Buttigieg picks up another delegate in new IDP tally; Sanders wants 'partial recanvass'

Nick Coltrain | Des Moines Register

Show Caption Hide Caption Iowa caucus: Sanders and Buttigieg split the winnings It was a tight race for Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senator Bernie Sanders as the final numbers were released in the 2020 Iowa Caucus.

DES MOINES — Pete Buttigieg widened his lead in the Iowa caucuses Sunday when the Iowa Democratic Party updated results for 55 of 1,765 precincts.

In new projections, Buttigieg would be awarded 14 national delegates, up from 13 delegates in previous allotments; U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont would be awarded 12 national delegates.

Sanders' campaign plans to ask state party officials for a "partial recanvass" of results, a Sanders aide confirmed Sunday night ahead of Monday's deadline for such requests. A recanvass is not a recount, but a check of the vote count to ensure the results were added correctly.

The Associated Press has said it is unable to declare a Democratic caucus winner because it believes the results may not be fully accurate and are still subject to potential revision.

Sunday's new tallies came after presidential campaigns were asked to submit "documentary evidence" of inconsistencies in caucus precinct results. The party corrected results when the numbers reported by the party did not match the precinct's official results.

Buttigieg now leads Sanders with about 564.3 state delegate equivalents to Sanders' 561.5. Iowa Democratic Party spokesperson Mandy McClure said officials do not expect further updates to the results.

Note: This graphic includes data from the Associated Press and does not reflect the most recent data published by the Iowa Democratic Party.

Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price said Friday that the party couldn't always correct errors in the caucus math because the submitted final numbers, signed by caucus precinct chairs and campaign representatives at the site, are legally binding.

"The math worksheet is actually a legal document," Price said at a Friday press conference. "It's signed by the precinct chair and the precinct captains, the campaign representatives in those precincts. And so we are not allowed to change that. We have to report out what's reported to us."

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The Des Moines Register and other media outlets also found inconsistencies and errors with some reported results.

The campaigns asked for 95 precincts to be reviewed. Only 55 precincts saw revisions either because the party didn't find issues it could revise, or there were multiple review requests for the same precinct.

The party's nominee is formally chosen at the national convention.

In an advisory issued Sunday, the Associated Press said it remains unable to declare a winner.

"The Associated Press has reviewed updated results of the Iowa caucuses provided Sunday evening by the Iowa Democratic Party and has decided that it remains unable to declare a winner based on the available information," the advisory states."The results, AP continues to believe, may not be fully accurate and are still subject to potential revision."

"However, there is still some evidence the party may not have accurately tabulated some of its results, including those released late Sunday following a series of revisions," the statement continued."

"Further, candidates have until 1 p.m. ET on Monday to request a recanvass, a deadline that was extended by the party from Friday. A recanvass is not a recount, but a check of the vote count to ensure the results were added correctly."

Nick Coltrain is a politics and data reporter for the Register. Reach him at ncoltrain@registermedia.com or at 515-284-8361.