David Axelrod declares the Iowa caucuses 'dead, dead, dead'

David Axelrod.
(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/CNN Newsroom)

Could this really have been the last Iowa caucuses?

After the disastrous Monday night caucuses, during which technical difficulties delayed the release of any results, former senior adviser to former President Obama David Axelrod was ready to throw dirt over the entire tradition's grave.

"I think the Iowa caucuses are dead, dead, dead," Axelrod said. "I don't think that's even a discussion anymore."

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Axelrod, who worked on Obama's 2008 campaign that famously won Iowa, went on to argue that the idea that campaigns "should start in a discreet, small state" where candidates "actually have to go and interact with human beings" should remain. But as far as the Iowa caucuses go, "the nail has been driven through" it, Axelrod said.

Zero results from the Iowa caucuses have been released as of Tuesday afternoon, and Axelrod has criticized the state's Democratic Party, tweeting their response to this situation has been "an abject disaster" that "should be taught in classrooms as an example of what not to do in a crisis."

Axelrod wasn't the only one to dismiss the Iowa caucuses on Tuesday, with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) telling MSNBC this "quirky, quaint tradition" should "come to an end." President Trump, meanwhile, is defending Iowa's first-in-the-nation position, tweeting Tuesday, As long as I am President, Iowa will stay where it is. Important tradition!" Brendan Morrow

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.