And the Winner is...

“If they leave you can count them goodbye” said an Edwards precinct captain to an Obama precinct captain. Tensions were high as caucus-goers stood in groups for their respective candidates.

We were stationed at precinct 311 at Valley High School in Des Moines, Iowa. Unprecedented turnout and severe overcrowding relocated the caucus from a tight classroom to the high school’s hallway. With a more spacious venue, we watched as democracy took shape.

311’s precinct chair established 48 as the number of supporters each Democratic hopeful needed to be considered a viable candidate. This was based on the 320 registered voters in the precinct. After the first count, Biden had 34 votes, Clinton had 79 votes, Edwards had 36 votes, Obama had 137 votes, and Richardson had 35 votes.

Once the first count was recorded, unviable candidate supporters were up for the taking. Supporters of viable candidates, in this case, Clinton and Obama, began recruiting supporters of Edwards, Biden, and Richardson, the unviable. Determined to reach the 48 person mark, the Edwards precinct captain convinced most of the Richardson and Biden crowd to align with his group. In fact, we spotted a man dressed in Biden gear munching on an Edwards decorated cookie.

Standing in one corner of the hallway was Margaret Ann Baron, a resident of Des Moines. Baron, originally caucusing for Joe Biden was prepared to go home when her candidate fell short of the viability threshold. We asked her why she was not joining another candidate’s group. She replied that she “didn’t care for Hillary and Obama doesn’t have enough experience.” We then inquired as to why she wasn’t caucusing for Edwards, and she said, “I thought he wasn’t viable.” We told her he was and immediately Edwards gained another supporter. I guess we are guilty of assisting the senator’s camp.

After 15 minutes of realignment, Clinton had 88 votes, Edwards had 58 votes, and Obama had 169 votes. With these votes and a series of mathematical calculations, delegates were determined; Clinton gained two delegates, Edwards gained one delegate, and Obama gained four delegates.

After the caucuses ended, precincts reported their results. With candidate parties well underway, supporters waited for the numbers to come in. At 9 pm, 94 percent of precincts declared Obama the winner, Edwards in second place, and Clinton in third place.

We attended Clinton’s celebration. It was hosted by the Des Moines Hotel and had approximately 200 guests in attendance. Food and drinks were served as precinct captains took their honorary positions on stage. Anxiously awaiting Clinton’s appearance, the crowd began chanting, “Hillary, Hillary, Hillary…”. Promptly at 9:30 pm, Clinton took center stage. She announced, “I am ready for the rest of this campaign, and I am so ready to lead…This is good news for Democrats.” She concluded by congratulating her opponents, Edwards and Obama.
The Iowa caucuses are the first in the nation and, as a result, may very well be the most influential. Time will only tell what is in store for these three presidential hopefuls, but one thing is for certain- Obama departed Iowa with a win, Edwards with a place, and Clinton with a show.