Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont declared victory over rival Pete Buttigieg, by pointing to the popular initial vote of some 6,000 votes above those of Buttigieg.

“Even though the vote tabulations have been extremely slow, we are now at a point with some 97 percent of the precincts reporting, where our campaign is winning the popular initial vote by some 6,000 votes,” Sanders said.

“In other words, some 6,000 more Iowans came out on caucus night to support our candidacy than the candidacy of anyone else. And when 6,000 more people come out for you in an election than your nearest opponent, we here in northern New England call that victory,” he added.

“In an election with voter turnout of approximately 180,000 people, and with eight strong candidates competing, a victory margin of some 6,000 votes is pretty decisive,” concluded Sanders.