hayes added an important , universal caveat : the horserace , he said , is “ a thing to cover , it ’ s just that that is not all you cover.
” In Iowa and beyond , we should remember that .
And we should ensure the other stuff we cover adds value , too .
• None Jon Allsop is a freelance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Review ’ s newsletter The Media Today .
This article was first published in the CJR

As campaigning in Iowa enters the home stretch, the Democratic candidates for president are finally at the starting gate, and mixed horserace metaphors are everywhere. Over the weekend, it felt as if today’s caucuses in the state – which typically are an all-consuming story on their eve – were themselves in a race for media attention, nosing out in front of Trump’s impeachment, the coronavirus, the Super Bowl, and other big stories. We heard about candidates’ “jockeying” – “for an edge” and “over notions about electability” – and that “the horse race has overtaken policy as a focus right now”. And that was just in the New York Times.
On Saturday, the handicappers in the political press waited for an update on the running: the final Des Moines Register poll of the cycle. (The poll, conducted by local pollster Ann Selzer, has traditionally been a useful guide to the result; ahead of its planned release, David Weigel, of the Washington Post, called it “an event of nearly religious importance”.) Then, a shock stumble: the poll was pulled at the last minute, after a respondent informed Pete Buttigieg’s campaign that Buttigieg had not been offered to them as an option. The Register wrote in a note that “while this appears to be isolated to one surveyor, that could not be confirmed with certainty”; CNN, which was also involved with the poll, said it was scrapped “out of an abundance of caution”. Lis Smith, who speaks for Buttigieg’s campaign, praised both outlets for their integrity, as did prominent journalists like Art Cullen, editor of Iowa’s Storm Lake Times. Still, the cancellation left a hole in CNN’s schedule; it had planned to give the poll an hour of airtime. (As the data guru Nate Silver noted, planning to obsess over a single poll for so long is silly, for reasons that go far beyond unexpected technical problems.) CNN wasn’t the only outlet to be inconvenienced. Sunday shows on other networks appeared to have been blindsided, too.
When it comes to campaign coverage, the press is not a passive actor
Looking through the holes left by the poll, our obsession with the horserace was clear to see. The preponderance of such framing is a favorite punching bag for many media critics, who see it, variously, as trivial, unfair and unreliable. Its defenders counter that knowing who’s up and who’s down is what elections are all about, and that this year, in particular, Democratic voters and candidates alike have been heavily preoccupied with the need to beat Donald Trump. (As the Times wrote on Saturday: “A 2020 primary season that was initially seen as a contest of ideas, with liberal activists largely setting the agenda” has “given way” to the electability question.) This weekend, of all weekends, wasn’t all the horserace talk justified?
As ever, the problem, over the weekend, was one of proportionality. When it comes to campaign coverage, the press is not a passive actor – candidates and voters obsessing about electability isn’t an open invitation for us to do the same, not least because we have a habit of warping their ideas of who can win and who can’t. And the primary is not over: there’s still an awfully long way to go until a winner is crowned. It’s hardly like coverage of the race, to this point, has struck an appropriate balance between substance and handicapping. Some coverage of policy has been good, but more often, it’s been broad-strokes stuff, and preoccupied with positioning.
Even before Iowa, there’s been ample indication that the framing errors that shaped coverage in 2016 are being repeated, despite insistence, in many media circles, that we should avoid them. On Friday, Dean Baquet, executive editor of the Times, went on The Daily, the paper’s flagship podcast, to address mistakes he’s been accused of making in (and since) 2016, including “bothsidesism”, the Times’s handling of stolen information, and, prominently, horserace errors; Michael Barbaro, the host, asked Baquet to evaluate specific examples of coverage from the last cycle. But the discussion dealt more with the Times’s misreading of the field – Clinton was inevitable; Trump was impossible – than with the deeper problems of the horserace model. (Last year, Todd Gitlin reflected, for CJR, on the inadequacy of our collective self-criticism. Ahead of 2020, he wrote, “learning trivial lessons will not do”.)
Genuinely divergent ideas aren’t dangerous; they’re what elections should be about. Try telling Sunday show pundits that
This weekend alone, other specters of 2016 loomed large in coverage, too. In his Super Bowl “interview” (sic) with Sean Hannity, Trump sprayed insults about his Democratic rivals (“sleepy” Joe Biden; “short” Michael Bloomberg) that mainstream outlets eagerly amplified. (As I’ve written before, Trump’s insults are powerful rhetorical darts but the press tends to handle them carelessly.) Trump and Bloomberg’s “dueling Super Bowl ads” drove some coverage, too, proving again that paid publicity reliably begets free publicity. We even literally had a fresh round of Hillary v Bernie coverage, fueled by recent sniping from Clinton, and by Rashida Tlaib, a Sanders surrogate, booing Clinton at a rally. Some of the Sunday shows took all this as fresh evidence that the Democrats are tearing themselves apart, which felt a bit contrived given that Clinton isn’t running, and that those who are have mostly behaved cordially until now (with some notable exceptions). Genuinely divergent ideas aren’t dangerous; they’re what elections should be about. Try telling Sunday show pundits that. (Yesterday, on ABC’s This Week, one of them called Sanders unelectable because he’s “a grumpy, angry person”. The host, George Stephanopoulos, instantly pivoted to socialism’s bad rep.)
Last month, CJR and the Guardian spoke with journalists and media-watchers about these errors and others, and how we might avoid them. Those we canvassed disagreed as to the ills of horserace coverage, specifically: Ben Smith, the editor of BuzzFeed (who is headed to the Times) said it was “dead”; Chris Hayes, of MSNBC, called it “fine”. Smith’s and Hayes’s respective audiences have different tastes, but Hayes added an important, universal caveat: the horserace, he said, is “a thing to cover, it’s just that that is not all you cover.” In Iowa and beyond, we should remember that. And we should ensure the other stuff we cover adds value, too.


theguardian--2020-02-04--Iowa caucus: Democratic race in shambles as results are delayed – live coverage

The shambles in Iowa means we ’ re all talking about voting chaos instead of the winning candidate .
So - with the proviso that this may all change once we have some actual results - who can we say are the initial winners and losers from this mess ?
The leftwing senator has been threatening to overtake Joe Biden as the frontrunner in the Democratic race , and he was hoping that victory in Iowa would give that process crucial momentum .
Instead , if he does end up having been the winner , he ’ ll have missed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the first state of the race .
Many of his more suspicious supporters – who accused the Democratic party of rigging the race against him in 2016 – may see this as no accident .
Of the big four in the Iowa race , the former vice-president gave the most downbeat speech , suggesting his campaign knows he under-performed in Iowa .
If that is confirmed by the final results , and if Sanders wins big in New Hampshire next week , Biden could find supporters and donors losing confidence in him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strong performances in South Carolina on 29 February and on Super Tuesday on 3 March .
His candidacy is based on the idea that he is the most electable candidate – if that suddenly seems in doubt , he could be seriously hobbled .
The small-town centrist mayor from nearby Indiana has always hung his hopes on a strong showing in Iowa and his speech last night – “ by all indications , we are going on to New Hampshire victorious ” – and bullish predictions of a win suggest he feels confident @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If Biden does collapse and Sanders maintains his current strength , Buttigieg could make a case that the centrist Democratic establishment should now swing behind him .
The billionaire former mayor of New York will be making exactly that argument himself once he enters the race on Super Tuesday .
He will be delighted that the ineffable momentum conferred on the winner of Iowa – a state Bloomberg decided to skip – will this year be blunted .
Early voting in California – the largest state in the US , which he has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Bloomberg will feel vindicated in keeping his focus there .
But if the centrist “ lane ” is now shaping up to be a serious fight between Biden , Bloomberg and Buttigieg , that may split the moderate vote and in the end benefit Sanders .
The president ’ s Twitter feed has been quiet so far this morning but his campaign manager Brad Parscale was quick to channel his master ’ s voice with a vivid mixed metaphor : “ Democrats are stewing in a caucus mess of their own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ history.
” Parscale went on to sew doubts about “ the fairness of the process ” – encouraging those suspicious Sanders supporters – and ask : “ And these are the people who want to run our entire healthcare system ?
” Of course , no Democratic candidate is suggesting their own party run the US health system , but the Trump campaign has never let the facts get in the way of - well , anything much .
Reports of low turnout in the Iowa race - if confirmed - will also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strategy depends upon enthusing his base more than the Democrats can excite theirs .
Both senators gave confident speeches last night , but until the results are in it ’ s unclear exactly how the chips will fall for them .
Klobuchar will need a strong performance to continue to compete against her fellow centrists , but Warren – who arrived in New Hampshire before dawn saying : “ This is an organization that is built for the long haul ” – probably has more time to fight her liberal rival Sanders even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disappointing .

As the final results in Iowa remain elusive, CNN reports that the Democratic National Committee is taking “an increasingly active role” in chasing up data from the locations across the state where caucuses were held.
From CNN:
The Democratic National Committee is taking an increasingly active role in the process of tracking down the data from the nearly 1,700 caucus sites across Iowa, including checking data sent to the Iowa Democratic Party via their failed app, two sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.
A team of roughly a dozen party officials are currently in Iowa working with the state party to report out the results of last night’s caucuses, which were delayed due to widespread reporting issues between the Iowa precincts and the Iowa Democratic Party.
The team from the DNC includes staffers tracking online disinformation, we well as data and communications staff, one source said. DNC Chair Tom Perez is not in Iowa, according to a DNC aide, but has been getting updates from the team of the ground.
The DNC officials are also chasing down data from individual caucus chairs from precincts across the state, hoping to track down precincts that had not reported their results.
A spokeswoman for the Iowa Democratic Party said that the DNC was “chasing precinct results,” something that they described as “something that happens after every caucus.”


theguardian--2020-02-04--Iowa caucus results: what we know so far

The confusion was , in part , attributed to a new system of counting votes in Iowa .
Three sets of votes were due to be released , relating to different stages of the process .
But precinct captains – who oversee voting at more than 1,600 locations across Iowa – told journalists it had taken hours to report their local vote counts to the Democratic party .
A verdict had been expected well before midnight , but candidates were still in the dark in the early hours of Tuesday .
The Iowa Democratic party would only say it “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to report later today ” .
The results of the Iowa caucus , the first step in nominating the Democrat who will run against Donald Trump in November ’ s presidential election , have been delayed amid mass confusion in the state .
• None Rumours spread that a problem with a phone app , which precincts use to send their vote totals to the party , was responsible .
Iowa Democratic county chairs said they had been struggling to use the app , though a party spokeswoman said : “ This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not go down and this is not a hack or an intrusion .
The underlying data and paper trail is sound and will simply take time to further report the results.
” • None Different campaigns sought to fill the information vacuum by claiming their candidate had performed strongly .
• None The Bernie Sanders campaign released “ internal reporting numbers ” , which it said represented the results from about 40 % of precincts in Iowa .
The data showed Sanders in the lead with 30 % of the vote , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % , and Elizabeth Warren third on 21 % .
• None Buttigeg , offering no data , declared he had won the caucus .
The former mayor of South Bend , Indiana , said : “ By all indications , we are going on to New Hampshire victorious.
” New Hampshire will vote in the Democratic primary on 11 February .
• None Amy Klobuchar , the senator from Minnesota who is fifth in the polls , claimed she and her supporters were “ punching above our weight ” in the Iowa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a victory speech .
“ Tonight showed that our agenda isn ’ t just a progressive agenda .
It isn ’ t just a Democratic agenda .
It ’ s America ’ s agenda , ” she said .

The results of the Iowa caucuses, the first step in nominating the Democrat who will run against Donald Trump in November’s presidential election, have been delayed amid mass confusion in the state.
A verdict had been expected well before midnight, but candidates were still in the dark in the early hours of Tuesday. The Iowa Democratic party would only say it “expect[s] to have numbers to report later today”.
More than 12 hours after most Iowans had finished voting, there was still no sign of results. Amid rumors of malfeasance with a phone app being used to tabulate results, the Iowa Democratic party said in a statement: “We have every indication that our systems were secure and there was not a cybersecurity intrusion.”
Troy Price, the chair of the Iowa Democrats, said the party discovered inconsistencies – Price did not elaborate – as vote tallies were sent in from the more than 1,680 caucus locations. “The underlying cause of these inconsistencies was not immediately clear, and required investigation, which took time,” Price said.
In what amounted to a confusing statement, Price said the underlying data recorded by the result-collecting app was sound. Price added, however: “While the app was recording data accurately, it was reporting out only partial data. We have determined that this was due to a coding issue in the reporting system. The issue was identified and fixed. The application’s reporting issue did not impact the ability of precinct chairs to report data accurately.”


theguardian--2020-02-04--Democratic race starts disastrously as 'inconsistencies' delay Iowa results

The Democratic presidential primary contest has got off to a disastrous start after results from the highly anticipated Iowa Democratic caucuses were dramatically delayed due to “ inconsistencies ” in the reporting of the data .
The state ’ s Democratic party said it was performing “ quality control ” on the numbers “ out of an abundance of caution ” , after reports on Monday of problems with a phone app used to relay vote tallies .
After more than a year of campaigning , ideological clashes , policy debates and tens of millions of dollars spent , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see what support each of the Democratic presidential candidates actually has among voters .
But by 11pm local time , no results had been released .
Caucus voting got under way across Iowa ’ s more than 1,600 precincts at 7pm local time , with voters declaring which Democratic presidential candidate they believe is best positioned to beat Donald Trump in November .
“ We found inconsistencies in the reporting of three sets of results , ” said Mandy McClure , the Iowa Democratic party ’ s communications director .
“ This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not go down , and this is not a hack or an intrusion .
The underlying data and paper trail is sound and will simply take time to further report the results.
” The state party said it would release the results on Tuesday but did not give a time .
It had earlier said it was carrying out “ quality control checks , making sure the numbers are accurate ” .
Eleven Democratic candidates are competing to be the candidate to take on Donald Trump .
Recent polls have showed four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the top – the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders , the former vice-president Joe Biden , the Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren and the former South Bend , Indiana , mayor Pete Buttigieg .
Despite the lack of results , all candidates sought to claim a form of victory , before resuming their campaigns on Tuesday in New Hampshire , which will hold the next primary election next week .
Sanders , who appeared to have a narrow lead heading into Iowa , predicted he would do “ very , very well ” once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imagine , have a strong feeling , that at some point the results will be announced , ” Sanders said .
“ The first state in the country in this has voted and today marks the beginning of the end for Donald Trump.
” Standing above a forest of camera phones amid chants of “ We love Joe ” , Biden told his supporters : “ Folks , well it looks like it ’ s going to be a long night , but I ’ m feeling good.
” In a letter to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Guardian , lawyers for Biden ’ s campaign demanded “ full explanations and relevant information regarding the methods of quality control you are employing , and an opportunity to respond , before any official results are released ” .
Warren told her supports that the results were too close to call and launched into a speech that sounded pre-written in anticipation of a strong performance .
“ Iowa , tonight , you showed that big dreams are still possible in America.
” Speaking to his supporters , Buttigieg said : “ So we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But we do know , by the time it ’ s all said and done , Iowa you have shocked the nation .
Because by all indications , we are going on to New Hampshire victorious.
” The Buttigieg and Sanders campaigns released incomplete internal voting data that they said supported their claims of strong performances .
The Biden camp responded by warning that no official data had been released , adding : “ Our own model shows that Biden over performed in key districts … and we feel confident that this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidates.
” Joe Rospars , a top strategist on the Warren campaign , said : “ Any campaign saying they won or putting out incomplete numbers is contributing to the chaos and misinformation.
” Meanwhile , the Trump campaign sought to paint Democrats as disorganised and chaotic , and suggested – without evidence – that the delays had raised doubts over the fairness of the voting process .
“ Democrats are stewing in a caucus mess of their own creation with the sloppiest train wreck in history , ” said Brad Parscale , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be natural for people to doubt the fairness of the process .
And these are the people who want to run our entire healthcare system ?
” Trump himself followed this up on Tuesday with a tweet calling the shambles an “ unmitigated disaster ” .
Republicans were also technically caucusing on Monday night , but with no serious competition for the nomination , Trump was quickly declared the winner .
Hundreds of thousands of Iowans – many of them still undecided when they walked into their precinct – had gathered on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ churches to participate in the caucuses , the first official nominating contest of the 2020 primary .
But Democratic caucus officials reported struggling to report results using the phone app , and spending a long time waiting to deliver vote tallies via a backup phone hotline .
In Howard county , which swung from Barack Obama to Trump in 2016 , precinct officials said it was taking 20 minutes or more to get a call through to give results .
In the run-up to the caucuses , there had been a growing sense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the other frontrunners were locked into a battle for second .
A highly anticipated Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom poll that might have shed some clarity was canceled on Saturday night due to concerns with its methodology .
Biden has pitched himself as a steady pair of hands and the strongest choice against Trump , a view polling suggests is shared by a large constituency of Democrats , particularly among African Americans , who play a critical role in later contests .
But he faces competition for moderate voters from Buttigieg , 38 , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a former public school teacher and Harvard law professor , has pitched herself as an unabashed liberal with an arsenal of detailed policy proposals for “ big structural change ” .
But in the last days of the Iowa race she has also sought to emphasize what her allies argue is her unique capacity to unite and excite Democrats from the party ’ s ideological factions , even as she confronts doubts that a woman can beat Trump .
Tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang had predicted that he would “ shock ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and billionaire Michael Bloomberg was not competing in Iowa , having spent more than $ 100m on a gamble that he would win big in later contests .
Trump has fixated on Bloomberg and on Sunday their campaigns aired dueling TV ads during the Super Bowl .
The Senate impeachment trial added an additional layer of uncertainty to the already unusual Iowa caucuses , pulling Sanders , Warren and Amy Klobuchar – and the long-shot Senator Michael Bennet – back to Washington in the final weeks .
Republicans are poised to acquit Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the presidency in the hands of the Democrats running to defeat him .
“ We better not screw this up , ” Klobuchar , the senator from Minnesota who has staked her candidacy on a strong finish in Iowa , told supporters .
Additional reporting : Joan E Greve , David Smith and Adam Gabbatt in Des Moines and Chris McGreal in Cresco

The Democratic presidential primary contest has got off to a disastrous start after results from the highly anticipated Iowa Democratic caucuses were dramatically delayed due to “inconsistencies” in the reporting of the data.
The state’s Democratic party said it was performing “quality control” on the numbers “out of an abundance of caution”, after reports on Monday of problems with a phone app used to relay vote tallies.
After more than a year of campaigning, ideological clashes, policy debates and tens of millions of dollars spent, the Iowa results offer the first chance to see what support each of the Democratic presidential candidates actually has among voters.
But by 11pm local time, no results had been released. Caucus voting got under way across Iowa’s more than 1,600 precincts at 7pm local time, with voters declaring which Democratic presidential candidate they believe is best positioned to beat Donald Trump in November.
“We found inconsistencies in the reporting of three sets of results,” said Mandy McClure, the Iowa Democratic party’s communications director.
“This is simply a reporting issue. The app did not go down, and this is not a hack or an intrusion. The underlying data and paper trail is sound and will simply take time to further report the results.”
Bernie Sanders greets supporters. Photograph: Craig Lassig/EPA
The state party said it would release the results on Tuesday but did not give a time. It had earlier said it was carrying out “quality control checks, making sure the numbers are accurate”.
Q&A What are the Iowa caucuses? Show On 3 February, the midwestern state of Iowa will kick off the long process of choosing the Democratic party’s presidential nominee, who will take on Donald Trump in the US election in November. Most US states hold primary elections, in which voters go to a polling place, mail in their ballots or otherwise vote remotely. But a handful of states hold caucuses – complicated, hours-long meetings with multiple rounds of balloting until one candidate emerges as victor. Both Democratic and Republican caucuses will take place on 3 February. But because Trump doesn't face any serious Republican challengers, all eyes will be on the Democratic contest. Put simply, Iowans aged 18 (at the time of the November 3 election) and over who are registered Democrats will gather in caucus sites (school gyms, churches, community halls) in their designated precinct, and vote with their feet by splitting into groups based on their preferred candidate. Once voting is over at a caucus site, the support for viable candidates (those with more than 15% of the votes) is translated into a number of “state delegate equivalents”. That result is used to calculate the number of national delegates each candidate receives. National delegates eventually choose the nominee at the Democratic convention in July. On the night, the candidate with the most SDEs is considered the winner. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback.
Eleven Democratic candidates are competing to be the candidate to take on Donald Trump. Recent polls have showed four of the 11 remaining candidates knotted together at the top – the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, the former vice-president Joe Biden, the Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren and the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg.
Despite the lack of results, all candidates sought to claim a form of victory, before resuming their campaigns on Tuesday in New Hampshire, which will hold the next primary election next week.
Sanders, who appeared to have a narrow lead heading into Iowa, predicted he would do “very, very well” once results were finally released.
“I imagine, have a strong feeling, that at some point the results will be announced,” Sanders said. “The first state in the country in this has voted and today marks the beginning of the end for Donald Trump.”
Standing above a forest of camera phones amid chants of “We love Joe”, Biden told his supporters: “Folks, well it looks like it’s going to be a long night, but I’m feeling good.”
In a letter to the Iowa Democratic party obtained by the Guardian, lawyers for Biden’s campaign demanded “full explanations and relevant information regarding the methods of quality control you are employing, and an opportunity to respond, before any official results are released”.
The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg (centre) and his husband Chasten Buttigieg at the ‘Pete for America’ caucus night. Photograph: Gary He/EPA
Warren told her supports that the results were too close to call and launched into a speech that sounded pre-written in anticipation of a strong performance. “Iowa, tonight, you showed that big dreams are still possible in America.”
Speaking to his supporters, Buttigieg said: “So we don’t know all the results. But we do know, by the time it’s all said and done, Iowa you have shocked the nation. Because by all indications, we are going on to New Hampshire victorious.”
The Buttigieg and Sanders campaigns released incomplete internal voting data that they said supported their claims of strong performances. The Biden camp responded by warning that no official data had been released, adding: “Our own model shows that Biden over performed in key districts … and we feel confident that this is a tight race with bunched up candidates.”
Joe Rospars, a top strategist on the Warren campaign, said: “Any campaign saying they won or putting out incomplete numbers is contributing to the chaos and misinformation.”
Meanwhile, the Trump campaign sought to paint Democrats as disorganised and chaotic, and suggested – without evidence – that the delays had raised doubts over the fairness of the voting process.
03:13 How the Democrats will decide who fights Trump – video
“Democrats are stewing in a caucus mess of their own creation with the sloppiest train wreck in history,” said Brad Parscale, Trump 2020 campaign manager. “It would be natural for people to doubt the fairness of the process. And these are the people who want to run our entire healthcare system?”
Trump himself followed this up on Tuesday with a tweet calling the shambles an “unmitigated disaster”.
Republicans were also technically caucusing on Monday night, but with no serious competition for the nomination, Trump was quickly declared the winner.
Hundreds of thousands of Iowans – many of them still undecided when they walked into their precinct – had gathered on Monday evening in gymnasiums, libraries and churches to participate in the caucuses, the first official nominating contest of the 2020 primary.
But Democratic caucus officials reported struggling to report results using the phone app, and spending a long time waiting to deliver vote tallies via a backup phone hotline. In Howard county, which swung from Barack Obama to Trump in 2016, precinct officials said it was taking 20 minutes or more to get a call through to give results.
Supporters of Bernie Sanders hold signs at a caucus in Des Moines. Photograph: Brian Snyder/Reuters
In the run-up to the caucuses, there had been a growing sense that Sanders had taken the lead while the other frontrunners were locked into a battle for second. A highly anticipated Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom poll that might have shed some clarity was canceled on Saturday night due to concerns with its methodology.
Biden has pitched himself as a steady pair of hands and the strongest choice against Trump, a view polling suggests is shared by a large constituency of Democrats, particularly among African Americans, who play a critical role in later contests. But he faces competition for moderate voters from Buttigieg, 38, who has risen from relative anonymity.
Jo Biden is a popular choice among African American voters, polls show. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA
Warren, a former public school teacher and Harvard law professor, has pitched herself as an unabashed liberal with an arsenal of detailed policy proposals for “big structural change”. But in the last days of the Iowa race she has also sought to emphasize what her allies argue is her unique capacity to unite and excite Democrats from the party’s ideological factions, even as she confronts doubts that a woman can beat Trump.
Q&A Why are the Iowa caucuses important? Show On 3 February, voters in the midwestern state of Iowa will kick off the long process that will eventually choose the Democratic party’s presidential nominee, who will take on Donald Trump in November's US election. The primaries and caucuses are a series of contests, in all 50 US states plus Washington DC and outlying territories, by which each party selects its presidential nominee. Iowa is extremely influential in US elections because, since 1972, it has voted first. After months of campaigning, this will be the first chance to see what support each of the presidential candidates actually have among voters. Winning Iowa matters because it can give candidates a huge boost in momentum and name recognition before the other states cast their votes. Underdogs can triumph, and frontrunners can fall. Since 2000, every Democratic winner of the Iowa caucuses has gone on to win the party’s nomination. However, Iowa only has a population of around three million people, who are 90% white, which has prompted criticism that its influence in US elections is outsized. Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback.
Tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang had predicted that he would “shock” the country.
The former New York mayor and billionaire Michael Bloomberg was not competing in Iowa, having spent more than $100m on a gamble that he would win big in later contests. Trump has fixated on Bloomberg and on Sunday their campaigns aired dueling TV ads during the Super Bowl.
A volunteer holds a presidential preference card before the start of a Democratic caucus. Photograph: Charlie Neibergall/AP
The Senate impeachment trial added an additional layer of uncertainty to the already unusual Iowa caucuses, pulling Sanders, Warren and Amy Klobuchar – and the long-shot Senator Michael Bennet – back to Washington in the final weeks. Republicans are poised to acquit Trump on Wednesday, leaving the fate of the presidency in the hands of the Democrats running to defeat him.
“We better not screw this up,” Klobuchar, the senator from Minnesota who has staked her candidacy on a strong finish in Iowa, told supporters.
Additional reporting: Joan E Greve, David Smith and Adam Gabbatt in Des Moines and Chris McGreal in Cresco


theguardian--2020-02-04--Chaos as Democratic party blames Iowa caucus delays on 'inconsistencies' – as it happened

That ’ s it from me after a very anti-climatic night in Des Moines .
The Democratic presidential candidates and the media circus accompanying them are leaving Iowa with no sense of who won the first voting state in the nominating contest .
• The Iowa Democratic party has not yet released any data from tonight ’ s caucuses , blaming the delay on “ inconsistencies ” and promising to release results later Tuesday .
• The debacle intensified complaints that Iowa should not vote first , considering tonight ’ s issues and the state ’ s mostly white demographics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delivered addresses to supporters that sounded oddly like victory speeches , as Joe Biden ’ s camp appeared to downplay expectations .
• All of the top candidates pledged to continue their fight in the next voting state of New Hampshire , but it ’ s unclear whether they will change their tune once results are finally known .
You can read Lauren Gambino ’ s wrap of the night here .
Thanks for following along with our coverage of this year ’ s utterly bizarre Iowa caucuses .
We have started up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s developments .
Tune in here .


theguardian--2020-02-04--Trump campaign jubilant as Democrats’ big night implodes

They couldn ’ t organise a caucus in a brewery .
Or a church , or a library , or a school gymnasium .
Democrats ’ heroic charge to end Donald Trump in the final battle for decency and democracy has spiralled into vote-counting carnage and chaos .
Imagine if the shoe has been on the other foot .
Imagine if Trump ’ s White House had spent four years preparing for an election only to mess it up .
It would have been seen , quite rightly , as yet another example of his incompetence , ineptitude and inability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staff .
Instead , as we let a thousand conspiracy theories bloom , it is the Democratic party that has some explaining to do .
The Iowa campaign began two and half years ago only to end with the biggest televised blunder since the best picture Oscar was presented to La La Land instead of the real winner , Moonlight .
With no results , political number crunchers on cable news stared in horror at blank maps and columns of 0 % .
Candidates who had been expecting to make victory speeches , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ limbo .
Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota shrewdly seized the moment and made a speech anyway , guaranteeing live TV coverage .
Other candidates took her cue , with former vice-president Joe Biden going head-to-head with Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren .
Then they were boarding planes to New Hampshire for the first primary .
But behind the scenes , the campaigns were seething .
Biden ’ s team wrote to Iowa officials : “ The app that was intended to relay Caucus results to the Party failed ; the Party ’ s back-up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Now , we understand that Caucus Chairs are attempting to – and , in many cases , failing to –report results telephonically to the Party .
These acute failures are occurring statewide.
” The delay will dull the impact of the results when they finally come .
In the thick of campaigning in New Hampshire , the next state in the primary race to vote on 11 February , candidates will be able say : “ I ’ m looking forward.
” The media , which sets so much of the narrative around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distracted .
That may be good news for Biden and Klobuchar who , if polls and mood music are anything to go by , were potentially in for a rough night in Des Moines .
David Plouffe , campaign manager for Barack Obama and a former White House senior adviser , tweeted : “ Iowa is about the momentum you gain – or lose – much more than the delegates .
Likely the winner and the surprisingly strong showings get muted and those that did poorly do not pay the full price .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ could materially affect the race.
” Now , did the Trump campaign stretch out a comradely hand in solidarity with commiserations , moral support , maybe some pizzas to help Democrats through the night ?
No .
Brad Parscale , Trump 2020 campaign manager , revelled in schadenfreude .
“ Democrats are stewing in a caucus mess of their own creation with the sloppiest train wreck in history , ” he said .
“ It would be natural for people to doubt the fairness of the process .
And these are the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care system ?
” The president himself was in on the act by 7am ET , tweeting that Iowa had been an unmitigated disaster for the Democrats .
“ The only person that can claim a very big victory in Iowa last night is ‘ Trump ’ , ” he wrote .
The episode has been a public relations disaster for Democrats and dented their reputation for competence .
But none of this likely to matter much by November .
A million news events will happen between now and then .
The biggest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 3 million people that relishes its moment in the sun every four years as the first state to vote in primary season , and takes its responsibility very seriously .
Despite the wintry conditions , that status has already seemed charmingly quaint and quirky , with voters gathering in different corners of a room and trying to win each other over .
But it had already been questioned because of Iowa ’ s lack of racial diversity ( its population of 3 million is 90 % white ) .
Now there are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the job .
Speaking on the MSNBC network , Plouffe remarked : “ We may be witnessing the last Iowa caucus.
” One state , however , can be forgiven for breathing a sigh of relief .
Florida , scene of so many vote counting snafus , must be thinking gratefully : for once , it wasn ’ t us .

They couldn’t organise a caucus in a brewery. Or a church, or a library, or a school gymnasium. Democrats’ heroic charge to end Donald Trump in the final battle for decency and democracy has spiralled into vote-counting carnage and chaos.
Imagine if the shoe has been on the other foot. Imagine if Trump’s White House had spent four years preparing for an election only to mess it up. It would have been seen, quite rightly, as yet another example of his incompetence, ineptitude and inability to focus on detail or retain experienced staff.
Instead, as we let a thousand conspiracy theories bloom, it is the Democratic party that has some explaining to do. The Iowa campaign began two and half years ago only to end with the biggest televised blunder since the best picture Oscar was presented to La La Land instead of the real winner, Moonlight.
With no results, political number crunchers on cable news stared in horror at blank maps and columns of 0%. Candidates who had been expecting to make victory speeches, or consoling speeches, were left in limbo.
Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota shrewdly seized the moment and made a speech anyway, guaranteeing live TV coverage. Other candidates took her cue, with former vice-president Joe Biden going head-to-head with Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren. Then they were boarding planes to New Hampshire for the first primary.
But behind the scenes, the campaigns were seething. Biden’s team wrote to Iowa officials: “The app that was intended to relay Caucus results to the Party failed; the Party’s back-up telephonic reporting system likewise has failed. Now, we understand that Caucus Chairs are attempting to – and, in many cases, failing to –report results telephonically to the Party. These acute failures are occurring statewide.”
The delay will dull the impact of the results when they finally come. In the thick of campaigning in New Hampshire, the next state in the primary race to vote on 11 February, candidates will be able say: “I’m looking forward.”
The media, which sets so much of the narrative around whether expectations were satisfied, will be distracted. That may be good news for Biden and Klobuchar who, if polls and mood music are anything to go by, were potentially in for a rough night in Des Moines.
David Plouffe, campaign manager for Barack Obama and a former White House senior adviser, tweeted: “Iowa is about the momentum you gain – or lose – much more than the delegates. Likely the winner and the surprisingly strong showings get muted and those that did poorly do not pay the full price. It is what it is but it could materially affect the race.”
Now, did the Trump campaign stretch out a comradely hand in solidarity with commiserations, moral support, maybe some pizza to help Democrats through the night?
No.
Brad Parscale, Trump 2020 campaign manager, revelled in schadenfreude. “Democrats are stewing in a caucus mess of their own creation with the sloppiest train wreck in history,” he said. “It would be natural for people to doubt the fairness of the process. And these are the people who want to run our entire health care system?”
The president himself was in on the act by 7am ET, tweeting that Iowa had been an unmitigated disaster for the Democrats. “The only person that can claim a very big victory in Iowa last night is ‘Trump’,” he wrote.
The episode has been a public relations disaster for Democrats and dented their reputation for competence.
But none of this likely to matter much by November. A million news events will happen between now and then. The biggest loser is Iowa, a midwestern state of 3 million people that relishes its moment in the sun every four years as the first state to vote in primary season, and takes its responsibility very seriously.
Despite the wintry conditions, that status has already seemed charmingly quaint and quirky, with voters gathering in different corners of a room and trying to win each other over. But it had already been questioned because of Iowa’s lack of racial diversity (its population of 3 million is 90% white). Now there are grounds to ask whether it is up to the job.
Speaking on the MSNBC network, Plouffe remarked: “We may be witnessing the last Iowa caucus.” One state, however, can be forgiven for breathing a sigh of relief. Florida, scene of so many vote counting snafus, must be thinking gratefully: for once, it wasn’t us.


theguardian--2020-02-04--Smartphone app at center of Iowa debacle causes delays in results

There was widespread confusion and frustration as the results of Iowa ’ s closely watched caucuses were delayed Monday evening as the state Democratic party did “ quality control ” on the results .
The surprise delay came as the state Democratic party for the first time used a smartphone app to transfer results from the nearly 1,700 local precincts to the state party , which checks and compiles the results .
There were reports that some precinct chairs were unable to use the app and were calling in the results instead using a phone hotline , but were encountering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caucuses did not get to test the mobile app they were to use to report results until just hours before voting began .
The Iowa Democratic party has said it will release the results Tuesday .
State party officials had said they would not be sending the new mobile app to precinct chairs for downloading until just before the caucuses to narrow the window for any interference .
Some precinct chairs said they had trouble downloading or logging into the app and didn ’ t use it .
One Iowa precinct chairwoman said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use the new app created for caucus organizers to report results because of problems trying to download and test it .
“ We came to a consensus not to use it , ” said Ruth Thompson , who chaired a precinct at Lincoln High School in Des Moines .
Thompson said that she also did not try to report her site ’ s results over the phone after hearing reports of long delays in answering the line at state headquarters .
Precinct organizers were supposed to log in to the smartphone app with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the app to determine viability thresholds and report results , according to the Associated Press .
An Iowa Democratic Party manual had told caucus organizers that the app was the “ preferred method ” for reporting results .
It listed a single phone number for those who chose to call them in from the 1,678 statewide precincts .
Instead , veteran caucusgoers at her site used calculators to compute the delegate allocation and then texted a photo of the result to Polk county Democratic party officials , who drove it to state party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Polk county Democrats , told the New York Times that the party hadn ’ t conducted app-only trainings as of Thursday .
Jerry Depew , the Democratic chair in Pocahontas county , told the Times the state party had the same number as its help line and to report results , which may have explained why it was difficult to reach party officials .
Another volunteer in Iowa City told the Washington Post caucus organizers were waiting four hours on the phone to report the results to the party .
Before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told Bloomberg News that some precinct officials had been unable to download or log in to the app .
Some experts told NPR and the Wall Street Journal earlier this year said the lack of public information made it difficult to have confidence in the app .
The app was developed by a group backed by a Democratic digital non-profit that has grown rapidly in recent years , HuffPost reported Tuesday .
The Nevada Democratic party , set to hold its caucuses on 22 February paid the same firm for website development , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a statement early Tuesday morning distancing itself from the app .
After the delay in reporting the results was confirmed , Mandy McClure , a spokesperson for the Iowa Democratic party , stressed the results had not been hacked .
The party found inconsistencies in the three sets of results , McClure said in a statement .
She said the party was using photos of the results and a “ paper trail ” to verify them .
“ This is simply a reporting issue , the app did not go down and this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” she said in a statement .
“ The underlying data and paper trail is sound and will simply take time to further report the results.
” The Iowa caucuses are complex .
In previous years , the Iowa Democratic party has only reported the final delegate counts that each candidate receives , which are important in calculating the number of national delegates a candidate receives .
National delegates eventually nominate the party ’ s chosen presidential candidate .
On Monday , for the first time , the party was also reporting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ various candidates during the two rounds in the process .
After the delay , the campaign for presidential candidate and former vice president Joe Biden wrote to the state Democratic party saying there were “ considerable flaws ” in the reported system .
“ The app that was intended to relay caucus results to the party failed ; the party ’ s back-up telephonic reporting system has likewise failed , ” the campaign wrote .
“ We believe that the campaigns deserve full explanations and relevant information regarding the methods of quality control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respond before and results are released.
” Donald Trump ’ s campaign and surrogates quickly seized on the glitch to suggest that Democrats were tampering with the caucus results .
There is no evidence the results were compromised in any way .
The claims about tampering came after conservatives amplified an untrue claim that the state ’ s voter rolls were filled with ineligible voters .
There is concern that Trump and other actors will weaponize misinformation to undermine the integrity of the 2020 election results if he loses .
Amid the delay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tweeting their local results .
Shawn Sebastian , a precinct secretary in Story county , got through to the state Democratic party after waiting an hour while on air with CNN to report his results , but the party hung up on him .
Thompson said the delays in results were unfortunate because the process went “ remarkably smoothly ” in other ways .
She said that her precinct , with a turnout of 385 people , had a much larger space and finished two hours earlier than 2016 .
“ It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and I feel really good about the way things went , ” Thompson said .

A smartphone app designed to transfer results from Iowa’s local precincts to the state Democratic party is at the centre of dramatic delays to the vote count.
There were reports that some precinct chairs were unable to use the app and were calling in the results instead using a phone hotline, but were encountering long waits.
Organizers running the precinct caucuses did not get to test the mobile app they were to use to report results until just hours before voting began. The Iowa Democratic party has said it will release the results on Tuesday.
01:34 'Iowa, you have shocked the nation': Democrats remain hopeful despite results chaos – video
According to MSNBC, security measures around the app, which was distributed directly to volunteers, caused a significant amount of friction. Workers were reportedly expected to download a file to their Android phones, enable a setting that allows for the installation of apps from untrusted sources, and then bypass prompts warning that doing so could cause a security breach.
The process, known as “sideloading”, allows the distribution of an app to be limited, since it doesn’t need to be uploaded to the iOS App Store or the Google Play Store. But some workers apparently balked at the requirements, falling back to the overloaded phone lines.
State party officials had said they would not be sending the new mobile app to precinct chairs for downloading until just before the caucuses to narrow the window for any interference. Some precinct chairs said they had trouble downloading or logging into the app and didn’t use it.
One Iowa precinct chairwoman told the Associated Press she did not use the new app because of problems trying to download and test it. “We came to a consensus not to use it,” said Ruth Thompson, who chaired a precinct at Lincoln High School in Des Moines.
Thompson said that she also did not try to report her site’s results over the phone after hearing reports of long delays in answering the line at state headquarters.
Precinct organizers were supposed to log in to the smartphone app with a special pin number and then use the app to determine viability thresholds and report results, according to the Associated Press. An Iowa Democratic party manual had told caucus organizers that the app was the “preferred method” for reporting results. It listed a single phone number for those who chose to call them in from the 1,678 statewide precincts.
Instead, veteran caucusgoers at Thompson’s site used calculators to compute the delegate allocation and then texted a photo of the result to Polk county Democratic party officials, who drove it to state party headquarters.
Sean Bagniewski, chair of the Polk county Democrats, told the New York Times that the party hadn’t conducted app-only training as of Thursday. Jerry Depew, the Democratic chair in Pocahontas county, told the Times the state party used the same number as its helpline and to report results, which may have explained why it was difficult to reach party officials. Another volunteer in Iowa City told the Washington Post caucus organizers were waiting four hours on the phone to report the results to the party.
Before the caucuses, four Democratic county chairs had told Bloomberg News that some precinct officials had been unable to download or log in to the app. Some experts told NPR and the Wall Street Journal earlier this year that the lack of public information made it difficult to have confidence in the app.
The app was developed by a group backed by a Democratic digital non-profit that has grown rapidly in recent years, HuffPost reported on Tuesday. The Nevada Democratic party, set to hold its caucuses on 22 February, paid the same firm for website development, according to HuffPost. The group released a statement early Tuesday morning distancing itself from the app.
After the delay in reporting the results was confirmed, Mandy McClure, a spokesperson for the Iowa Democratic party, stressed the results had not been hacked.
The party found inconsistencies in the three sets of results, McClure said in a statement. She said the party was using photos of the results and a “paper trail” to verify them.
“This is simply a reporting issue, the app did not go down and this is not a hack or intrusion,” she said in a statement. “The underlying data and paper trail is sound and will simply take time to further report the results.”
The Iowa caucuses are complex. In previous years, the Iowa Democratic party has only reported the final delegate counts that each candidate receives, which are important in calculating the number of national delegates a candidate receives. National delegates eventually nominate the party’s chosen presidential candidate.
On Monday, for the first time, the party was also reporting the number of people who caucus for the various candidates during the two rounds in the process.
After the delay, the campaign for presidential candidate and former vice president Joe Biden wrote to the state Democratic party saying there were “considerable flaws” in the reported system.
Donald Trump’s campaign and surrogates quickly seized on the glitch to suggest that Democrats were tampering with the caucus results. There is no evidence the results were compromised in any way.
The claims about tampering came after conservatives amplified an untrue claim that the state’s voter rolls were filled with ineligible voters. There is concern that Trump and other actors will weaponize misinformation to undermine the integrity of the 2020 election results if he loses.
Quality control = rigged? 🤔 https://t.co/rJY3gdRccE — Brad Parscale - Text TRUMP to 88022 (@parscale) February 4, 2020