Better late than never.
More than 48 hours after Iowa's Democratic caucus became the source of national ridicule and late-night comedy jokes, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez called for a complete recanvass.
Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg leads Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders by two state delegate equivalents out of 2,152 counted. That is a margin of 0.09 percentage point. Both candidates have declared themselves victorious.
However, there is evidence the party has not accurately tabulated some of its results, including those released late Thursday the party reported as complete, according to The Associated Press, which is unable to declare a winner.
The state party apologized for technical glitches with an app that slowed down reporting of results from Monday’s caucuses and has spent the week trying to verify results. Iowa Chairman Troy Price said Thursday he would recanvass if one was requested by a campaign.
Perez came under fire immediately after his tweet by Dems who were asking what took the chairman so long to weigh in on the crisis.
"We're a party in chaos," U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio), told Politico, and that Perez should step down as chairman.
On a conference call with state Democratic Party chairs, Washington state Chair Tina Podlodowski demanded to know where Perez had been.
“Where is Tom?” Podlodowski told Politico one day after the call. “It was very frustrating to not hear from the DNC for 48 hours, except for them throwing Troy under the bus.”
»How to watch, what to watch for, in New Hampshire Democratic debate
The caucus crisis was an embarrassing twist after months of promoting Iowa as a chance for Democrats to find some clarity in a jumbled 2020 field. Instead, after a buildup that featured seven rounds of debates, nearly $1 billion spent nationwide and a year of political jockeying, caucus day ended with no winner and no official results.
In the wake of the Iowa debacle and a surging, newly impeachment-acquitted President Donald Trump, seven Democrats will take the stage Friday night at St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, ahead of Tuesday's nationally watched New Hampshire primary.
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