MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — With the presidential race shifting to New Hampshire, Democrats are girding for a protracted slugfest between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, who are locked in a virtual tie in the Iowa caucuses.
The state party chairman calls the results “the closest in Iowa Democratic caucus history.” It was a far cry from the coronation for Clinton that most Democrats once expected.
Although Clinton said she was “breathing a big sigh of relief,” and her campaign said it had won an outright victory, the neck-and-neck contest was a blow, evoking the setback she faced in 2008 after her upset loss to then-Sen. Barack Obama. Given the closeness of the Democratic caucuses, The Associated Press did not declare a winner.
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate tweeted after his office received complaints, to remind Iowans that the political parties operate the caucus, not the state.