This story will be updated.
The first electoral test of the 2020 presidential race will begin Monday evening at more than 1,600 locations across the state of Iowa.
The caucus results will provide the first clear test of popular and organizational strength among the crowded Democratic Party field, with the winner expected to get a boost of momentum heading into the New Hampshire primary next week.
In partnership with VPR, VTDigger will be publishing updates and analysis from the field, as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders looks to secure the majority of the 41 delegates up for grabs — which will be awarded months from now — in his bid for president.
For the past month, Sen. Bernie Sanders has been steadily rising in national and statewide polls, elevating him firmly to frontrunner status in both Iowa and New Hampshire.
According to the latest polling, Sanders leads in Iowa, but it is a tight contest between Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg.
Over the weekend, in the lead up to caucus night, the Vermont senator scampered across Iowa telling supporters that strong participation is the difference between winning and losing.
“If there is a high voter turnout, we’re gonna win,” Sanders said during a rally Saturday in Cedar Rapids.
In 2016, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton narrowly beat Sanders — 49.84% to 49.59% — to claim 23 delegates to Sanders’ 21. But unlike four years ago, Iowan Democrats will have many more options to choose from which has the potential to disperse delegates among the eleven candidates in the race.
Ahead of Monday, Pew Research Center published a breakdown of how the caucuses work. But here is a cheat sheet.
Each town meeting-style caucus varies in length, with some smaller gatherings ending in minutes while larger ones can last for hours as supporters try to convince others to join their candidate.
The first results are expected to roll in around 8:30 p.m. with most results in by 11 p.m.
This year, the Iowa Democratic Party will report multiple sets of caucus results: the initial count of candidate support — called the “first alignment” — the final alignment — after backers of “nonviable” candidates have had a chance to shift their support to someone else — and state delegate equivalents – the estimated number of state delegates won by each candidate.
This approach could potentially mean several different candidates could claim victory of the caucus — depending on which result they choose to stress.
