Home News Tuesday Afternoon News, February 4th

Tuesday Afternoon News, February 4th

State Democrats Hope To Release Caucus Findings Tuesday Afternoon

(Des Moines) — The world is still waiting for the results of the Iowa Democratic party caucus from last evening, and patience among political operatives, and national media are running thin. State Democratic party officials have indicated they will release the findings during a scheduled 4:00 p.m. news conference today.

 

 

Democrats Blame “Coding Issue” For Delay

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Democratic Party is blaming a “coding issue in the reporting system” for its delay in releasing caucus results. It said in a statement Tuesday the issue has been fixed. The problem kept party officials from releasing results from Monday’s caucus, the much-hyped kickoff to the 2020 primary season. It was an embarrassing twist after
months of promoting the contest as a chance for Democrats to find some clarity in a jumbled field with no clear front-runner. Iowa party officials say final results will be released Tuesday. Frustrated presidential candidates are claiming momentum and plowing ahead in their White House quests. They’re moving on to next-up New Hampshire.

 

 

Delay May Cause Iowa To Lose Its “First In The Nation” Status

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa’s coveted position as the first-in-the- nation presidential nominating contest faces its most daunting challenge following problems that kept the state Democratic Party from reporting results Monday night. The caucuses were already facing plenty of headwinds amid criticism that the overwhelmingly white state isn’t representative of
the country’s diversity. The Iowa Democratic Party said Monday night that results were indefinitely delayed due to “quality checks” and “inconsistencies” in some reporting. It’s an embarrassing complication that added a new layer of doubt in the caucus process that has come under increasing criticism.

 

 

Candidates React To Delay 

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Democratic Party officials in Iowa are planning to release a majority of their delayed caucus results by 5 p.m. EST. The party officials in Iowa told the presidential campaigns the news as chaos and confusion hung over Iowa and its first-in-the-nation presidential contest.
Frustrated presidential candidates plowed ahead in their quest for nomination, most of them already in next-up New Hampshire. All claimed to be encouraged by Iowa voters in Monday’s voting, especially Vermont Sen. Bernie Senators and Pete Buttigieg of Indiana. Republican President Donald Trump mocked them all and their party and said he was the only one who could
claim a victory in Iowa.

 

 

Political Science Professor Ask “Why Iowa”

(Iowa City) — The former University of Iowa professor who wrote a book titled “Why Iowa?” after the 2008 Caucuses sees irony in the title today.

David Redlawsk says fixing the smartphone reporting app’s glitches isn’t just important for getting results out today.

Nevada’s Caucuses are scheduled for February 22nd. Redlawsk is now the dean of the University of Delaware’s political science department, but he’s been in Iowa since August, following the campaign and planning to update his book. He’s heading back east now and unsure if that’s what he’ll do.

Redlawsk recorded hours of interviews with Iowans as well as candidate events. He says exploring grassroots politics independently of what happened Caucus Night may become his focus.

 

 

Governor Reynolds Defends Caucus 

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is defending Iowa’s first in the nation caucus status as Democrats struggle to get results released.
Reynolds, a Republican, says the state must fight to remain first after a mobile app created to compile and report caucus results malfunctioned and delayed the count. She says Iowa fights every year to stay first and political leaders must demonstrate that adequate measures have been taken to ensure accurate results. She says the parties worked together after the 2012 caucuses when Republicans named Mitt Romney the winner only to find later that Rick Santorum had more votes.

 

 

Company That Designed The App For Iowa Caucus Regrets Having Problems

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The company at the center of the Iowa caucus fiasco says it regrets that an app it designed had technical glitches that delayed the release of the results from the first nominating contest of 2020. But while Shadow Inc. pledged on Tuesday to do better in the future, it stopped short of apologizing. The company said in a series of tweets: “We sincerely regret the delay in the reporting of the results of last night’s Iowa caucuses and the uncertainty it has caused to the candidates, their campaigns, and Democratic caucus-goers.” The outcome of the race still wasn’t clear on Tuesday.

 

 

Pontoon Boat Company To Close Iowa Plant

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) – A pontoon boat company plans to close its Iowa plant and move production to an Indiana location. The Messenger reports that about 45 employees will lose their jobs at the Misty Harbor plant in Fort Dodge. Misty Harbor President Jeff Miller says the work done in Fort Dodge
will be moved to the Bristol, Indiana, plant to “optimize operational efficiency and reduce logistic costs.” He says the Fort Dodge operations will wind down over the next two to three months. He didn’t provide an exact closing date. Misty Harbor was founded in Humboldt, Iowa, in 1989. It moved to Fort Dodge in 1993.