Bernie Sanders is dominating Iowa's first Spanish-language caucus

(Image credit: KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images)

last updated 4 February 2020

This year's presidential election features the first bilingual and Spanish-speaking caucus in Iowa's history. And while results are taking longer than usual to come in, it looks like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will be making history at that Des Moines caucus spot as well.

On Monday night, The Washington Post immigration reporter Maria Sacchetti reported from the Des Moines caucus dedicated to bilingual and Spanish-speaking Iowans, and her photos of gathered caucus-goers were telling. None of the Democratic contenders had more than a handful of supporters in their corner — save for Sanders, who had a whole crowd.

Less than 3,000 of the state's 194,000 Latinx people participated in 2016's caucuses, but activists said they were aiming to get more than 20,000 this year, The New York Times reports. So in addition to the Des Moines spot, the Iowa Democratic Party approved six Spanish satellite caucuses across the state.

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It's important to note that no official results in the Iowa caucuses had been reported as of 11 p.m. ET, though participants at this caucus had already gone home.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.