The fiasco of the Iowa caucus has revealed the rot at the very heart of the Democratic Party. A faulty voting app delayed the release of results by several days, turning the contest into a farce. While Pete Buttigieg has now been declared the winner – by a 0.1% margin over Bernie Sanders – a litany of errors and inconsistencies have cast doubt over the final result.
For Sanders’ supporters, already wary of the party establishment, the delays seemed to be a gift to his rivals. On Tuesday, the party released partial results which gave the impression of a narrow victory for Buttigieg. But as the count progressed, Sanders closed the gap leading to cries of foul play.
Amid the chaos, it also emerged that the company behind the app, Shadow Inc., received donations from both Buttigieg and Joe Biden last year. Neither of which was seen as a conflict of interest by the Iowa Democratic Party.
