Speaking to reporters on a chartered plane flying directly from Des Moines to their next showdown in New Hampshire, the leftwing senator said his shock 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,” he 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.”

Sanders 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 called on officials to take the unusual step of revealing underlying voter totals too.

“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.