Ask each of the recent Democratic candidates who won the Iowa caucus: Hillary will claim victory and Bernie will claim a tie.
The truth is, due to flawed vote counting procedures, it is unclear.
What is clear is that Sanders made immense progress since the beginning of his campaign.
In his speech, Sanders referred to the first time his campaign went to Iowa: “We had no money. We had no name recognition. And we were taking on the most powerful political organization in the United States of America,” Sanders said.
It’s true that Hillary Clinton’s campaign administration is the most powerful political organization in the United States. Clinton’s political experience, prowess and funding far surpass that of any other candidate on either side (other than Trump, financially speaking). Support for Sanders going from nothing to coming within a hairline margin split is more of a victory than Hillary could ever rally.
The Iowa Caucus’ importance lies in the fact that it is the first electoral event in the nation before the election and it is used as a test to see where each of the candidates stand.
The caucus being determined by coin flips and countless recounts of course led many to question the legitimacy of the counts.
If Sanders’ numbers continue to climb at the same rate they have since the beginning of his campaign, he will surpass Clinton’s; which seems to intimidate Clinton, as she was so quick to claim a firm victory in Iowa before the numbers were solidified and clung to it.
The close call has shown the power of the youth vote, (Sanders racked in 84 percent of voters aged 17 to 29) and the discrepancies in the voting process are more likely to rally Sanders supporters rather than discourage them.
Only about half of people eligible to vote 29 and younger actually vote. If more young people show up to vote, it could be enough of an edge to give Sanders the boost he needs to surpass the tie with Clinton.