Special to the AmNews
In baseball, it used to be when there was a close call at first base, a tie would go to the runner. In politics, particularly in the recent Iowa caucuses, the Democratic contenders Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders ended in a “virtual tie,” as Sanders said during his speech Monday evening. Well, does that mean the front-running Clinton is the winner?
Maybe so, maybe not. A real winner of this contest is months away, though each candidate will share an equal amount of delegates if the last tally reported Tuesday morning holds. Clinton registered 49.9 percent and Sanders 49.6 percent.
During her speech to her followers in Des Moines, with her husband and daughter by her side, Clinton never declared she was a winner, though her campaign team did.
“Hillary Clinton has won the Iowa caucus,” said Matt Paul, Clinton’s campaign manager in Iowa. “After thorough reporting—and analysis—of results, there is no uncertainly and Secretary Clinton has clearly won the most national and state delegates.”
Clinton congratulated Sanders for his strong showing in the state, but added, “I am excited about really getting into the debate with Senator Sanders about the best way to move forward.”
Sanders and his team put another spin on the outcome, noting that there was still one of the more than 1,600 precincts still uncounted. Meanwhile, Sanders said in his speech, “I think the people of Iowa have sent a very profound message to the political establishment, to the economic establishment and to the media establishment.” That message was that the “political revolution” he has promised is underway. “We have proved that when people come together, anything is possible.”
Months ago when the race for the White House first began, Clinton was clearly the favorite. There was talk about her “coronation.” That event, if ever, has been put on hold as the candidates now ready themselves for the next round in New Hampshire next week.
Sanders’ campaign also announced that the “super delegates” that Clinton has considered her own will switch to Sanders if he continues to perform as he did in Iowa.
The 720 super delegates, consisting of party and elected officials and 30 percent of the overall total of delegates, will vote during the upcoming convention in Philadelphia. According to the Associate Press, 384 of the super delegates said they are for Clinton and only 29 for Sanders, with 210 undecided.
A few pundits believe that the tie in Iowa is a victory for Clinton because Sanders failed to convincingly demolish her in a state where he had overwhelming advantages. Nate Cohn, in his “The Upshot” column, posited that Sanders does best among white voters. “The electorate was 91 percent white [in Iowa] … and he does well with less affluent voters. The caucus electorate was far less affluent than the national primary electorate in 2008. He’s heavily dependent on turnout from young voters, and he had months to build a robust field operation. As primaries quickly unfold, he won’t have that luxury.”
How all of this plays out down the road to Philadelphia is anyone’s guess, including hundreds of pundits and polls. Even past contests are no indications of the outcomes. Clinton came in third in 2008 and bounced back in New Hampshire only to collapse in South Carolina. This time around, however, she doesn’t have to worry about a man named Obama.
