Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 3 February 2020
In Iowa, anxiety and unpredictability cloud caucus finish

By JULIE PACE Sunday making bold pro-
and SARA BURNETT nouncements. Speaking to
Associated Press several hundred support-
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — ers in Cedar Rapids, Sand-
On the eve of the Iowa ers declared “we are the
caucuses, Democratic campaign of energy and
presidential candidates excitement” and said “we
hustled across the state are in a position to win to-
on Sunday trying to fire up morrow night.”
voters and make one last Warren, who is also ral-
appeal to those struggling lying progressive voters,
to make a final decision pressed her supporters to
about their choice in the “fight back” if they ever
crowded field. lose hope. She directly
Campaigns and voters ac- addressed any questions
knowledged a palpable about whether a wom-
sense of unpredictability an can win, pointing to
and anxiety as Democrats the 2018 elections as evi-
begin choosing which can- dence that “women win”
didate to send on to a No- and adding “let’s get this
vember face-off with Presi- done.”
dent Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Buttigieg talk-
The Democratic race is un- ed up his newcomer sta-
usually large and jumbled A man with breathing tubes holds up a sign that reads "Feel the Bern" as Democratic presidential tus, telling a crowd of more
heading into Monday’s candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., left, speaks at a campaign stop at the Bernie 2020 Cedar than 2,000 in Des Moines
Rapids Field Office, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
caucus, with four candi- Associated Press that “we can’t be afraid of
dates locked in a fight for the future and new voices
victory in Iowa and oth- Biden campaign. Polls aggressively in the state. caucus rules have also left as our leaders” and “we
ers still in position to pull off show Biden in a tight race Many campaigns were the campaigns working in are just one day away from
surprisingly strong finishes. in Iowa with Sens. Bernie looking to a final week- overdrive to set expecta- victory in the Iowa caucus-
Many voters say they’re Sanders of Vermont and end poll to provide some tions. For the first time, the es!” But Biden, emphasizing
still weighing which White Elizabeth Warren of Massa- measure of clarity. But Iowa Democratic Party will his decades of Washing-
House hopeful they’ll sup- chusetts, as well as former late Saturday, CNN and release three sets of results: ton experience, told voters
port. “This is going to go South Bend, Indiana, May- The Des Moines Register who voters align with at the there’s no time for “on-the-
right down to the last sec- or Pete Buttigieg. Minne- opted not to release the start of the night; who they job training.”
ond,” said Symone Sand- sota Sen. Amy Klobuchar survey because of wor- pick after voters supporting Biden’s campaign ap-
ers, a senior adviser to and entrepreneur Andrew ries the results may have nonviable candidates get peared to be trying to
former Vice President Joe Yang are also competing been compromised. New to make a second choice; lower Iowa expectations,
and the number of state cautioning against reading
delegate equivalents each too much into Monday’s
candidate gets. results. Biden is hoping to
The new rules were man- sustain enough enthusiasm
dated by the Democrat- and money coming out of
ic National Committee Iowa to make it to more
as part of a package of diverse states where he
changes sought by Sand- hopes to draw strong sup-
ers following his loss to Hill- port from black voters. His
ary Clinton in the 2016 campaign is particularly
presidential primaries. The focused on South Carolina,
revisions were designed to the fourth state on the pri-
make the caucus system mary schedule.
more transparent and to Still, the closing hours lead-
make sure that even the ing into the caucuses sig-
lowest-performing candi- naled challenges ahead.
dates get credit for all the NBC News reported that
votes they receive. But former Secretary of State
party officials in Iowa and John Kerry, one of Biden’s
at the DNC have privately most prominent support-
expressed concerns that ers, was overheard talking
but multiple campaigns about what it would take
will spin the results in their to launch a 2020 run. Kerry,
favor, potentially creating who won the 2004 Iowa
chaos on caucus night. caucuses, later tweeted
The Associated Press will that he was “absolutely
declare a winner in Iowa not running for president”
based on the number of and used an expletive to
state delegates each can- describe reporting to the
didate wins. The AP will also contrary. He later issued a
report all three results. tweet without the exple-
Despite the late-stage tive. But the episode was
turbulence and confu- a sign of possible unease in
sion, the candidates spent Biden’s orbit.q