Massachusetts Senator and Democratic Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren claimed a narrow victory by a margin of one vote in an Iowa satellite caucus held at Marquette University Monday night, according to a Wisconsin Public Radio article.
With 62% of the results from the real Iowa caucus reported, Warren currently sits at third place, with 246 state delegate equivalents trailing Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and South Bend Indiana mayor, Pete Buttigieg. Buttigieg currently holds a tight lead over Sanders receiving 363 SDE’s in contrast to Sanders’ who received 338 SDE’s, according to a New York Times Report.
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The results come after a day marked by chaos in the Iowa Democratic Party after a coding issue in a mobile app used to calculate caucus results forced party officials to delay the release of results in Iowa by almost 24 hours.
As Americans look to Iowa, the recent shortcomings of the ongoing caucus have led to criticism from those who believe the Iowa caucus has too much power in the U.S.’s presidential election, according to UW-Madison American Politics Professor David Canon.
“I think the only long term implication of this is going to be questioning more Iowa’s status as the first in the country,” Canon said. “People for years have been saying why is Iowa first? They’re not very representative, they’re a small white state that is not like the rest of the country, the caucus itself is an undemocratic process and turn out— by all accounts — seems like it was pretty low.”
In spite of growing frustrations, Iowa remains a powerful first step in securing the presidential nomination, particularly for Democrats. The Democratic Iowa caucus winner has gone on to secure their party’s nomination in every election since 1996.
Voter registration drives held at Union South, Student Activities Center
Warren’s third-place finish puts her at a disadvantage moving forward — regardless of her satellite caucus victory in Wisconsin — according to Canon, who said Warren’s success at Marquette University is an insignificant predictor of Warren’s potential success in additional primaries.
“It’s such a tiny percentage of the overall vote. The satellites account for way less than 1% of the total caucuses,” Canon said. “It’s a tiny, tiny fraction of a tiny, tiny state so I wouldn’t put any emphasis on the satellite vote just because it’s so small.”
Warren and the remaining Democratic candidates must now turn their attention to New Hampshire, a state which Canon said Sanders is expected to win. In order to achieve victory, polls suggest candidates must overcome a significant +8.6 Sanders lead to win in the state.
The New Hampshire primary will be held on Tuesday, Feb 11 with 33 delegates.
