Daniel DePetris

The Democrats’ Iowa shambles is a delight for Donald Trump

Voters in Iowa lined up in high-school gymnasiums across the state last night to prepare for a long few hours of caucusing. But nobody predicted the process would stretch late into the night without a single vote having been certified by the Iowa Democratic party. By midnight, the rival campaigns were flummoxed, unable to officially declare victory but nonetheless determined to spin the night in glowing terms.

Caucuses can be chaotic. But the events last night were nothing short of bedlam. Rumour has it that national frontrunner Joe Biden had a terrible showing, but that didn’t stop the former vice president from rallying the troops and pretending everything was OK. Mayor Pete Buttigieg declared himself the winner, a pronouncement that came as news to every other candidate. The campaign of senator Bernie Sanders, who surged in this Midwestern state over the last few weeks, released unofficial vote tallies that showed the 2016 Democratic presidential runner-up as the leader.

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