Two Democratic candidates request Iowa caucus review

Washington (dpa) – Democratic presidential candidates Senator Bernie Sanders and former mayor Pete Buttigieg requested a review of some tallies in the chaotic Iowa caucuses, the Iowa Democratic Party said Monday.

The announcement comes after both Sanders and Buttigieg declared victory in the caucus – with Iowa the first state to cast votes in the nomination process – with results mired in controversy and delay.

The Iowa Democrats said that Sanders and Buttigieg respectively requested 28 and 66 precincts be reviewed, in a process called recanvassing, out of 1,765 precincts.

The Iowa Democrats are to review the candidates’ requests and respond within 48 hours.

On Sunday the Democratic Party in Iowa said Buttigieg had captured the most national delegates from the caucus at 14.

Buttigieg beat the left-wing Sanders by two delegates. Senator Elizabeth Warren came third with eight delegates and former vice president Joe Biden, long considered the front-runner, came a distant fourth with six.

The Democratic primary process lasts until June, with voters in each US state casting their votes and delegates being determined proportionally. The candidates are hoping to gain a majority of 3,979 delegates to the party’s convention to secure the nomination.

Iowa has a small population and delegate count, but an outsized significance historically in building momentum for the winner.

On Tuesday voters in New Hampshire cast their votes.