2020 Election Update 2/7

Photo Courtesy of CNN

By Jeremy Perillo

This past week has been full of political commentary. From the Iowa Caucus debacle on Monday to Trump’s State of the Union address, topping off with Trump’s acquittal Wednesday afternoon, it has, no doubt, been a straining week for America as the 2020 presidential election approaches.

In the wake of the ongoing chaos, resulting from the unclear results of the Iowa Caucus on Monday, Democratic National Committee Chairman (DNC) Tom Perez called for a recanvass of all results in Iowa.

“Enough is enough,” Perez tweeted. “In light of the problems that have emerged in the implementation of the delegate selection plan and to assure public confidence in the results, I am calling on the Iowa Democratic Party to immediately begin a recanvass.”

A recanvass means that the results that were recorded at the caucus sites would be examined against the numbers released by the Iowa Democratic Party.

As of Thursday, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senator Bernie Sanders are neck and neck with 97% of the precincts reporting. Buttigieg is slightly ahead with about 0.1% more state delegates than Sanders. Trailing closely behind is Senator Elizabeth Warren, former Vice President Joe Biden, and Senator Amy Klobuchar.

It may be confusing to know who is actually in first, considering the chaotic circumstances and several candidates claiming victory despite no clear winner. Both Buttigieg and Sanders have come out and claimed vehement success, Buttigieg claiming he won since Monday night. This has created some uncertainty and confusion amongst voters, but for Sanders, it is pretty clear who is in the lead.

“I got 6,000 more votes,” he responded with stern sincerity. “From where I come, when you get 6,000 more votes that’s generally regarded to be the winner.”

The unfolding uncertainty that has prevailed from Iowa over the past few days has not boded well for both Republicans and Democrats. Many Republicans have used this opportunity to mock the DNC as their inability to run a caucus, nor run a country.

For Democrats, it’s not a good start to nominate their candidate. As the DNC desperately tries to keep the party together through this divisive time in election politics, this mishap surely killed the momentum of excitement ahead of the primaries. One has to wonder, will the effects of this mixup carry far into the election, potentially damaging the Democrats’ chances of winning the presidency?