"Democracy dies in the darkness!" said Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
After touting a new election app to help deliver multiple vote details from the precinct caucuses, local Democratic officials instead encountered software problems, long delays on the phone to manually deliver the numbers - but absolutely no results by the time the clock struck midnight in Des Moines.
It left Iowa Democratic Party officials to tell candidates that no vote numbers would be released until at least later on Tuesday.
Per @jeffzeleny: "Campaigns have been told tonight to not expect any results from the Iowa caucuses until at some point on Tuesday, two officials tell CNN."
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) February 4, 2020
Story County Precinct 1-1 secretary Shawn Sebastian on CNN:
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) February 4, 2020
“I’ve been on hold for over an hour with the Iowa Democratic Party … I just got off hold so I’ve got to get off the phone to report the results … Hello? They hung up on me. OK, I’ve got to get back in line on hold." pic.twitter.com/rUYxAzDbb6
At one point on live on CNN, a precinct official from Story County, Iowa was detailing how he had been on hold for so long - when suddenly the phone line was answered - and then, the Iowa Democratic Party hung up on the official, Shawn Sebastian.
"They hung up on me," he said to a bewildered CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer.
With no numbers, the candidates started making statements to supporters - unable to capitalize on a good performance, or alternately, able to get away without reporters seeing the tears of crushed supporters.
The lack of vote totals also left the Democratic field in an odd limbo as they left for New Hampshire - where a victory in Iowa can mean an automatic boost, while a bad performance could also raise questions about the viability of a campaign.
But the lack of numbers didn't deter some like Pete Buttigieg, who all but declared victory in a speech which took place after midnight.
Pete Buttigieg speaks amid delay in Iowa: "We don't know all the results. But we know by the time it's all said and done, Iowa, you have shocked the nation." #cnnelection pic.twitter.com/MUfRAxtAAh
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) February 4, 2020
Bernie Sanders: "When those results are announced I have a good feeling we're going to be doing very, very well here in Iowa" #cnnelection https://t.co/Bo7UHsfTQM pic.twitter.com/ljBOGcHKkE
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) February 4, 2020
The election chaos - under the auspices of the Iowa Democratic Party - again raised the question of whether the Hawkeye State should maintain its place on top of the election calendar.
"At least I got to see history being made tonight in the demise of the Iowa caucus," said Michael McDonald, an elections expert at the University of Florida.
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