Reactions to the February 3, 2020 Iowa Caucuses

The debacle in reporting results of the Iowa Democratic caucuses brought a disappointing end to the long, intense campaign in the Hawkeye State. The story dominated headlines on Caucus Night and over the next several days. On Feb. 4,  IDP finally announced partial results, and the party released final results on Feb. 6. Both Sanders and Buttigieg claimed victory. The two campaigns requested a recanvass of selected precincts which led to a limited scope recount. After the recount, the final margin was just .04 percent. The Associated Press declined to declare a winner.
FEBRUARY 3
Biden for President
February 3, 2020

BY EMAIL
Troy Price, Chair
Kevin Geiken, Executive Director
Iowa Democratic Party
5661 Fleur Drive
Des Moines, IA 50321

Mr. Price and Mr. Geiken:

I write on behalf of the Biden for President Campaign regarding the considerable flaws in tonight's lowa Caucus reporting system. 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.

We appreciate that you plan to brief the campaigns momentarily on these issues, and we plan to participate. However, we believe that the campaigns deserve 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. We look forward to hearing from you promptly.
ln the meantime, we are on to New Hampshire, on the road to the most important election of our lifetimes.

Thank you,

Dana Remus
General Counsel
Biden for President
Pete for America
February 4, 2020 1:35 a.m.

VIDEO: Pete Buttigieg’s Iowa Caucus Night Speech

Thank you. What a night. Because tonight, an improbable hope became an undeniable reality.

So we don't know all the results, but we 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.

Now one year ago, it was in the deep freeze of an Iowa January where we began this unlikely journey to win the American presidency. We weren't well known, but we had a new idea, the idea that at this moment when Washington has never felt further from our everyday lives, a middle class mayor from the American midwest could carry the voices of the American people all the way to the American capital and make sure they're actually heard. We had the belief that in the face of exhaustion and cynicism and division, in spite of every trampled norm and every poisonous tweet, that a rising majority of Americans was hungry for action and ready for new answers. We could see an American majority yearning for leadership to rally us together behind bold ideas to make a difference in our lives.

We saw that Americans were ready to come together, but our politics were not. And to seize this moment, we needed a new path forward, a path that welcomed people instead of pushing them away, brought them together instead of driving them apart, because this is our best and maybe our last shot.

We knew that with this American majority, we are on the cusp of changing the game for ordinary Americans, but that we could not win or govern if we wrote people off who didn't agree with us 100% of the time, but that if we could come together, the future that we know is possible would start on January 21st, 2021.

Now, there were skeptics -- an awful lot of skeptics --  who said, "Not now. Not this time. All this talk of belonging and of bridging divides is too naive, too risky." So tonight I say with a heart full of gratitude, Iowa, you have proved those skeptics wrong.

And it was by your effort, we brought together an extraordinary coalition of Americans: progressives, moderates, and that good number of what we like to call future former Republicans. And that's how we're going to win in November.

Because it's about adding people to our cause, adding to our majority. That is how we will guarantee that on the day Donald Trump leaves office, we'll be ready to move America forward into the era that must come next.

I want to thank every member of our campaign family, every organizer, every volunteer, every caucus goer who talked to a neighbor or a coworker, every staff member, and every supporter who believed. And anyone who shares our vision can join the three quarters of a million grassroots supporters fueling our movement and chip in right now at PeteForAmerica.com.

And while we're at it, I want to recognize a few other people who helped us get to this night. My mother, who not only helped raise me but put her love of language to work answering letters sent to our campaign. My father, who left us just in the very early days of this journey, but whose own journey to this country made tonight possible in the first place. And to the love of my life, keeping my feet on the ground, how about a hand for the future first gentleman of the United States. Let's hear it for Chasten.

I also want to congratulate my fellow Democratic competitors in this diverse and formidable field. For months, we have been having an honest and respectful but vigorous debate about the course of our party and the future of this nation. And tonight, Iowa chose a new path. From river to river, in churches and community centers, in high school gyms-- you joined your neighbors to say that the time has come to turn the page and open up a new chapter in the American story. You chose to move on not just from the broken policies of these last few years, but the broken politics that got us here. And tomorrow because of what we did here, the nation will have that choice too. We take our message onward to New Hampshire, which has a way of making up its own mind-- to Nevada, to South Carolina, and beyond to every corner of America.

And as we do we will be building the movement that not only will win the election against Donald Trump, but win the era for our shared values. We have exactly one shot to defeat Donald Trump. And we're not going to do it by overreaching. We're not going to do it by division. We're not going to do it by saying it's my way or the highway. This is our shot. Our only shot to galvanize an American majority to win. And make no mistake, ours is the campaign that will defeat this president.

A president who cuts taxes for corporations while crushing the rights of workers to organize ought to have to compete with a middle-class mayor who entered politics fighting for auto workers and actually lives and works in the industrial Midwest. A president who tries to cloak himself and his wrongdoing in religion should have to debate a candidate not afraid to remind America that God does not belong to a political party. And a president who avoided serving when it was his turn should have to stand next to a veteran ready to show what troops deserve from a real Commander in Chief. Now this president may get a pass on the floor of the Senate, but this November the verdict will be up to us. And when I am your nominee we will win big enough to send not just Donald Trump's presidency but Trumpism itself into the dustbin of history where it belongs.

Something is stirring in America right now. You can feel it. We saw it tonight. In the bluest counties and the reddest. In rural towns and industrial cities. In big communities and small and the suburbs in between. We're seeing Democrats hungry to win, Independent voters who had been turned off by our politics, Republicans tired of trying to look their kids in the eye and explain this presidency all standing together and all standing together to declare that we are defined not by who we voted for in the past, but by what we're voting for in the future.

This is the coalition that no pundit saw coming. And it's the coalition the president won't see coming either. It's a majority we're assembling to agree not just on who we're against but on what we are for.

We are unifying a rising American majority ready to raise wages and empower workers in this fast changing economy. A majority ready and determined to put an end to endless war. A majority committed to bringing about a day in America where your race has no bearing on your health, your wealth, your access to education or your relationship with law enforcement. A majority of Americans ready to support our teachers with a president and a Secretary of Education who believe in public education.

Those Americans are counting on us to come together and act, and they cannot wait. I've met Americans not even yet old enough to vote but who know that we cannot wait; an 11 year old asking how his family will be able to afford the insulin he needs. He can't wait for a president who will ensure there is no such thing as an uninsured American or an unaffordable prescription. The 14 year old who let me know she's already written out a basic will because she's terrified the next day in school could be her last cannot wait for a president who will see to it that she can walk into her school free of fear. The 10 year old who let me know he expects to be around in 2100 and look back at whether we acted fast enough to secure his future -- he cannot wait for a president prepared to enlist every American in the fight for our climate.

We are running for them. This campaign is giving voice to them and it has room for everyone because no matter who you voted for in elections past -- and for that matter, no matter who you caucused for tonight -- we welcome you in our campaign and you belong in the future that we are building for America. Whether you're a young woman with autism in Muscatine or a veteran battling addiction in Claremont, you belong. Whether you clean hotel rooms in Las Vegas or are getting a new business up and running in Charleston, you belong.

I believe the presidency has a purpose, and the purpose of our American presidency is not the glorification of the president -- it is the unification and the empowerment of the American people to solve these big problems.

America has a place for everyone, and I believe this not because of my age, but because of my experience. I believe in American unity because of my experience serving; of lacing up my boots in the dust of a war zone alongside Americans so different we hardly had anything in common besides the flag on our shoulders, yet learned to trust each other with our lives.

I believe in American boldness because of my experience governing, guiding a city once called dying out of the shadows of our empty factories and into a brighter future.

And I believe in American belonging because of an experience you are part of right here tonight. Looking out at you and remembering how it felt to be an Indiana teenager wondering if he would ever belong in this world; wondering if something deep inside him meant that he would forever be an outsider, that he might never wear the uniform, never be accepted, never even know love. And now that same person is standing in front of you, a mayor, a veteran, happily married, and one step closer to becoming the next President of the United States.

That is the America we are building. That is the America so many Iowans chose tonight. If you are ready to build an American life defined by belonging, this is our chance. If you're ready to build an American politics defined by boldness, this is our chance. And if you are ready to build an American future defined by unity in the face of our greatest challenges, this is our chance.

So with hope in our hearts and fire in our bellies, we're going on to New Hampshire, on to the nomination and on to chart a new course for this country that we love.

Thank you. Thank you Iowa. Thank you so much. Thank you.

###
Warren for President
February 3, 2020 10:42 p.m.

Elizabeth Warren Delivers Remarks on Iowa Caucus Night

Des Moines, IA - Elizabeth Warren delivered remarks tonight. 
 
Her remarks are below as prepared for delivery:
 
Thank you, Iowa! Thank you so much.
 
So listen, it’s too close to call. So I’m going to tell you what I do know.
 
As the baby daughter of a janitor, I’m so grateful to be up on this stage tonight.
 
Tonight as a party, we are one step closer to defeating the most corrupt president in American history.
 
Tomorrow Donald Trump will make a speech about the state of the union.
 
But I have a message for every American: Our union is stronger than Donald Trump. And, in less than a year, our union will be stronger than ever when that one man is replaced by one very persistent woman.
 
Donald Trump and I see America from very different viewpoints -- and we have since we were born. Trump grew up in New York City in a 23-room, nine-bathroom mansion. I grew up out in Oklahoma in a two-bedroom house with one bathroom and a converted garage where my three brothers slept.
 
By the time he was three, Donald Trump was getting a two-hundred-thousand dollar allowance every year from his dad’s real estate empire. In total, he got nearly half a billion dollars from his dad. Me? I took on small jobs to make money, baby sitting, waitressing, sewing dresses for my aunts.
 
Donald Trump claimed bone spurs to avoid the draft. All three of my older brothers signed up for military service, and the oldest spent five-and-a-half years off and on in combat in Vietnam.
 
Before he became a reality TV host, Donald Trump spent most of his career running one company after another into bankruptcy -- stiffing small businesses, ripping off workers, and scamming students. I spent most of my career studying why families go broke and fighting to make it easier for them to get back on their feet. Before I was even elected to office, I built an entire federal agency to stop big banks and financial institutions from cheating people.
 
A person’s values matter. A president’s values matter. And the only thing Donald Trump values is Donald Trump.
 
He believes that government is just one more thing to exploit -- a tool to enrich himself and his corrupt buddies at everyone else’s expense. I believe that government should work for everyone.
 
Tonight showed that Americans have a deep hunger for big, structural change to make our economy -- and our democracy -- work for everyone.
 
Tonight showed that our path to victory is to fight hard for the changes Americans are demanding -- changes that Democrats, Independents and Republicans are demanding.
 
Tonight showed that our agenda isn’t just a progressive agenda. It isn’t just a Democratic agenda. It’s America’s agenda.
 
Throughout our history, when moments of crisis have called on us to meet big challenges, Americans have answered the call.
 
Even when the doubters and critics say our dreams are too big, and the fights are too hard, we persist.
 
In the 1700s, when people said we could never overthrow a king and form a new republic, farmers and merchants came together and fought side-by-side until we won our independence.
 
In the 1800s, people said that slavery would endure forever and African Americans would never see liberation. But abolitionists, enslaved and formerly enslaved people formed an underground railroad and more than two million people waged a war to defeat the tyranny of slavery.
 
In the 1900s, people said we could never rescue our economy from the depths of the Great Depression or defeat fascism. But we forged a New Deal, mobilized to defeat fascism, expanded unions, built a middle class, and marched for civil rights.
 
Americans do big things. That’s who we are. We don’t settle. We don’t back down. We meet big problems with even bigger solutions.
 
Iowa, tonight, you showed that big dreams are still possible in America.
 
Tonight you showed that when you imagine an America that lives up to its ideals, you can set in motion the process of making it a reality -- all it takes is some hard work.
 
Here in Iowa, that’s what happened. You came together. You organized. You showed that we are united in our conviction that hope defeats fear. That courage overcomes cynicism. That we will always be a stronger party and a stronger nation when we unite around our shared values to advance justice and expand opportunity for everyone.
 
Right now across America, there are folks standing with a group of friends, or sitting on the couch with loved ones, or watching this quietly on their phone because everyone else in the house is asleep -- watching and thinking, “Maybe I could help out. Maybe I could volunteer some time. Maybe I could get in this fight.” And that’s how we’re going to do this.
 
I am here tonight to tell you: if you have hope that America can be better than it’s been in these last few years, and if you have courage to speak out and do a little organizing with us, this campaign is for you.
 
If you can imagine an America where corruption doesn’t block our ability to reduce gun violence, urgently tackle climate change, or bring an end to the opioid epidemic, this campaign is for you.
 
If you can imagine an economy where every job has dignity, where people are paid a livable wage, and where everyone has a real chance to thrive, this campaign is for you.
 
If you can imagine a democracy where people, not money, come first, this campaign is for you.
 
And if you can imagine an America of moral clarity that lives its values every day, this campaign is for you.
 
Tonight we are one step closer to winning the fight for the America we imagine is possible.
 
Tonight is for you. Tonight is for every volunteer who put their feet to the pavement to fight for change. For every organizer who braved the blistering cold to knock on doors. For every person who made a call or sent a text to spread the word. I’m going to tell you about some of our volunteers.
 
Tonight is for the veteran who came back diagnosed with PTSD and who volunteered every week to help us become a nation that honors its promises to its veterans.
 
Tonight is for every undocumented, unafraid organizer and volunteer who proudly knocked on doors to let the world know that the path to progress runs through courage, not fear.
 
Tonight is for the innovative, persistent women who organized babysitting clubs so they could put in more hours volunteering.
 
Tonight is for the single mother, who had been homeless, and who was so determined that her twin daughters grow up in a better world that she found spare moments to make calls.
 
Tonight is for everyone who believes that no matter the color of your skin, who you love, how you worship, where you were born, or what zip code you live in, you should be safe and your opportunities should be pretty much as good as everyone else’s.
 
In every day and every way, this movement is made up of people who know that the only way to make progress and build power is to fight from the heart.
 
So tonight, Iowa, I want to say thank you. Thank you for living your values. Thank you for standing together, fighting together, and persisting. You have made me a better candidate and you will make me a better president.
 
And while I’m at it, I want to thank my sweetie Bruce -- I couldn’t do this without you. And thanks to Bailey. He truly is a good-boy.
 
Together we have built a movement powered by hopeful, courageous people who will do the work to make the change we need.
 
And we are just getting started.
 
This race will be decided by people like you. And if you believe something should be done, I’m asking you to do something: go to Elizabeth Warren Dot Com right now. Pitch in a few bucks, sign up to volunteer, get involved with our campaign near where you live.
 
Because this race started here in Iowa, but from tomorrow it will run ocean to ocean, east to New Hampshire, and then west to Nevada, then down to South Carolina.
 
This fight will stretch across all 57 states and territories that make up this great nation until we unite together as a party in Milwaukee. The road won’t be easy. But we are built for the long haul.
 
Yeah, we still have a fight on our hands, but we are fueled by the hope in our hearts. Our optimism and our determination run deep.
 
And no matter what lies ahead, we are not afraid. This is our moment. The moment we’ve been called to.
 
Our moment to make history.
 
Our moment to dream big, fight hard and win.
 
 ###
REPUBLICANS AND ALLIES
Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.
February 3, 2020 10:55 p.m.

Trump campaign statement on Iowa Caucuses

 
“Democrats are stewing in a caucus mess of their own creation with the sloppiest train wreck in history. 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? Tonight President Trump posted a record performance in the well-run GOP Iowa caucuses with record turnout for an incumbent.”

- Brad Parscale, Trump 2020 campaign manager
Republican National Committee
Monday, February 3, 2020 11:30 p.m.

RNC Statement on Iowa Caucus 

WASHINGTON — Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel released the following statement on tonight's Iowa caucus:
 
"While the outcome in Iowa is still uncertain for Democrats, the Republican Party is more unified than ever behind President Trump and his historic record of results," said Chairwoman McDaniel. "In November, Americans will choose four more years of President Trump’s historic progress for our country."
 
###
Republican Party of Iowa
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 03, 2020

Iowa GOP Caucus Turnout Breaks Obama 2012 Record

Iowans cast first votes to re-elect President Trump

DES MOINES -- The Republican Party of Iowa announced President Donald J. Trump has overwhelmingly won the Iowa Caucuses. Iowa GOP caucus-goers were excited to cast the first votes to re-elect Pres. Trump, smashing turnout records for similar caucus years.

"What a way to kick off Pres. Trump’s re-election campaign – with decisive, record-breaking caucus results,” said Jeff Kaufmann, Chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa. “I have no doubt the energy and enthusiasm we saw tonight will carry through this election. After successfully negotiating two massive trade deals, confirming two Supreme Court justices, cutting taxes, and taking decisive action to make the world a safer place, it is no surprise that Iowans want four more years of winning with President Trump.”

View full results here: iowagopcaucusresults.com

###

with 100% of counties reporting
Candidates
 Votes
 % Votes
Donald J. Trump
 31,398
 97.15
Joe Walsh
 348
 1.08%
William Weld
 423
 1:31%
Other
 151
 0.47%
Total
 32,320
 100%

@realDonaldTrump
February 4, 2020 5:33 a.m.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1224657196392370177
The Democrat Caucus is an unmitigated disaster. Nothing works, just like they ran the Country. Remember the 5 Billion Dollar Obamacare Website, that should have cost 2% of that. The only person that can claim a very big victory in Iowa last night is “Trump”.
Americans for Limited Government
February 4, 2020

Iowa Caucus chaos incompetence, or manipulation?

Feb. 4, 2020, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement on the Iowa Democratic Party's failure to report results from the Iowa Caucus:

"The same Democrats who want to run our nation's health care system cannot manage to even count a few votes in Iowa. It is clear that the Iowa Democratic Party either is beyond incompetent or is corruptly attempting to put their thumbs on the scale to deny Bernie Sanders momentum and prop up the failing Joe Biden campaign. The real tragedy is that the Iowa Caucus is likely to become a thing of the past due this recent history of manipulating and misreporting. The shame of it is national candidates benefit from meeting farmers and spending time in middle America and Democratic candidates particularly benefit as they get off their coasts and visit what they view as flyover America once every four years.

"The big winner of the Iowa Caucus was not Bernie Sanders, it was President Donald Trump who has demonstrated the past three years that he can lead this nation to prosperity and restore our standing around the world, while his Democratic opponents cannot even be trusted to perform a simple task with telephone technology."

To view online: https://getliberty.org/2020/02/iowa-caucus-chaos-incompetence-or-manipulation/
Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1 or at media@limitgov.org.

###

Americans for Limited Government is dedicated to fighting for the survival of America by restoring constitutionally limited government, allowing individuals to pursue life, liberty and happiness. For more information on ALG please visit our website at www.getliberty.org and www.dailytorch.com.

FEBRUARY 4
Deval for All
February 4, 2020

Deval Patrick Statement on Iowa Caucus

"One candidate is calling the results into question because he apparently didn’t do well. Another is declaring victory without any votes being confirmed. The way to beat Donald Trump isn’t to act like Donald Trump. Our party and our country deserve better."
Tulsi 2020
February 4, 2020

Tulsi Gabbard Releases Statement on Iowa Caucuses

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard (U.S. Rep, Hawaii) released the following statement concerning last night's Caucuses in Iowa:

“Thousands of people turned out to cast the first votes of this presidential primary in the Iowa Caucuses last night. Unfortunately, the voices of the people of Iowa have yet to be heard as the vote count continues, leaving voters frustrated and without the transparency and integrity in this process that they expect and deserve. 

Now our attention turns to New Hampshire. As I’ve travelled across the state, preparing for the first-in-the-nation primary next week, I am heartened by how Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and Libertarians are coming together at our town halls every day, working side by side to ensure our government is of the people, by the people, and for the people -- not the powerful elite.
 
In the roughly two hours that Iowans spent last night at their caucuses, our government spent $11 million of taxpayers’ dollars in Afghanistan alone -- propping up corrupt warlords, while so many people I meet throughout New Hampshire and the country go without the basics: clean water, infrastructure, health care, education.
 
Two days ago, I visited HOPE for New Hampshire, a center in Manchester serving people still struggling with a deadly opioid crisis that has fallen out of the headlines. Many shared they cannot get the care they need for lack of funding. We’re lucky to live in the most prosperous country on earth, but life expectancy in New Hampshire is in decline.
 
As president, I will not allow this to stand.
 
I will redirect the dollars we are wasting on wasteful regime change wars, the New Cold War, and nuclear arms race and instead invest in the needs of the American people — like healthcare, education, protecting our environment, rebuilding our infrastructure, and so much more.
 
The voters of New Hampshire understand that our counter-productive foreign policy takes dollars directly out of their pockets and their communities. And the hyper-partisan political atmosphere that dominates Washington does not represent them.
 
It’s clear that the corporate media, the military-industrial complex, and the party establishment are threatened by this message, because it challenges their grip on power. They will do everything to silence us, while also rigging the primary process for billionaire candidates who think they can bypass the kind of grassroots campaigning that is the fuel of our movement.
 
So just as we have done for the past year, we will spend this final week taking our message directly to the people of New Hampshire, who refuse to be told by the pundits or the pollsters how to vote. They will be the ones to put us on a new course as a country.”

Tulsi has spent over 100 days campaigning in New Hampshire since kicking off her campaign in January of 2019 and conducted town halls across the Granite State.


About Tulsi Gabbard:
 
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard is the first female combat veteran to ever run for US president and, along with Tammy Duckworth, one of the first two female combat veterans elected to Congress. Currently a major in the Army National Guard, she has served for more than 16 years and deployed twice to the Middle East.
 
Tulsi is a Democrat and was first elected to Congress in 2012. She has served there for more than 6 years, including on the Homeland Security, Foreign Affairs, and Armed Services Committees.
 
Tulsi was Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2013 until she resigned in 2016 to endorse Bernie Sanders in his bid for president.
 
Tulsi’s campaign for president is powered completely by people. She does not accept campaign contributions from corporations, lobbyists, or any political action committees.
 
Tulsi was born a US citizen on April 12, 1981 in American Samoa. When she was two years old, her family moved to Hawaii, where she grew up. As is typical of many residents of Hawaii, she is of mixed ethnicity — Asian, Caucasian, and Polynesian descent.
Pete for America
February 4, 2020 4:43 a.m.

MEMO: Pete for America Precinct Level Caucus Results

To: Interested Parties
From: Pete for America
Subject: MEMO: Pete for America Precinct Level Caucus Results

We understand that the Iowa Democratic Party is conducting a tally of paper records which will verify the results of the Caucuses held last night. We are confident that the results will reflect our internal data.  

In the interest of the transparency we are making available Pete for America’s precinct-level data from over 1,200 precincts from last night’s Caucuses. Like other campaigns, these data are self-reported as part of the PFA Caucus night precinct captain procedure.  

The data include precinct-level data that shows overall turnout, Pete support in first and second alignment as well as calculated state delegate equivalents.

Topline Results:

Total Turnout

Buttigieg First Alignment

Buttigieg Final Alignment

Calculated SDE

152,624

32,932 (22%)

37,667 (25%)

480.44 (28%)

Our precinct captains reported full caucus results in 1,259 precincts-- this represents approximately 75% of the total precincts and just over 150,000 total votes. We have partial results for another 42 precincts.

We asked each of our precinct captains to report the following metrics:

  • Precinct number
  • Total turnout
  • First Alignment for Pete
  • Final Alignment for Pete
  • County Delegates for Pete
  • A picture of the final tally sheet

We saw that turnout this year was in line with 2016 turnout and our first and final alignment numbers were around 22% and 25%, respectively. In calculating the State Delegate Equivalents from the final alignment numbers, we came in with 480.44 SDEs (28%) in the precincts that have reported.

The charts below show how we performed on SDEs across the state and the broad coalition Pete has continued to put together across geography, demographic group and voting history.

Urbanity:


Pete captured nearly 40% of the delegates in suburban areas, over 30% in rural areas, and 21% in urban areas.


2016 POTUS Choice

Pete got over 35% of SDEs in precincts Clinton won in 2016 and 30% in precincts Trump won.



Media Market

Across the state, Pete showed a strong performance in every media market:


Our data shows that Pete built a coalition that proves he is the best positioned to beat Donald Trump. Not only did he build a broad base of support geographically and demographically across the state, he also showed he can draw support in communities that voted for Obama in 2012 (and in many cases 2008) and then flipped to Trump in 2016. According to entrance polling as well, Pete came in first for caucusgoers who did not caucus in 2016 and he came in second only to Sanders with first time caucusgoers. 

This memo is available at https://resources.peteforamerica.com/ia-caucus-memo.pdf.

###
Bernie 2020
February 4, 2020 12:17 a.m.

NEWS: Sanders Campaign Releases Internal Caucus Numbers

DES MOINES, Iowa – Due to the failure of the Iowa Democratic Party to release results tonight and in the interest of full transparency, Bernie 2020 Senior Advisor Jeff Weaver is releasing the campaign’s internal reporting numbers, which represent the results from nearly 40 percent of precincts in Iowa. 

“We recognize that this does not replace the full data from the Iowa Democratic Party, but we believe firmly that our supporters worked too hard for too long to have the results of that work delayed,” Jeff Weaver said.

The data below was collected by trained Sanders volunteers at representative precincts from all four congressional districts from a cross section of urban and rural parts of the state.



Iowa Democratic Party
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, February 4th, 2020

 IDP Statement on Caucus Reporting

DES MOINES — This morning, Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price released the following statement:

 

“Last night, more than 1,600 precinct caucuses gathered across the state of Iowa and at satellite caucuses around the world to demonstrate our shared values and goal of taking back the White House. The many volunteers running caucus sites, new voters registering as Democrats, and neighbors talking to each other about the future of our country demonstrated the strength of our party.
 
“We have every indication that our systems were secure and there was not a cyber security intrusion. In preparation for the caucuses, our systems were tested by independent cybersecurity consultants.  
 
“As precinct caucus results started coming in, the IDP ran them through an accuracy and quality check. It became clear that there were inconsistencies with the reports. The underlying cause of these inconsistencies was not immediately clear, and required investigation, which took time. 
 
“As this investigation unfolded, IDP staff activated pre-planned backup measures and entered data manually. This took longer than expected. 
 
“As part of our investigation, we determined with certainty that the underlying data collected via the app was sound. 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. This issue was identified and fixed. The application’s reporting issue did not impact the ability of precinct chairs to report data accurately. 
 
“Because of the required paper documentation, we have been able to verify that the data recorded in the app and used to calculate State Delegate Equivalents is valid and accurate. Precinct level results are still being reported to the IDP.  While our plan is to release results as soon as possible today, our ultimate goal is to ensure that the integrity and accuracy of the process continues to be upheld.”
 
###

_______________

IDP Chair Troy Price

Press Conference

February 4, 2020

[DEMOCRACY IN ACTION TRANSCRIPT]

Good afternoon. Thank you all so much for taking a little time today to chat a little bit about what happened last night.

The reporting of the results and circumstances surrounding the 2020 Iowa Democratic Party caucuses were unacceptable. As chair of the party, I apologize deeply for this. Last night we were faced with multiple reporting challenges and decided, out of an abundance of caution, to protect the integrity of the Iowa caucuses and their results by taking the necessary steps to review and confirm the data.

A thorough, transparent and independent examination of what occurred yesterday will follow. But let me be clear, my number one priority has been on ensuring the accuracy and integrity of the results. And we have been working all night to be in the best position to report results. And here in just a couple of minutes we will be reporting 62% of precincts from all 99 counties.

The bottom line is that we hit a stumbling block on the back end of the reporting of the data. But the one thing I want you to know, we know this data is accurate. And we also have a paper trail and documentation that will—that have been able to use to provide information to help verify the results.

This is personal to me. I'm a lifelong Iowa. I have caucused for 20 years.

And I know how important it is for, to party, to our state, and to everyone, from our neighbors to new voters, to be able to come together all across the state. We want Iowans to be confident in the results and in the process, and we are going to take the time that we need to make sure that we do just that. So I know folks are going to want to be seeing the results as they come in but I'm happy to take a couple of quick questions before that happens.

QUESTION: How can anyone trust you now?

PRICE: We have been working day and night to make sure that these results are accurate. The one thing I will say is that the underlying data, the raw data is secure. It was always secure. This was a coding error in, in one of the pieces on the back end, but the raw data, the data that has come in, is secure. And I can assure Iowans of that.

QUESTION: ...endanger the caucuses?

PRICE: The fact is that this is a conversation that happens every four years; there's no doubt that conversation will take place again. But right now, my focus is making sure that we get these results out. We're going to continue to do that. And we will have the results out as soon as we can.

QUESTION: When you believe you get to 100%, and how can you ensure Americans—assure Americans— that these are verifiably accurate results?

PRICE: Well, we're going to take the time we need to get these results done. Now that we have the first batch that's going to be coming out here in a couple of minutes, we're going to continue to go through our processes and verifying everything.

But the thing to remember here folks is that we have a paper trail. We have always said all along that throughout this process that we have backups to the system, that we have redundancies built in. And one of the ways that we do that is through the paper trail.

Now the fact is, is that, as we started doing this last night, it took longer than we expected. And so, but my paramount concern is making sure that these results are accurate and reflect what happened last night in caucuses across the state. We're going to do just that and that's we're going to take the time we need to do.

QUESTION: inaud.

PRICE: We have, one I have no knowledge of the Department of Homeland Security making that offer to us. I will say that we have worked with cyber security experts, nationally renowned cyber security experts, to test this app and to do testing and security checks on this app. So, we have, we took the steps we felt was necessary, but we found a coding error last night once we discovered some irregularities as the results started to come in.

QUESTION: inaud.

PRICE: No, there weren't. And that's why, and that is why, that's why what happened last night is simply unacceptable. And so, again, we're going to have a thorough and independent review of exactly what happened last night. We still right now we're in the process of making sure that we get these results out, and that's what we're going to stay focused on.  Yeah.

QUESTION: inaud.

PRICE:  We said all along that we were going to make these caucuses the most transparent possible. This year we're reporting out more data than we ever have reported before. And in addition to that we have paper trails that we've never had before. And so we're going to take the time we need to verify these results, but these results are being based off what happened in the precincts last night.

QUESTION: ...step aside..

PRICE: When I ran for chair. I made a commitment to see the caucus process through That is what I'm working on, that is what I will continue to work on, and whatever happens after that is to be determined.

Anyways, thank you all, folks, the results are coming in. We will see you later.
FEBRUARY 5

as of February 5, 2020 7:45 a.m.

IDP Caucus 2020 Results

71% reporting (1250 of 1765 precincts)
Please note: National Convention Delegates will not be published until all precincts and satellite sites have reported.
Precincts will not appear until results are published.

Statewide SDE Numbers by Candidate

Candidate SDE National Delegates
Bennet 0 -
Biden 241.314 -
Bloomberg 0.133 -
Buttigieg 418.722 -
Delaney 0 -
Gabbard 0.114 -
Klobuchar 196.696 -
Patrick 0 -
Sanders 393.521 -
Steyer 4.959 -
Warren 286.882 -
Yang 16.433 -
Other 0.28 -
Uncommitted 2.766 -
FEBRUARY 6

Iowa Democratic Party
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, February 6th, 2020

Iowa Democratic Party Statement on the 2020 Caucus Developments

DES MOINES — Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price released the following statement on the 2020 Iowa Democratic Caucuses developments:
 
“While I fully acknowledge that the reporting circumstances on Monday night were unacceptable, we owe it to the thousands of Iowa Democratic volunteers and caucusgoers to remain focused on collecting and reviewing incoming results.
 
“Throughout the collection of records of results, the IDP identified inconsistencies in the data and used our redundant paper records to promptly correct those errors. This is an ongoing process in close coordination with precinct chairs, and we are working diligently to report the final 54 precincts to get as close to final reporting as possible.
 
“Going forward, we are fully committed to the integrity of the preferences expressed by dedicated, passionate, and fervent Iowa Democrats. This caucus opened new opportunities for accessibility that were never available before – including over 1,500 caucusgoers attending satellite caucuses in senior living centers, Mosques, and overseas, and first-of-their-kind Spanish language and hand sign sites. This process will not be complete until we honor them.
 
“Since the beginning of the process, we have taken unprecedented steps to gather redundant reports to ensure accuracy of all underlying data. The IDP is nearing completion in collecting redundant materials from all 1,756 precincts, including hand-collecting materials from all 99 counties which are securely stored in Des Moines.
 
“Should any presidential campaign in compliance with the Iowa Delegate Selection Plan request a recanvass, the IDP is prepared. In such a circumstance, the IDP will audit the paper records of report, as provided by the precinct chairs and signed by representatives of presidential campaigns. This is the official record of the Iowa Democratic caucus, and we are committed to ensuring the results accurately reflect the preference of Iowans.”
 
 
ON BACKGROUND:
The Iowa Democratic Party has 48 hours to respond to a valid, written, request for recanvass, signed by the candidate. Any request for recanvass must include the scope and credible explanation of the reasons of the request.
 
###

IDP Caucus 2020 Results

100% reporting (1765 of 1765 precincts)
Please note: National Convention Delegates will not be published until all precincts and satellite sites have reported.
Precincts will not appear until results are published.

Statewide SDE Numbers by Candidate

Candidate SDE National Delegates
Bennet 0 -
Biden 341.172 -
Bloomberg 0.21 -
Buttigieg 564.012 -
Delaney 0 -
Gabbard 0.114 -
Klobuchar 264.204 -
Patrick 0 -
Sanders 562.497 -
Steyer 6.739 -
Warren 387.069 -
Yang 22.223 -
Other 0.693 -
Uncommitted 3.957 -

Pete for America
February 6, 2020  6:49 PM

Inside the Numbers: The Data Behind Pete Buttigieg's Broad Coalition in Monday’s Iowa Caucuses

With 97 percent of the results in from the Iowa Caucuses, it’s clear that Pete Buttigieg attracted and mobilized a broad coalition of Iowans from all geographies, background, and political parties on Monday night, proving he is the best candidate to beat Donald Trump and unify this country around a bold vision for the future. Here’s a snapshot of how Pete’s historic success on Monday night came from bringing Iowans from all walks of life into his coalition:


Pete’s historic success in Iowa drew support from across the Hawkeye State:

  • Pete was viable in 87% of precincts across Iowa* - the most out of any other candidate in the race and over ten percentage points higher than his closest competitor.

  • Pete is the only candidate to come in either first or second across every single Iowa media market. He drew 23% - 36% of SDEs in every single media market across the state.*

  • Pete won more precincts and SDEs in communities that border the states his competitors have been elected in than those competitors themselves.*

  • Pete came in first in 63 of Iowa’s 99 counties.* Here’s the breakdown of how many counties each candidate won:

    • Pete: 63 counties

    • Sanders: 21 counties

    • Biden: 10 counties

    • Klobuchar: 5 counties

    • Warren: 1 counties

  • Pete is one of just two candidates to qualify for DNC delegates in all four congressional districts. He drew the most support out of the entire field across three of four congressional districts.*   

  • According to CNN entrance polling, Pete drew the most support from people who caucused for neither Clinton nor Sanders in 2016, and he drew the second-most support from first-time caucusgoers.

  • Pete gained the most support from second alignment*, showing he can draw support from other 2020 camps across the political spectrum. 


Pete drew a broad coalition across geography, demographics, age, and education level: 

  • Pete drew over 15% of the SDEs in precincts that are 20%+ people of color [US Census mapped to precinct through DNC voter file] and came in second with nonwhite caucusgoers. 

  • Pete came in first in rural precincts, winning 29% of the SDEs and showing that he has the unique ability to make traditionally red communities competitive for Democrats in 2020 [US census data].

  • Pete had a strong showing in suburban and urban communities, drawing 26% of SDEs in suburban precincts and 20% of SDEs in urban precincts. 

  • Pete won women caucusgoers and came in second with men in the caucuses. 

  • Pete came in first with caucusgoers ages 45-64 and came in second for caucusgoers ages 17-29 and 30-44

  • Pete led the field with caucusgoers with college degrees and came in second with caucusgoers without college degrees. 


Pete won the “electability” argument, beating the rest of the field in key indicators of a candidate’s ability to beat Donald Trump:

  • Pete won the precincts in counties that flipped from Obama to Trump [Election Results] in 2016 by over seven points more than his closest competitor. 

    • Pete won 21 of the 31 counties that flipped from Obama to Trump in Iowa.

  • According to entrance polls, over 60 percent of Iowa caucusgoers said that beating Trump was their top priority, and Pete got the most support out of this group than any other candidate in the field. 

  • Pete edged out two sitting senators and Obama’s vice president in counties that caucused for Barack Obama in 2008 [Iowa Democratic Party official results]. 


Pete built a 2020 coalition that was not just a return to the electorate of 2016:

  • Pete drew caucusgoers into his campaign who sat out the last primary or had never caucused before. According to CNN entrance polling, Pete drew the most support from people who caucused for neither Clinton nor Sanders in 2016, and drew the second-most support from first-time caucusgoers.

  • Pete also drew support from both Clinton and Sanders backers from 2016. 

    • Pete drew the most support - nearly 30% -  from counties that supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 caucuses [Iowa Democratic Party official results]. 

    • Pete came in second to only Bernie Sanders in counties that caucused for Sanders in 2016. 

  • Pete gained the most support from second alignment,* showing he can draw support from other 2020 camps across the political spectrum. 

  • Pete also drew the most support from caucusgoers who didn’t make up their minds until within days of the Iowa Caucuses. 


Pete drew support across ideological lines and political preference:

  • Pete came in first with caucusgoers who identify themselves as Democrats, first with people who identify themselves as moderates, and second with caucusgoers who identify themselves as Independents showing his ability to draw support across the ideological spectrum. 

  • Pete came in second* in counties that voted for Clinton in the 2016 general election and came in first in counties that voted for Trump in 2016 [election results 2016]. 


* AP Iowa Caucus Results

Bernie 2020
February 6, 2020  9:56 PM

NEWS: Sanders Campaign Declares Victory in Iowa and Releases Discrepancies

DES MOINES, Iowa – Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign on Thursday celebrated winning the popular vote in the first and second round of the Iowa caucus and released publicly discrepancies in the State Delegate Equivalent data it submitted to the Iowa Democratic Party.

“Tonight's release of data by the Iowa Democratic Party confirms Sen. Bernie Sanders won the Iowa caucus,” Sanders’ Senior Advisor Jeff Weaver said. “We also feel confident that the discrepancies we’re providing tonight, in addition to those widely identified in the national media, mean that the SDE count will never be known with any kind of certainty. Given the rules changes we fought for that required the release of the popular vote count, SDEs are now an antiquated and meaningless metric for deciding the winner of the Iowa caucus.”
 
Below is the list of discrepancies in the State Delegate Equivalent calculations that were submitted to but not yet considered by the party.  

14 instances for a total of 2.50383 SDE
 
Storm Lake 1 - Sanders down 1 delegate (.0785 SDE)
In this 7-delegate precinct, according to IDP data, Buttigieg’s 1.974358974 was correctly rounded up to 2. However, Warren’s 1.256410256, which was tied with Yang, was incorrectly rounded up to 2 despite Sanders’ 2.333333333 being closer to 3. The correct allocation should be Sanders 3 delegates, Buttigieg 2, and Warren and Yang with 1.
 
Warren County Norwalk Precinct 1 - Sanders down 1 delegate, Buttigieg over 1 delegate (0.23333)
In this precinct, Buttigieg received an extra 3rd delegate after already rounding up to 2. Sanders, at third place with 1.346938776, should have received the extra delegate, bringing him to 2 alongside Biden and Buttigeig. The correct allocation should be Buttigieg, Biden and Sanders 2 and Warren and Klobuchar with 1.
 
Des Moines 7 - Sanders down 1 delegate, Buttigieg over 1 delegate  (0.2798 SDE)
In this 9-delegate precinct, Sanders was at 4.826815642, Warren was at 2.463687151 and Buttigieg was at 2.664804469 before rounding. Sanders’ 4.8 was closer to 5 than Buttigeig’s 2.7 was to 3. Therefore, Sanders should have 5 delegates while Buttigieg has 2.
 
Woodbury 6/Sioux City 6 - Sanders down 1 delegate (0.2125 SDE)
The 9 delegates in this precinct are not distributed properly. Before rounding, there is Sanders at 2.668965517, Warren at 2.110344828, Buttigieg at 1.675862069, Biden at 1.613793103, Klobuchar at 1.551724138. Two delegates must be lost after rounding everyone up. With 2.67, Sanders is closer to 3 than Biden is to 2 at 1.61 and Klobuchar is to 2 at 1.55. Sanders should have 3 delegates instead of 2, with Warren 2, Buttigieg 2, Biden 1, and Klobuchar 1.
 
Ocheyedan - Sanders down 1 delegate (.1 SDE)
Each of the 3 candidates who reached viability in this 3-delegate precinct should have received a delegate. Before rounding, Sanders and Klobuchar were both at 0.6, which rounds to 1. However, Sanders was not awarded his only delegate, which instead went to Buttigieg as his second delegate. This should be reversed to make it Sanders 1, Klobuchar 1, and Buttigieg 1.
 
Bellair/Lincoln - Sanders down 1 delegate (.08 SDE)
Each of the 4 candidates who reached viability in this 4-delegate precinct should have received a delegate. Before rounding, Sanders and Klobuchar were both at 0.6153846154, which rounds to 1. However, Sanders was not awarded his only delegate, which instead went to Biden as Biden’s second delegate. This should be reversed to make it Sanders 1, Klobuchar 1, Biden 1, and Buttigieg 1.
 
Sioux 6 Orange City 1 - Sanders down 1 delegate (.0875 SDE)
The 10 delegates were misassigned following a rounding interpretation error.  Second alignment had Klobuchar 15, Buttigieg 20, Sanders 23 and Warren 26. Before rounding, it was Klobuchar 1.61290, Buttigieg 2.15053, Sanders 2.47312 and Warren 2.79570. Warren was awarded a 4th delegate after rounding up to 3. Instead, that final delegate should have gone to Sanders, who was closer to 3 than Warren was to 4. The final count should be Warren 3, Sanders 3, Buttigieg 2 and Klobuchar 2.
 
Guthrie Gold - Sanders down 1 delegate (.0857 SDE)
Before rounding, Biden, Klobuchar and Buttigieg were all at 2.93548 with Sanders at 2.48387 and Warren at 2.25806. Buttigieg was already rounded up to 3 when awarded a 4th delegate. Given IDP rules, that final delegate should have been awarded to Sanders after rounding up his 2.48 to 3 alongside Biden, Klobuchar and Buttigieg. Warren would still have 2.
 
Independence 2 - Sanders down 1 delegate (.1368 SDE)
Only 5 of the 6 delegates were awarded. After rounding, Biden recieved 3 delegates while Sanders and Klobuchar only received 1 each. Sanders’ 1.2 is higher than Klobuchar’s 1.09, so the last delegate should go to Sanders, making the final count Biden 3, Sanders 2, Klobuchar 1.
 
Adair 04 SE -  Sanders down 1 delegate (.0784 SDE)
The following has been corroborated with Adair County Chair Thadeus Hawley. All 10 delegates were awarded, but the distribution is incorrect. According to IDP data, the second alignment has Warren 9, Biden 7 and Sanders, Klobuchar and Buttigieg each with 6. However, Sanders receives only 1 delegate when the other two candidates at the same level received 2. Sanders, Klobuchar and Buttigieg’s 1.7647 is closer to 2 than Warren’s 2.6471 is to 3. Given this, each candidate should be awarded 2 delegates, including Sanders.
 
Muscatine 9 - Sanders down 1 delegate (.1667 SDE)
In this precinct, only 8 of the 9 delegates were awarded. According to IDP data, the second alignment has Sanders 44, Buttigieg 42 and Biden 26. This calculates to  3.5357 for Sanders, 3.3750 for Buttigieg and 2.0893 for Biden, yet Sanders and Buttigeg were both awarded 3 delegates and Biden awarded 2, with the 9th delegate never awarded. According to rounding rules, Sanders should be awarded the 9th delegate for a total of 4. Buttigieg would remain at 3 and Biden at 2.
 
Des Moines 14 - Sanders down 1 county delegate (.2798 SDE)
In Des Moines 14, per IDP data, the second alignment left Buttigieg with 52, Sanders with 50, Warren with 31 and Biden with 25. This should have resulted in 2 delegates for Buttigieg and Sanders and 1 delegate for Warren and Biden. However, according to the information listed by the IDP, Warren was awarded 2 delegates while Sanders was awarded 1, despite having more caucusgoers. We ask for this to be reversed for a final count of Buttigieg 2, Sanders 2, Warren 1 and Biden 1.
 
North Liberty 6 - Sanders down 1 delegate (.405 SDE)
In North Liberty 6, the IDP lists second round results as Sanders 107 to Warren 105. The raw delegate total should have been 2.97 to 2.92 per the IDP data. However, the caucus chair decided to call this lead a tie and hold a coin flip, which landed in Warren's favor. In IDP rules, a tie is only when candidates have the same exact number. Per those rules, this result was not a tie and the delegate should have been awarded to Sanders, who had a larger number. Final count should be Buttigieg 4, Sanders 4 and Warren 3.
 
Des Moines 80 - Sanders down 1 delegate, Buttigieg over 1 delegate (.2798 SDE)
Only 9 of the 10 delegates in this precinct have been awarded with 2 for Biden, 4 for Buttigieg and 4 for Sanders. Before rounding, it is Biden 2.0, Buttigieg 2.75 and Sanders 4.2, which would round to 5 in a 10-delegate precinct. The chair decided there was a tie for the 10th delegate and called for a coin flip, that went for Buttigieg. There was not a tie and that delegate should be awarded to Sanders to make the final count Sanders 5, Buttigeig 3 and Biden 2 for a total of 10 delegates.

FEBRUARY 7

IDP Chair Troy Price

Press Conference

February 7, 2020

[PREPARED REMARKS]

Thank you for coming here today.

As I’ve stated, the challenges in reporting data, and delays in publicizing results were categorically unacceptable. Iowa Democrats demand better of us, and we demand better of ourselves – and last night brought us one step closer to bringing the 2020 Iowa Caucus to completion.

Last night, the Iowa Democratic Party reported the last remaining records of result from 1,765 precincts across Iowa, the nation, and overseas. It has been and continues to be our top priority to ensure that the data we have collected and reported accurately reflects the data as reported by each precinct chair.

That process continues today.

This morning, the IDP informed campaigns of two new steps over the coming days to ensure that the numbers we reported match the records from caucus night.

First, we are providing presidential campaigns the opportunity to submit evidence of data entry inaccuracies, and we will work to make necessary corrections. Campaigns have until tomorrow at noon to send that information. In this process, the IDP will compare the reported numbers with the records of result from caucus night to ensure the integrity of our reporting.

Additionally, this morning the IDP extended the deadline for presidential campaigns to file for a recanvass or recount. Campaigns now have until noon on Monday to file a request.

I want to express my profound gratitude to the thousands of volunteers for their leadership, patience, and perseverance to see this caucus through to its full report. Their selfless service and unrelenting spirit is the hallmark of Iowa Democrats.

By most accounts, the organizers of the precinct meetings ran successful inclusive caucuses.
Over 1,500 caucusgoers participated in the process in satellite locations – in senior living centers, Mosques, labor unions, and overseas. And, the caucuses empowered Iowa Democrats to make their voices heard – no matter how they communicate. We hosted first-of-their-kind Spanish language and sign language caucuses.

Simply put, these past 13 months have displayed the largest showing Democratic spirit I’ve seen in a caucus. Iowans are investing themselves in changing the future, building a nation we’re proud of, and beating Donald Trump to ensure our government is represented by and works for every single one of us.

I am endlessly proud of their work, and today, until the process is complete, I will honor their service by making the reforms we need to earn their trust.

Today the Iowa Democratic Party Operations Committee has begun a full, independent forensic review of the Caucus: what went right, what went wrong, from start to finish.

This review will take however long is needed, and its report will be delivered directly to the State Central Committee. Again, this review is completely independent from myself as the Chair, our Vice Chairs, Executive Director and Caucus Director, and is accountable directly to representatives elected directly by Iowa Democrats.

Again, I want to thank you for coming here today, and I am happy to respond to your questions as best I can – with the understanding that there are questions I will be able to answer in the coming days and months that I cannot answer at this time.

On Monday, we will hold another press conference, whose details will be announced in due time.
Thank you.

___________________


[DEMOCRACY IN ACTION TRANSCRIPT | C-SPAN Video]

Good afternoon. Thank you all for coming today. As I've stated before, the challenges in reporting data and delays in publicizing results were categorically unacceptable. Iowa Democrats demand better of us, and quite frankly we demand better of ourselves.

And last night brought us one step closer to the completion of the 2020 Iowa Democratic Party caucuses. Last night we reported the last remaining records of results from 1,765 precincts across Iowa, the nation and overseas. It has been, and continues to be our top priority to ensure that the data we have collected and reported accurately reflects the data as reported by each precinct chair. And that process is continuing today.

This morning we announced, we informed campaigns of two new steps over the coming days to ensure that the numbers we reported match the, match the records from caucus night. First, we are providing presidential campaigns the opportunity to submit evidence of data entry inaccuracies, and we will work to make necessary corrections. Campaigns have until tomorrow at noon to send that information. In this process, the IDP will compare the reported numbers with the records that result from caucus night to ensure the integrity of our reporting.

Additionally, this morning, we extended the deadline for presidential campaigns to file a recanvass for recount. Campaigns now havie until noon on Monday to file a request.

I want to express my profound gratitude to the thousands of volunteers and leaders, party leaders across our state for their leadership, their patience, and their perseverance to see this caucus through to its full report. Their selfless service and unrelenting spirit is one of the hallmarks of the Iowa Democratic Party.

By most accounts, the organizers of the precinct meetings ran successful and inclusive caucuses. For example, over 4,200 caucus goers participated in the process at satellite locations—in senior living centers, mosques, labor unions and overseas. And the caucus empowered Iowa Democrats to make their voice heard no matter how they communicate. For example, we hosted the first of their kind Spanish language and sign language caucuses.

Simply put, these last, these past 13 months have displayed the largest showing of Democratic spirit I've ever seen in a caucus process. Iowans are investing themselves and changing the future, building a nation we're proud of and beating Donald Trump to ensure our government is represented by and works for every single one of us. I'm endlessly proud of their work.

And today, until the process is complete, I will honor their service by making the reforms we need to earn their trust. As I've mentioned before, we will be undergoing an independent forensic review of the challenges that, the challenges that we saw on Monday night, what went right what went wrong, from start to finish, and what we can do better in the future. This review will take however long is needed, and its report will be delivered directly to the State Central Committee. This review is completely independent of myself, or the executive director of the party, our vice chairs, our caucus director and staff of the Iowa Democratic Party, and is accountable directly to the representatives who are elected by Democrats across the state.

We have a lot of work left to do. There's no question about that. But I will say this. We have worked tirelessly over these last four days to produce a full record from all 1,765 caucus sites. Now we're going to, we're going to work to finalize that process here over the next few days.

I want to thank you for coming here today. I'm happy to respond to some questions as best I can with the understanding that there are some things that I can answer, there are some things that I can't, andsome that will be answered in the days and months ahead.

And on Monday we will hold another press conference to announce, to discuss further after the deadline at noon on Monday, and we'll announce the details of that at that time.

QUESTION: Did you get enough leadership and communication by the DNC, and is Tom Perez [inaud.]?

PRICE: Listen, we worked closely with the DNC throughout this process, they've been good partners, all the way up to and through this process.

QUESTION: ...urged Iowa Democrats to avoid technology in the caucus process. Why not heed that advice?

PRICE: We have—throughout this process we have looked at ways that we could our caucus process. In terms of the details that led to that, that will be covered in the course of the investigation.

QUESTION: Troy, can you walk us through this week, when the DNC physically took over the recounting process. Explain to us, I guess who was in charge [inaud.] the Iowa Democratic Party or the Democratic National Committee.

PRICE: We worked closely with the DNC throughout this process but I can tell you one of the things that happened this week is, as we had to move over to manual reporting and then manual review of the results, we've had tremendous support from Democrats across the state who stepped up to make sure that this process ran smoothly. And so, we are, you know we worked closely together throughout this process, and I'm glad we were able to produce a full result.

QUESTION: When the party chairman yesterday said enough is enough a couple of days ago, do do you feel blindsided by that, and why not heed his request and just do a full recanvass even though that's technically not in the rules? Why not do that?

PRICE: One of my north stars has always been that we must follow the rules that we have and so the rules state that the person who can request a canvass is a candidate themselves.

QUESTION: ...why did you extend the deadline for the recanvass request so close to the deadline today...?

PRICE: It was an internal decision we were looking at how, once we had the results complete last night, we then sat down to figure out what the next steps were going to be going forward and we decided to go change it to Monday at noon to make sure the candidates had enough time.

QUESTION: Were you blindsided and was Tom Perez out of line? Were you blindsided and was Tom Perez out of line?

PRICE: Listen I've been proud to work with, proud of our partnership with DNC, we continued, you know, throughout this process. And that's all I'm going to say on that.

QUESTION: Has the national party allocated the delegates yet...?

PRICE: The national delegates, is that what you are referring to? We allocate the national delegates and we'll be doing that over the weekend.

QUESTION: Did you have enough people in the boiler room ready to answer phones? What caused the one, two, sometimes three hour delays for people.

PRICE: Well, we are, a lot of that will be uncovered in the course of this investigation and review.
But we believed that we have the capacity that we need but as we go forward and review what happened on caucus night we'll have more answers.

QUESTION: the app...?

PRICE: Again we will, lot of that will be uncovered in the course of this investigate—investigation and forensic review and we'll have more to share at that time.

QUESTION: anomalies...Did you check each precinct's worksheet before reporting the results or do you have another explanation of why that could have happened?

PRICE: What our job is at the Iowa Democratic Party is to report up, report out the official reports that we received from precinct chairs on caucus night. And so that is what we have done. That's what we've done, but there you know we have this process right now and we will see what comes in through this process.

FOLLOW UP QUESTION: ...worksheets...

PRICE: The math worksheet is actually a legal document, it's signed by the precinct chair and the precinct captains, campaign representatives in those precincts, and so we are not allowed to change that. We have to report out what is reported to us.

QUESTION: inaud.

PRICE: We, this has been a partnership with the DNC and we've continued to, or we have worked together to get through this process and we've worked together since then make sure that we could get to a full result like we did last night.

QUESTION: ...lawsuit against the tech company or the DNC. Is that something you would consider; is that something you would agree with?

PRICE: I'll let [ ] speak for himself.

QUESTION: inaud.

PRICE: Well, I will say again that we , I can't speak specifically to that because we're going through this process right now. But we'll have more information to share coming forward; right now we are focused on trying, on reporting the final results.

QUESTION: inaud.

PRICE: The partnership we've had with DNC has been—we've been, we've been proud to work with DNC. We've worked hand in hand with the DNC. It's been a partnership and we're going to continue to move forward.

QUESTION: why go ahead with an app...?

PRICE: Well we have used an app in the past. And this was not an issue of a hack; this was an issue of a coding error on the back end of the system.

QUESTION: Did you try it?

PRICE: No, I did not, but our team did.

QUESTION: You're the chairman of the party and you didn't try the app? Weren't you curious to know whether it would work or not?

PRICE: I reviewed certain pieces of the layout and stuff like that, but I did not actually use the app because I was not going to be in my caucus on Monday night.

QUESTION: inaud.

PRICE: We'll get back to you. I don't have that information directly in front of me right now.

QUESTION: Dozens of precinct chairpeople were experiencing difficulties with downloading the app, using the app, and reporting through the helpline in the week, ten days before the caucuses. Did that set off any alarm bells?

PRICE: We, so part of the challenge that we had that was we had a very rigorous and sometimes onerous process of security. We wanted to make sure the process was secure for folks using the app. And so there was a lot of steps to be able to use the app. And so that's one of the challenges we have heard about in the course of this process. But like I said, we're conducting this investigation: what went right what went wrong and we'll have more share in the coming...

QUESTION: ...onerous security, what do you mean by that?

PRICE: Well, they just had to go through two-factor authentication to use the app. And so for some folks that was a few steps, but again this was all done in the name of security. We wanted to make sure that whoever used the app had the ability—that it was a secure process, and that the person who was intended to use that app, the caucus leader, was in fact that person.

QUESTION: ...initial testing?

PRICE: Again, we're going through the review process and we'll get back to you.

QUESTION: What argument can you make Iowa should have a role in this, sacred role in theprocess again?

PRICE: I would say, look at what happened on Monday night, take away the issues with reporting. The thousands of people who showed up across the state, who had spent the last 13 months going through this job interview process for these presidential candidates. Iowa Democrats showed up on Monday night, they had these meetings, and they produced a result. Yes it took longer than what we would have liked to have seen. But the presidential, but Iowans did, came out on Monday night and made sure that they had their voice heard in this process.

QUESTION: How can you take away the reporting aspect of this? It changes the entire opening chapter of the Democratic nominating contest.

PRICE: Listen, conversations happen every four years about Iowa's role in this process. Right now we're focused on finalizing the results.

QUESTION: results finalized...

PRICE: We are working towards that right now. As you know, we have the process on, that the campaigns are going through, and we will see, you know, we'll have more to share on Monday afternoon when we reconvene.

QUESTION: inaud.

PRICE: We had several sessions of training for folks but we can provide more information.

QUESTION: inaud.

PRICE: Well, not all precinct leaders used the app, and we knew that going into caucus night but we worked to make sure that they all knew how to and offered resources and tools available to them on being able to use the app.

Folks, we will be back on Monday afternoon, and we thank you all for being here today. Thank you.

###

FEBRUARY 8
Iowa Democratic Party
February 8, 2020

IDP Update on Deadline to Request Confirmation of Precinct Results

Today the Iowa Democratic Party announced it is reviewing reports of 95 precincts – 5% of the 1,765 precincts across Iowa, the nation, and overseas.

The IDP has initiated the process of review of the requested precincts, and any corrections will be released before Monday at 12pm CST in a single update – reported prior to the allocation of national delegates. The top priority of the IDP continues to be ensuring the accuracy of reported data as the process moves towards completion.

Background:

After reaching 100% reporting of the 1,765 precinct, the IDP offered presidential campaigns the opportunity to submit documentary evidence of inconsistencies between reported results and official record of result from each precinct on caucus night. The deadline for submission closed today at noon CST.
FEBRUARY 10

IDP Chair Troy Price

Press Conference

February 10, 2020

[DEMOCRACY IN ACTION PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT]

Thank you all for coming today. Today, we just wanted to take today to update you on where we are. We've received two requests for a limited scope recanvass from the Sanders and the Buttigieg campaigns for a total of 143 unique precincts, and within the next 48 hours the Iowa Democratic Party will return its assessment and description of next steps to each respective campaign that made the request.

Throughout this process, we want to thank the campaigns for their patience and open lines of communication.

The Sanders and Buttigieg campaigns, in particular their Iowa teams, have been partners with the IDP since the beginning and we remain committed to bringing the 2020 Iowa caucus to completiion.

It is safe to say this was not the caucus that the hundreds of thousands of Iowa Democrats deserved, and as I said a week ago, I apologize deeply for this.

Now this experience is personal for me. In my two decades in Iowa politics, this party has been my life, my work and my passion. Nearly every day has been shared with Democrats across the state, striving for a vision bigger than ourselves and expanding our Democratic community from river to river and everywhere in between. You will not find a more dedicated or more capable Democratic force in the country and my commitment to them is absolute, and I cannot imagine where our state and our country would be without them.

In this caucus our work is not done. Despite the challenges we face, together we will see this through to completion.

Now additionally, I recognize that we have not been able to provide an answer to every question that you folks and others have had over the last week. It can appear that outside voices are speaking freely, but the Iowa Democratic Party is not. I want to make something clear. This is not a PR exercise for us. This is upholding our core mission, which is delivering a full and complete caucus and building a coalition to beat Donald Trump.

In every step of the process we have held high our responsibility to not rush to judgment, to ensure that the information we share are the facts and nothing else, and to stay focused on our end goal and not let distractions hamper us from our progress. Our character is proven in our commitment, the commitment that drove the second highest the second highest caucus turnout with over 176,000 caucusgoers, short only to the 2008 turnout.

By most accounts, the caucus meetings were well organized, well equipped and successful. But no matter what the story is at the end of the day, I will never forget the proud work of Democrats who stepped up in their communities to help our party succeed, and I will do everything I can to ensure that their leadership is honored and unquestioned.

In the coming days, you should expect additional information coming from us on the status of the requests that we received today and as we move forward in bringing the caucus to a completion.

So I know you folks have some questions, and I'm happy to take a couple of them right now.


QUESTION: Troy is there any sense on how long this might take if you agree to do the recanvassing of those 143 precincts, and if you do, is the party basically going to be able to certify results by February 29 as is stated in that delegate plan?

PRICE: What I will tell you is that we are, now that we have, now that we know the scopeo of the results, now we'll be able to sit down and figure out exactly how long that will take and what additional steps come after the recanvass is complete.

So at this point I can't tell you exactly how long it's going to take, but we should have more information in the next couple of days.

QUESTION: Troy, I think we've all read the letter from [inaud.], explaining why caucus math sheets can't be changed. I talked with Gary Dickey [attorney] today, he's is just one voice in this, but he just said the logic didn't make sense and was indefensible. Why can't— I understand why maybe raw preference numbers can't be altered, but if there are mathematical rounding errors, why can't those be adjusted?

PRICE: Because these sheets are signed not only by precinct chair and the precinct secretary [sign falls], precinct chair and precinct secretary, they're also signed by campaign representatives, and so for us they are the official record of what took place in the room.

And at, we do not believe that we should be altering what is the official record of what happened in the room. The course for correcting that is what is starting here today, starting with the recanvass process, and then if requested a recount after that. So that's where we are in the process. The process does exist to correct that, and that's what we are starting, embarking upon today.

QUESTION: Is there conversation about bringing in like an outside entity or the state auditor to go through these numbers [inaud.] accuracy [inaud.] another set of eyes.

PRICE: I mean we, I feel confident in the team that we have in place that's working through this. That's why we have taken the steps that we have to make sure that results that we have are as accurate as possible.

continues for several more minutes...
Iowa Democratic Party
February 12, 2020

IDP Accepts Full Requests For Limited-Scope Recanvasses

DES MOINES – Today, the Iowa Democratic Party returned recanvass assessments to the Sanders and Buttigieg campaigns accepting their full limited-scope requests. See attached for the complete letters. The campaigns have 24 hours to acknowledge receipt of the letter.

On Friday morning, the IDP Recanvass/Recount Committee, in consultation with the State Central Committee, will transmit to the campaigns further details on costs associated with the recanvass and the timeline going forward.

The Committee expects the recanvass to commence beginning Sunday, February 16, and last for two days. The recanvass will be conducted by appointed recanvass administrators, under the supervision and direction of the Committee.  In accordance with the Delegate Selection Plan, up to two representatives from each presidential campaign will be allowed to oversee the precinct recanvass on site. Per the DSP, the recanvassing room will not be open to the public or the press.
Iowa Democratic Party
February 13, 2020

Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price Delivers Letter of Resignation

Today, Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price delivered the following letter to the IDP State Central Committee and Secretary Don Ruby:

Dear Members of the Iowa Democratic Party State Central Committee,

Serving as Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party has been one of the greatest honors of my life.

When I took over this party, we were still reeling from a bruising 2016 election cycle. Many people locally and across the country believed that Democrats in Iowa were dead, and that we would never see victories again.

Over the course of 2017 and 2018, I was so proud to work with the members of our state central committee, our county chairs, activists, and volunteers to build real momentum across the state. In the end, we proved the naysayers wrong by flipping seven seats in the Iowa House, winning three statewide seats, and winning three of four congressional seats – sending the first women from Iowa to the House in the process.

While we could have rested on our laurels, we got back to work. Over the last 15 months, Democrats across the state came together to build out our 2020 caucuses. Our amazing staff fanned out across the state to build infrastructure in all 99 counties – even in places where local parties had gone dormant or didn’t exist at all. We worked to implement sweeping changes to our process that increased accessibility and participation for Iowans across the state and the globe.

By all accounts, the precinct and satellite caucus meetings themselves went well. Over the last week, we have received positive feedback on these meetings – how smoothly they ran, how the new procedures helped to make the night move more quickly and efficiently, and how more Democrats of all backgrounds came together united in the goal of defeating Donald Trump and electing new leadership for our country.

However, there is no doubt that the process of reporting results did not work. It was simply unacceptable. It is why I called for an independent review of the decisions and processes that lead to this failure. While this process is just beginning, know that the IDP is not the only party to blame for what happened last week. We worked collaboratively with our partners, our vendors, and the DNC in this process, and I am confident the review will be able to determine exactly what went wrong, what went right, and how we can avoid this from ever happening again.

In the days following the caucuses, our staff worked under immense pressure to produce a complete report of results from the caucuses and was able to do so in 72 hours. Enduring threats to personal safety, taunts, and anger from people around the globe, our staff worked in a professional manner to produce a final result. I am incredibly proud of the work they did in those three days. These are people who are working hard towards our common goal of electing Democrats in November, and I deeply regret that these dedicated employees of our party had to endure such abuse.

The fact is that Democrats deserved better than what happened on caucus night. As chair of this party, I am deeply sorry for what happened and bear the responsibility for any failures on behalf of the Iowa Democratic Party.

While it is my desire to stay in this role and see this process through to completion, I do believe it is time for the Iowa Democratic Party to begin looking forward, and my presence in my current role makes that more difficult.

Therefore, I will resign as chair of the Iowa Democratic Party effective upon the election of my replacement.

I will be calling for an emergency meeting of the State Central Committee on Saturday at 1pm to elect an interim chair. Whomever is elected will oversee the completion of the recanvass and recount process and begin the process of healing our party.

Our paramount goal must remain to elect Democrats at all levels of office that will bring the voice of the people to our government.

In spite of the challenges these last few days, I leave knowing that the party is in a strong position to move forward. Thousands of new Democrats joined our party through our caucus process. The Iowa Democratic Party currently has more money than ever before at this point in an election cycle. The infrastructure built through these last few months will allow us to build an organization that will turn Iowa Blue in November. And Iowa still has the best elected officials, candidates, volunteers, and activists of anywhere in the country.

Leadership requires tough decisions, and this is one of the toughest decisions I have ever had to make. Throughout my tenure as chair, I have always said I would do what is in the best interest of the party. With my decision, I hope the party can regain the trust of those we lost and turn our attention to what is most important – winning in November.

Sincerely,

Troy Price

Chair, Iowa Democratic Party

CC: Don Ruby, IDP Secretary

Background Information:

Chairman Price’s resignation is effective immediately following the election of an interim chair this Saturday, February 15, at a meeting of the State Central Committee.
FEBRUARY 18


Iowa Democratic Party
February 18, 2020

Iowa Democratic Party Announces Results of Official Recanvass Request

Updated results can be found at results.thecaucuses.org

DES MOINES — Today, the Iowa Democratic Party announced the results of the limited-scope recanvass requests from the Buttigieg and Sanders campaigns. The list of recanvassed precincts and changes can be found here. The recanvass process resulted in no change to national delegate allocation.

The IDP recanvass administrators analyzed the official records of results from requested precincts, as signed by the precinct chair, secretary, and representatives of campaigns. Due to the nature of the requests, the Recanvass/Recount Committee made a recommendation to the SCC for the official recanvass process, which was passed, to allow for corrections in instances where the caucus math is correct, but the rules were misapplied in the awarding of delegates to viable groups.

The IDP reported corrections for 26 precincts where a misapplication of the rules affected delegate allocation, and 3 precincts where the reported final alignment did not match what was on the math worksheet. The remaining records of results that were requested for review were either accurately reported initially; corrected in the previous review; represent precincts electing a single-delegate from the caucus as a whole; or reflect math inconsistencies that are not covered under the SCC resolution.

The recanvass was conducted by appointed recanvass administrators, under the supervision and direction of the Recanvass/Recount Committee beginning on Sunday, February 16. Representatives from the Buttigieg, Sanders, and Warren campaigns were on site to oversee the precinct recanvass.

Any campaign that was granted a recanvass and wishes to request a recount must respond within 24 hours of the publication of results. That response must include the requested precincts for a recount and any credible evidence that indicates the recount could change the national delegate allocation. The scope of a recount is limited to the precincts that were requested for the recanvass.

________________________

IDP Caucus 2020 Results

100% reporting (1765 of 1765 precincts)
Please note: National Convention Delegates will not be published until all precincts and satellite sites have reported.
Precincts will not appear until results are published.

Statewide SDE Numbers by Candidate

Candidate SDE National Delegates
Bennet 0 0
Biden 339.632 6
Bloomberg 0.21 0
Buttigieg 563.207 14
Delaney 0 0
Gabbard 0.114 0
Klobuchar 263.827 1
Patrick 0 0
Sanders 563.127 12
Steyer 6.619 0
Warren 387.814 8
Yang 21.856 0
Other 0.693 0
Uncommitted 3.732 0

Bernie 2020
February 18, 2020

NEWS: Iowa Caucus Recanvass Reduces Popular Vote Winner Sanders’ SDE Deficit to Almost Nothing

Campaign to Request Recount of Some 12 Precincts
 
LAS VEGAS – Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign on Tuesday announced it will request a recount in several precincts in the Iowa caucuses following the Iowa Democratic Party’s release of recanvass results.

“While it is clear that Sen. Sanders won the popular vote in Iowa by 6,000 votes, the recanvass process reduced the State Delegate Equivalent deficit by 97 percent,” Bernie 2020 Senior Advisor Jeff Weaver said. “We now believe a recount will give Sen. Sanders enough State Delegate Equivalents to put him over the top by that metric as well. We want to thank the people of Iowa, our supporters, our volunteers and everyone who made this possible.”
 
###
FEBRUARY 27

Iowa Democratic Party
February 27, 2020

IDP Announces Results of Limited-Scope Precinct Caucus Recount

Updated results can be found at results.thecaucuses.org

DES MOINES — Today, the Iowa Democratic Party announced the results of the limited-scope recount requests from the Buttigieg and Sanders campaigns. The results from the recounted precincts can be found here. The recount process resulted in no change to National Delegate allocation.

Over a two-day period beginning Tuesday, February 25, recount administrators recounted the Presidential Preference Cards from 23 unique precincts — including 14 submissions from the Buttigieg campaign and 10 submissions from the Sanders campaign, with one overlapping. As a result of the recount, county level delegate allocation changed in 19 precincts.

As part of the 2020 Caucus changes, Presidential Preference Cards serve as a paper trail of attendance to be used as the exclusive record in the event of a recount. For each precinct, administrators counted the numbered cards to determine overall attendance and viability. Administrators then sorted the two-sided cards reflecting caucusgoers’ first and second preferences to recreate the movement in the room.

To be eligible for a recount, a campaign needed to provide evidence suggesting that caucus errors would change the allocation of one or more National Delegates. Members of the Recanvass/Recount Committee, Recount Administrators, staff appointed by the Administrators to assist, IDP legal counsel, and representatives of the Buttigieg and Sanders campaigns were on site to oversee the precinct recount.

________________________

IDP Caucus 2020 Results

100% reporting (1765 of 1765 precincts)
Please note: National Convention Delegates will not be published until all precincts and satellite sites have reported.
Precincts will not appear until results are published.

Statewide SDE Numbers by Candidate

Candidate SDE National Delegates
Bennet 0 0
Biden 340.324 6
Bloomberg 0.21 0
Buttigieg 562.954 14
Delaney 0 0
Gabbard 0.114 0
Klobuchar 263.869 1
Patrick 0 0
Sanders 562.021 12
Steyer 6.619 0
Warren 388.44 8
Yang 21.856 0
Other 0.693 0
Uncommitted 3.732 0


_____
See also:  The Associated Press. "AP decides not to declare Iowa caucus winner after recount."  The Star, Feb. 27, 2020.