Bernie Sanders to ask for 'partial recanvass' in Iowa after new results keep Buttigieg's delegate lead

(Image credit: Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images)

published 10 February 2020

The Iowa Democratic Party finished its review Sunday of 95 precincts from last Monday's caucuses, and the final results were the same: former Mayor Pete Buttigieg beat Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) by 0.1 percent in state delegates, giving Buttigieg 14 state delegate equivalents, Sanders 12, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) eight, former Vice President Joe Biden six, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) one SDE. Candidates have until Monday at 1 p.m. to request a final review, and the Sanders campaign said it will seek a "partial recanvass" of 20 to 30 Iowa precincts. A recanvass is not a recount but a cross-check of the vote numbers against paper records.

The Iowa Democratic caucuses were a mess, and the Democratic National Committee is reconsidering Iowa's first-in-the-nation voting status, chairman Tom Perez said on CNN Sunday. Sanders had the most support overall and claimed a popular victory in the caucuses, but due to how the Iowa Democratic Party apportions delegates, Buttigieg has maintained a consistent lead in the category traditionally used to name the winner. The Associated Press has declined to name a winner of the Iowa caucuses, citing accuracy concerns and the likelihood of revisions.

The voting records submitted by Iowa caucus precinct chairs had some obvious errors, but the IDP says it can't legally change any mathematical errors because that would amount to illegal vote tampering. Perez said he's "mad as hell" about Iowa's mistakes and predicted there would be "a further conversation about whether or not state parties should be running elections."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.