Democratic race opens in Iowa amid worry over beating Trump

A Democratic campaign that has cost more than $1 billion, dashed ambitions of veteran politicians, forced conversations about race, and identity and prompted fierce debate over health care and taxes crests Monday in Iowa caucuses.

By day's end, tens of thousands of Democrats will have participated in famed Iowa caucuses, premiere of more than 50 contests that will unfold over next five months. caucuses will render first verdict on who among

It is a moment thick with promise for a Democratic Party that has seized major gains since Trump won White House in 2016. But instead of optimism, a cloud of uncertainty and deepening intraparty resentment hangs over Monday's election, which, after a multi-year buildup, will finally begin to reveal who and what Democrats stand for in this tumultuous era.

“If anybody tells you y kw who’s going to win, eir y’ve got a whisper from God or y're loony, because body kws,” said Deidre DeJear, former state chair for Kamala Harris and first black woman to win a statewide primary in Iowa.

Polls suggest that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders may have a narrow lead, but any of top four candidates — Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg — could score victory in Iowa's unpredictable and quirky caucus system as organizers prepare for record turut. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who represents neighboring Minnesota, is also claiming momentum, while outsider candidates such as entrepreneur Andrew Yang, billionaire activist Tom Steyer and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard could be factors.

Iowa offers just a tiny percent of delegates needed to win mination but plays an outsize role in culling primary fields. A poor showing in Iowa could cause a front-runner’s fundraising to slow and support in later states to dwindle, while a strong result can give a candidate much needed momentum that propels him or her to mination.

past several Democrats who won Iowa caucuses went on to clinch party's mination.

2020 fight has played out over myriad distractions, particularly congressional Democrats' push to

Meanwhile, New York ultra-billionaire former Mayor Mike Bloomberg is running a parallel campaign that igres Iowa as he prepares to pounce on any perceived weaknesses in field come March.

amalgam of oddities, including new rules for reporting already complicated caucus results, is building toward what could be a murky Iowa finale before race pivots quickly to New Hampshire, which votes just eight days later.

With uncertainty comes opportunity for campaigns desperate for momentum. expectations game was raging in hours before voters began garing at high school gyms and community centers in more than 1,600 caucus sites across state.

Having predicted victory multiple times in recent weeks, Biden's team sought to downplay importance of Iowa's kick-off contest day before voting began amid persistent signs that 77-year-old lifelong politician was struggling to raise money or generate excitement on ground.

Biden senior adviser Symone Sanders said campaign viewed Iowa “as beginning, t end,” of primary process.

"It would be a gross mistake on part of reporters, voters or anyone else to view whatever happens on Monday — we think it’s going to be close — but view whatever happens as end and t give credence and for New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina,” she said of three states up next on primary calendar.

tone was ticeably more upbeat for Bernie Sanders' campaign, which has repeatedly predicted victory and believes he's running even stronger in New Hampshire. That's despite increasingly vocal concerns from establishment-minded Democrats who fear self-described democratic socialist would struggle against Trump and make it more difficult for Democrats to win or elections this fall.

In a fundraising mess, Sanders campaign manr Faiz Shakir warned supporters to expect “an absolutely huge barr of attacks from political establishment” after Monday's results are anunced, implying again that Sanders would finish on top.

“We don’t kw how personal attacks will be. We don’t kw how many millions will be spent. And we certainly won’t kw who’s funding m until well after dam is done,” he said. “But we kw y’ll come. Because y want to stop Bernie. y want to stop our movement.”

heated rhetoric underscores a dangerous rift between Sanders' passionate supporters and or factions of Democrats who have clashed in recent days but must find a way unite should y hope to defeat Trump in vember.

Joe Trippi, campaign manr for 2004 presidential candidate Howard Dean, suggested that Sanders may have peaked too soon, forcing some voters to seek a less controversial standard bearer.

“re are a lot of reasons this thing moves hard at end," Trippi predicted. "I think Bernie going into lead is really kind of disruptive thing that’s going to make a lot of people look at who y are for.”

New party rules may give Sanders and his rivals an opportunity to claim victory, even if y aren't official winner.

For first time, Iowa Democratic Party will report three sets of results at end of night: tallies of “first alignment” of caucus-goers, ir “final alignment” and total number of State Delegate Equivalents each candidate receives. re is guarantee that all three will show same winner.

Associated Press will declare a winner based on number of state delegates each candidate wins, which has been traditional standard.

While Sanders and Biden are central figures in race, Warren and Buttigieg are fighting to prove y can assemble coalition required to win mination as well.

Warren, who has leaned into her status as one of only female candidates in recent weeks, was offering free child care for voters at some caucus locations as her campaign used every available tool — even online dating apps — to court supporters.

Buttigieg, a 38-year-old former city official who had virtually national profile a year ago, walked into Monday as a legitimate threat to win mination. In fact, he predicted victory as he faced a frenetic audience of more than 2,000 at a high school gymnasium day before caucus.

“It is difficult to believe how far we’ve come from a year ago when we first turned up at a coffee shop in Ames, thrilled because re were literally dozens of people re —although most of m were re to get a cup of coffee,” Buttigieg reminisced.

He continued: "We are w just one day away from victory in Iowa caucuses.”

Though most of attention will be on Democrats, Republicans will also hold caucuses on Monday. With serious challenger and plenty of money to burn, Trump's reelection team hopes to use voting in early states as a test run for its organizing prowess and to boost excitement for president's fall campaign. Trump held a rally in Iowa last week and dispatched surrogates to state ahead of Monday's vote.