Bernie Sanders has called on the Democratic party to release a raw vote count in Iowa after a nail-biting finish left lingering doubts over the first, much tighter-than-expected, clash with Hillary Clinton for the presidential nomination.

After Iowa: focus shifts to New Hampshire as Sanders and Clinton 'in virtual tie' – live Read more

Speaking to reporters on a chartered plane flying from Des Moines to their next showdown in New Hampshire, the leftwing senator said his performance in the Iowa caucus was a signal that the American people were hungry for more radical change than that offered by establishment candidates.

“Tonight is a wonderful start to the national campaign,” Sanders said in a packed gangway on the late-night flight heading east to beat an incoming snowstorm. “Tonight shows the American people that this is a campaign that can win.”

He threw little light on an unfolding controversy over certain Iowa precincts that did not have enough Democratic party volunteers to report delegate totals for each candidate but did call on officials to take the unusual step of revealing underlying voter totals. Delegates are awarded in the Iowa Democratic contest on a precinct-by-precinct basis, irrespective of the state-wide vote for each candidate.

“I honestly don’t know what happened. I know there are some precincts that have still not reported. I can only hope and expect that the count will be honest,” he said. “I have no idea. Did we win the popular vote? I don’t know, but as much information as possible should be made available.”

Sanders’ campaign director, Jeff Weaver, told reporters he did not “anticipate we are going to contest” specific results but hoped there would be an investigation into what happened.

Dan Roberts (@RobertsDan) Bernie Sanders calls on Democratic party to release a raw vote count in Iowa, in comments to reporters on his plane heading to New Hampshire

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He also claimed the tight result, in a state where Sanders had once trailed by Clinton in polling by 50 percentage points, was a sign of a dramatic surge of popularity for his agenda to reduce income inequality and “seize back democracy from the billionaire class”.

“People said we had an inferior ground game, that we didn’t have as good an understanding of the state,” said Weaver. “I think we certainly demonstrated that we had at least as good a ground game and I would argue that we had a better one because we started out [as underdogs].”

Dozens of young staffers were in a jubilant mood on the two-hour flight, cheering as Sanders boarded the plane in a party atmosphere that belied the ongoing uncertainty over the exact result.

The candidate’s wife, Jane Sanders, described to reporters the “rollercoaster” of watching results pour in for him while waiting in their hotel room.

Dan Roberts (@RobertsDan) big cheer on 'air Bernie' as senator Sanders enters the plane. We're caught on the tarmac though in a queue of planes waiting to fly to NH.

“We are in this for the long haul,” said the senator. “We are going to win states all over the country. We have confronted one of the very difficult issues that we face. What has always bothered me is people who say, ‘I like you, Bernie. I want to vote for you, but I just don’t think you can win.’ Today we took a giant step to overcome that kind of doubt in many voters.”

Sanders also claimed that the momentum in Iowa and New Hampshire – where he enjoys a 20-point poll lead – was vindication of his campaign’s core message.

Sanders said: “The message we have brought forth – that there is something profoundly wrong with our great country where so many people are working longer hours for low wages while almost all the new income and wealth is going to the top 1% – resonated not only in Iowa, but is going to resonate in New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and all across this country.

“I want to thank the people of Iowa for giving us this opportunity to have a kickstart as we begin the campaign to take us to states throughout the country,” he added. “When we began this, it is fair to say we were considered to be a fringe campaign. I would hope that most people no longer believe that.”

With half of the results in across the rural midwest state, Clinton appeared to be easing to victory, three points up on the Vermont senator, whose relatively ramshackle campaign seemed to be no match for her mighty political machine.



But as the night wore on, Clinton’s lead shrank to two and then one point, until she was locked in a virtual tie with the 74-year-old. Appearing on-stage in Des Moines before the final tally arrived, Clinton hailed “a contest of ideas” and appeared battle-ready for the fight of her political life.

She congratulated her opponent, saying: “I am excited about really getting into the debate with Sen Sanders about the best way forward to fight for us in America.”