Buttigieg, Sanders campaigns request limited recount in Iowa
The ongoing saga of the Iowa caucuses entered a new phase Wednesday as Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders asked the Iowa Democratic Party to conduct a recount of specific precinct caucuses, the Iowa Democratic Party announced.
The requests from Sanders and Buttigieg come more than two weeks after the Iowa caucuses, which were roiled by technical issues with a mobile phone app that delayed the reporting of results. In all, the two presidential campaigns asked for a recount of 63 precincts.
The Iowa Democratic Party said it will examine the requests to determine whether they show caucus errors that would change the allocation of national delegates. The party will inform Sanders and Buttigieg of its findings within 48 hours.
Buttigieg and Sanders earlier this month asked the Iowa Democratic Party to conduct a recanvass of limited precincts, the results of which were announced Tuesday. The recanvass resulted in no change in national delegates awarded to the two candidates, but did lead to a slight change in state delegate equivalents.
According to the Iowa Democratic Party, a recount is a "hand count and audit of Presidential Preference Cards to ensure that caucus votes were tallied and reported correctly in the caucus worksheets and reporting forms."
Buttigieg has a lead over Sanders in national delegates, while Sanders has maintained his edge in the popular vote. The former South Bend mayor received 14 delegates, while the Vermont senator was awarded 12.
Jeff Weaver, a senior adviser for Sanders' campaign, said Tuesday he believes a recount will put the senator ahead in state delegate equivalents.
While Buttigieg and Sanders continue to battle it out in Iowa over the results of the caucuses, the candidates have shifted their focus to Nevada, which will hold its election Saturday, and South Carolina, which will hold its primary February 29.
Six of the Democratic presidential hopefuls, including Buttigieg and Sanderes, sparred in Las Vegas on Wednesday in the final debate before Nevada caucus goers make their picks.
Buttigieg and Sanders held their spots at the top of the field in last week's New Hampshire primary, where Sanders took first place, followed by the former South Bend mayor.