Hillary Clinton edged out Bernie Sanders in Iowa after a long, suspenseful night of vote-counting, The Associated Press declared Tuesday — ending the closest race in the history of the state's Democratic caucuses.

The outcome gave both sides room to claim victory: Clinton in her ever-so-narrow win, and Sanders in the massive comeback the self-described democratic socialist staged against a front-runner who months ago looked unbeatable.


With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton had 49.9 percent of delegates and Sanders had 49.6 percent, according to the AP, which waited hours to call the race until Sanders said he would not seek a recount. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley received less than 1 percent, then suspended his campaign.

Clinton was awarded 699.57 state delegate equivalents, versus 695.49 for Sanders, Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Andy McGuire said in a statement. More than 171,109 Democratic voters turned out to caucus.

Shortly after the AP declared her the winner, Clinton went on TV and challenged Sanders to debate her this week in New Hampshire, where the Vermont senator has held a commanding lead in polls ahead of the Feb. 9 primary.

"We’re in Bernie Sanders’ backyard here in New Hampshire — I sure hope he intends to show up in his neighboring state,” Clinton told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday afternoon. “Let the people of New Hampshire see us both on the debate stage.”

Speaking from his campaign plane Tuesday morning en route to New Hampshire, Sanders said he’s in the race for the long haul.

“Tonight is a wonderful start-off to the national campaign,” he said. “As I’ve said many, many times, we’re taking this to the convention, and I think tonight shows the American people that this is a campaign that can win.”

Clinton zoomed to an early lead as early results were posted, but as the evening wore on the gap steadily narrowed to less than half a percentage point — “a virtual tie,” as Sanders put it.

Clinton’s campaign declared victory in a statement at 3:35 a.m. Eastern. Hours earlier, Clinton, flanked by Bill and Chelsea Clinton at campaign headquarters, told supporters she was “breathing a sigh of relief.”

“I am a progressive who gets things done for people," she said.

At Sanders’ campaign headquarters, that line elicited a chorus of boos. “She’s a liar,” supporters chanted. Organizers turned off the TV showing her speech, drawing cheers.



Sanders' liberal backers were quick to cast the virtual draw as a momentum-building victory.

“Tonight’s results are a huge win for Bernie, a major upset for the front-runner, and a tremendously important victory for the millions of struggling working families in the battle against income inequality, structural racism and the moneyed interests who dominate our politics,” said the executive director of the million-member liberal group Democracy for America, which is backing Sanders.

Clinton was looking to avoid the spectacle of twin losses to kick off the nomination battle. Her crushing third-place Iowa showing in 2008, behind Barack Obama and John Edwards, was the first sign she wasn't the inevitable Democratic nominee she’d been campaigning as.

This time, Clinton and her allies acknowledge the Democratic primary could drag on for months. But her victory, slim as it was, at least deprives Sanders of the potent claim that he beat the front-runner in the two highest-profile early voting states.

Clinton supporters, though, were clearly anticipating a better night. On Tuesday, two of her top campaign staffers, John Podesta and Robby Mook, planned to speak with Capitol Hill Democrats to try to soothe any frayed nerves.

Despite the high turnout in Iowa, which was expected to favor Sanders, "and despite Iowa being tailor made for him, Hillary won," read an email from Clinton's campaign to lawmakers sent Tuesday.



Gabriel Debenedetti contributed reporting from Des Moines, Iowa. Lauren French also contributed.