U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts sits in third place in the Iowa caucuses, according to partial results released Tuesday, a position she characterized as part of a "tight, three-way race."

As of 6 p.m., former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg was in first place and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont was second, with 62% of results available. The state's most populous counties had released only partial results.

Campaigning in New Hampshire on Tuesday, Warren criticized the Iowa Democratic Party for releasing only partial data.

"I just don't understand what that means to release half of the data," she told reporters after a town hall in Keene. "So, I think they ought to get it together and release all of the data."

Late Monday, relying on internal campaign data that showed her locked in a tight race for the top three, Warren gave what could be perceived as a victory speech to a fired-up crowd at the Forte Banquet & Conference Center in downtown Des Moines.

"Tonight showed that our agenda isn't just a progressive agenda. It isn’t just a Democratic agenda," Warren said. "It’s America’s agenda."

Warren focused on the different ways she and President Donald Trump view America: She said he does so from a lens of privilege, avoiding the military and building businesses with sordid reputations; she does so from a lens of hard work in a family of Vietnam War veterans before dedicating her career to studying why families go bankrupt.

"Our union is stronger than Donald Trump," she said. "And, in less than a year, our union will be stronger than ever when that one man is replaced by one very persistent woman."

She dedicated the night to her countless volunteers and organizers who put in the "hard work" to make a reality of an "America that lives up to its ideals."

Warren has spent the last year building a statewide campaign organization that had been lauded as the most robust among the Democratic field of candidates.

"Here in Iowa, that's what happened. You came together. You organized. You showed that we are united in our conviction that hope defeats fear. That courage overcomes cynicism," Warren said. "That we will always be a stronger party and a stronger nation when we unite around our shared values to advance justice and expand opportunity for everyone."

Earlier on Caucus Day, Warren showed up at Roosevelt High School, the caucus site for DSM-41, on the northwest side of Des Moines, where Democrats have a stronghold. She touted her campaign's organization as a reason why she could win in Iowa and beyond.

"We need someone who will build an organization that is as good around the country as it is in Iowa," Warren said. "And I've got a great organization here in Iowa."

Speaking on a megaphone, she made the case to caucusgoers why they should support her when they aligned. She said she could "inspire" all people to come together, whether it's people needing affordable child care, struggling to pay student loans or retirees relying on Social Security.

"We have an opportunity as Democrats to lift every voice. We have an opportunity to build a party, to build an economy, to build a nation that leaves no one behind.

"That should be the pride of the Democratic Party," Warren said, eliciting cheers from the entire crowd, regardless of whom people were supporting.

She won the most state delegates at the Roosevelt High caucus site with six. Sanders and Buttigieg earned four and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota earned three.

In her "victory speech" Monday night, Warren encouraged anyone watching to keep volunteering beyond Iowa and into other states and to continue building a campaign "powered by hopeful, courageous people who will do the work to make the change we need.

"This fight will stretch across all 57 states and territories that make up this great nation until we unite together as a party in Milwaukee," she said. "The road won’t be easy. But we are built for the long haul."

Warren and her team left Iowa early Tuesday morning by private plane. She held her first town hall in Keene just hours later, opening with a reference to Iowa:

"So, we're back from Iowa. Wow! But here's what we know — It's a tight, three-way race at the top," she said. "We know that the three of us will be dividing up most of the delegates coming out of Iowa.

"I'm feeling good."

Kim Norvell covers growth and development for the Register. Reach her at knorvell@dmreg.com or 515-284-8259. Follow her on Twitter @KimNorvellDMR.

Your subscription makes work like this possible. Subscribe today at DesMoinesRegister.com/Deal.