DES MOINES — As Iowans went to bed and late-night news anchors stalled through their shows, reporting errors and app glitches delayed Iowa caucus results, with no precincts reporting in at the early hours of Tuesday morning.
But Iowa caucus results are rarely known early on caucus night. Late-night results were commonplace before 2016, when results were often recorded manually and routinely called in by phone. In the past two caucus cycles, razor-thin margins and precinct miscounts have delayed the release of final results until the next day and beyond.
Iowa Democratic Party names Hillary Clinton 2016 winner at 2:30 a.m. CT
The Democratic race was still too close to call seven hours after the caucuses began in 2016, with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton locked in a dead heat until the very end.
Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Andy McGuire announced at 2:30 a.m. local time on caucus night that Clinton had won by a slim margin. The print edition of the Des Moines Register the day after the caucuses still reported the race as a virtual tie between the two.
The Associated Press did not officially call the race until midday the next day.
► More Iowa caucus history: Review Iowa caucus results dating back to 1972
Romney named winner in Iowa — until recount weeks later shows Santorum won
Mitt Romney won the 2012 Iowa Republican caucus shortly after 1:30 a.m. on caucus night. According to those middle-of-the-night results, he had bested rival Rick Santorum by just eight votes.
The Jan. 4, 2012 front page of the Des Moines Register declared U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney the winner of the Iowa caucus. (Photo: Des Moines Register)
Two weeks later, the Republican Party of Iowa announced that a recount of results showed Santorum as the winner. Eight precincts were excluded from the final results because they had not submitted proper documentation on caucus night.
“The victory on caucus night is media attention,” long-time political reporter David Yepsen said on the Register’s 2015 podcast, Three Tickets. “So Romney did win the caucus because he got all the media attention.”
What does it mean for 2020?
While Iowans await precinct results, candidates tried to seize a numberless victory at rallies in Iowa.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren all spoke to their cheering supporters as they waited for results. Each leaned on their stump speeches as they noted the delay.
“We don’t know all the results,” Buttigieg said at his event just before 11 p.m. “But we know, by the time it’s all said and done, Iowa, you have shocked the nation.”
► More Iowa caucus history: A complete guide, plus photos, of the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses
Katie Akin is a politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at [email protected] or at 515-284-8041. Follow her on Twitter at @katie_akin.
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