Bernie Sanders Claims Victory Days After Iowa Caucuses
MERRIMACK, NH (CBS) - As results continued to trickle in from the Iowa Democratic caucuses Thursday, Senator Bernie Sanders claimed victory. With 97% of the precincts reporting, Pete Buttigieg and Sanders were tied with 26% of the delegates. Sen. Elizabeth Warren was in third with 18%.
"We are last I heard in Manchester, New Hampshire today holding a press conference that should have occurred three nights ago," Sanders said Thursday.
The last numbers still slow to come in from Iowa, Bernie Sanders called a previously unplanned news conference, claiming victory with the popular vote.
"When 6,000 more people come out for you in an election than your nearest opponent, we here in northern New England call that a victory," Sanders said.
Neck and neck with Pete Buttigieg, who already claimed victory in Iowa, all the confusion making the stakes even higher for New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary.
"We are absolutely electrified by the energy that we are coming here with, and by the extraordinary validation of this campaign's vision that we had in Iowa," Buttigieg said at a rally in Merrimack.
The Associated Press said Thursday that it is unable to declare a winner of Iowa's caucuses.
"What happened on Monday night, that type of process that complicated process. That is never ever, I don't think going to happen again," Sanders said.
At the very same time Sanders spoke, 15 miles away in the state's capital New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu was confident they would avoid the chaos Iowa had.
"Given the news and uncertainty out of Iowa, it's important that we assure the public that the systems we have in place here in New Hampshire are truly beyond reproach," Gov. Sununu said.
"What's different here is this is an election," NH Attorney General Gordon MacDonald said. "It is subject to highly detailed election law."
