DES MOINES: Caucus voting began across Iowa Monday night as Democrats balanced their desire for fundamental change with their craving to defeat President Donald Trump in the opening contest of the 2020 presidential primary season.
Nearly a dozen White House contenders were still vying for the chance to take on Trump in November, although Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses were expected to provide some clarity for what has been a muddled nomination fight for much of the last year.
As the evening caucuses opened their doors, there were signs of major enthusiasm. Outside Iowa City’s Englert Theatre, long lines stretched a block in two directions and organizers predicted delays of an hour or longer.
By day’s end, tens of thousands of Democrats were to have gathered at community centers, high school gyms and more than 1,600 other caucus locations in the premiere of more than 50 contests that will unfold over the next five months. The caucuses were rendering the first verdict on what the party stands for in the age of Trump — and who it feels is best positioned to take on the Republican president, whom Democratic voters are desperate to beat this fall.
One unsurprising development: Trump won the Republican caucus, a largely symbolic victory given that he faced no significant opposition.
For Democrats, the moment was thick with promise for a party that has seized major gains in states since Trump won the White House in 2016. But instead of clear optimism, a cloud of uncertainty and deepening intraparty resentment hung over Monday’s election as the prospect of an unclear result raised fears of a long and divisive primary fight in the months ahead.
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