Early results from the Iowa Democratic party show former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg with a slight lead over progressive Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the opening contest in the party's 2020 primary season.
Buttigieg and Sanders, are separated by 40 years in age, conflicting ideology and more.
Sanders, a 78-year-old self-described democratic socialist, has been a progressive powerhouse for decades, while the 38-year-old Buttigieg’s early standing cemented his transformation from a little-known Indiana mayor to a legitimate force in the 2020 contest. Buttigieg is also the first openly gay candidate to earn presidential primary delegates.
The results late last night followed 24 hours of chaos as technical issues marred the contest, forcing state officials to apologize and raising questions about Iowa's traditional place atop the presidential primary calendar. It's still too early to call a winner, but the results so far are not good news for former Vice President Joe Biden, who's shown in fourth place behind Sen. Elizabeth Warren.