A hop around the political media world in caucus race to close to call…
Also?
Remember….
Like in the Presidential election?
It’s about delegates *….
Not just winning the popular vote….
Biden and Sanders Tied In Iowa
A new CBS News poll in Iowa finds Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden even in first-choice support at 25% each, Pete Buttigieg very close behind at 21%, and Elizabeth Warren at 16%, also in position to accrue some national delegates.
Amy Klobuchar is at 5%, and all other candidates are under 5%.
Biden Plays Down Iowa
“Top advisers to Joe Biden sought to temper expectations for his performance in Monday’s Iowa caucuses, projecting a close result and insisting that any outcome won’t doom the former vice president’s campaign,” Bloomberg reports.
“Biden’s team has long played down the importance of Iowa to its strategy, arguing that contests later in February in Nevada and South Carolina, followed quickly by Super Tuesday on March 3, are critical to demonstrate that a candidate is capable of defeating President Trump.”
Final Iowa Poll Canceled
The expected Des Moines Register/CNN Iowa poll was canceled.
“Nothing is more important to the Register and its polling partners than the integrity of the Iowa Poll. Today, a respondent raised an issue with the way the survey was administered, which could have compromised the results of the poll. It appears a candidate’s name was omitted in at least one interview in which the respondent was asked to name their preferred candidate.”
“While this appears to be isolated to one surveyor, we cannot confirm that with certainty. Therefore, the partners made the difficult decision to not to move forward with releasing the Iowa Poll.”
Buttigieg Campaign Plays Down Expectations for Iowa
“Pete Buttigieg’s campaign has done 50 town halls in the last five weeks statewide and he’s visited 25 of the 31 counties that went from Barack Obama in 2012 to Donald Trump in 2016 — but aides say he doesn’t have to win the caucuses to become the nominee,” Axios reports.
Said senior advisor Michael Halle: “In the first four states — but especially in Iowa and New Hampshire — we need to demonstrate that we are viable for Super Tuesday and for the larger primary.”
Back from impeachment, Klobuchar seeks Iowa surprise
Despite the time spent in the nation’s capital, the Minnesota Democrat appears to be surging at the right time in Iowa as a spate of polls over the past week show her in double digits. An Emerson survey showed her at 13 percent support, good for third in the primary field. She’s also been the recipient of multiple key endorsements in recent weeks, including the Quad-City Times and The New York Times.
Her events on Saturday were robust as she spoke to standing room only crowds across the state, including an appearance on Saturday evening that attracted 200, with many lining the walls and spilling into the lobby of the entrance.
“I am the candidate on the march, on the surge,” Klobuchar said, adding that she is “punching above her weight” as she lacks the resources others have in the race.
Yang says he expects to ‘surprise a lot of people’ in Iowa
Presidential candidate Andrew Yang said Sunday that he expects to “surprise a lot of people” in Iowa.
ABC’s George Stephanpoulos pointed out on “This Week” Sunday, the day before the state’s caucuses, that Yang has been in “a pretty consistent sixth place” in Iowa without reaching double-digit support.
“We think we’re going to surprise a lot of people on Monday night, George, and we’ve got a ton of support in New Hampshire,” he said. “I can’t wait to take this vision to the rest of the country.”
Rivals Target Sanders in Final Push Toward Iowa Caucuses
The negativity and doubts aimed at Mr. Sanders on Saturday reflected a widespread belief among the other Democratic campaigns that he has perhaps the most political momentum heading into Monday night’s caucuses, which he narrowly lost in 2016 to Mrs. Clinton. While the political jousting was not ferocious, it echoed private anxieties among some moderate party officials that an Iowa win could propel Mr. Sanders, a staunch liberal, to more primary season victories and make him harder to beat in the long run.
The Sanders campaign was also facing some blowback on Saturday after one of its most high-profile supporters, Representative Rashida Tlaib, urged a crowd to boo Mrs. Clinton on Friday
*Note…
41 delegates are for the offering tomorrow in Iowa….
Only 24 in New Hampshire …
image….Former Iowa Democratic Party political director Travis Brock leads a caucus training meeting at the local headquarters for Democratic presidential candidate South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020, in Ottumwa, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)