Veteran Black politician in Iowa says Clinton squeaked by with Black and Latino vote

Hillary Clinton claims victory in Iowa Monday night. PHOTO: Clinton Twitter.

By Hazel Trice Edney

Trice Edney News Wire

Democratic Presidential contenders former Sec. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders ended the Iowa Caucuses in nearly a dead heat on Monday. But, the Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) has confirmed that Clinton actually won the Iowa Democratic Caucus.

Meanwhile, a Black political veteran in Iowa says had it not been for Blacks and Latinos, Clinton would certainly have lost given the closeness of the race.

“We’re researching right now,” said Wayne Ford, a former veteran member of the Iowa Legislature who long served as its only African-American member. “A lot of young minorities came up to me and told me how they fought and argued to make sure they had the delegates to win those precincts. They were excited about that.”

A Clinton supporter, Ford said although some Blacks did support Sanders, his assessment and observation are that the Black and Latino caucus participants were engaged in supporting Clinton nearly on the same level as they were for Obama when he won Iowa over her seven years ago. Not quite as much, though, he said. If that had been the case “she would have had a landslide…But, yes, she won because the baby boomers didn’t sit home. And those minorities knew they had to get out.”

Ford knows well Iowa politics. In 1984, he co-founded Iowa’s Brown & Black Presidential Forum. In 1996, he was elected to represent Iowa’s House District 71, which includes a mixture of some of the wealthiest and impoverished neighborhoods in the 92 percent White state. He was the only Black in the legislature and only the tenth elected to the body in the history of the state. He served for 14 years, becoming the longest serving African-American until his retirement in 2010.

On Monday morning, Sanders had also proclaimed a victory of sorts despite the fact that he had not won the balloting. In his view, to come so close indicated his ideals were being respected.

Iowa has 1,781 precincts in 99 counties. The result was Clinton, 49.8 and Sanders, 49.6, the IDP has confirmed. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley dropped out of the race with few votes.

Iowa Democratic Party Chair Dr. Andy McGuire said in a statement that the results are “the closest in Iowa Democratic caucus history.”

McGuire said the Democratic Caucus also “featured one of our strongest turnouts ever and passion and energy from Democrats all across our state” as voters competed to choose between Clinton and Sanders.

Ford predicts the spiritedness of Iowa’s Democratic Caucus indicates the fervor of the Democratic electorate in coming months. African-Americans typically vote more than 90 percent Democratic. The next major Democratic votes will be casted in New Hampshire Democratic and Republican primaries Feb. 9.

Meanwhile, in a big surprise, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz defeated billionaire Donald Trump by a relatively wide margin. Polls had predicted an easy win for Trump. But pundits credit his defeat to his skipping a Fox News debate Friday night in an argument with the station over who would moderate it.

With 99 percent of the precincts reporting, the Associated Press released the following results in the Republican Caucus: Cruz: 26 percent, Trump, 23 percent; Sen. Marco Rubio 23 percent and Ben Carson, 10 percent. Candidates Sen. Rand Paul and Jeb Bush received one delegate each, but other Republican candidates Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, Jim Gilmore, Mike Huckabee, John Kasich and Rick Santorum were statistically insignificant.

The Iowa Caucus, casting the first votes in the 2016 presidential race, revealed widespread enthusiasm among voters in both parties. The final party nominees will be decided by delegates at the Republican National Convention starting July 18 in Cleveland, Ohio and the Democratic National Convention the week of July 25th in Philadelphia. The following is the schedule for all primaries and caucuses through June 14. Source: The New York Times and wire reports.

Feb. 2 – Iowa Republican and Democratic caucuses

Feb. 9 – New Hampshire Republican and Democratic primaries

Feb. 20 – South Carolina Republican primary; Nevada Democratic caucus

Feb. 23 – Nevada Republican caucuses

Feb. 27 – South Carolina Democratic primary

March 1 – Super Tuesday: Alabama Republican and Democratic primaries, American Samoa Democratic caucuses, Alaska Republican caucuses, Arkansas Republican and Democratic primaries, Colorado Republican and Democratic caucuses, Georgia Republican and Democratic primaries, Massachusetts Republican and Democratic primaries, Minnesota Republican and Democratic caucuses, Oklahoma Republican and Democratic primaries, Tennessee Republican primary, Texas Republican and Democratic primaries, Vermont Republican and Democratic primaries, Virginia Republican and Democratic primaries

March 5 – Kansas Republican and Democratic caucuses, Kentucky Republican caucuses, Louisiana Republican and Democratic primaries, Maine Republican primary, Nebraska Democratic caucuses

March 6 – Puerto Rico Republican primary, Maine Democratic caucuses

March 8 – Hawaii Republican caucuses, Idaho Republican primary, Michigan Republican and Democratic primaries, Mississippi Republican and Democratic primaries

March 12 – District of Columbia Republican convention, Northern Mariana Islands Democratic caucuses

March 15 – Florida Republican and Democratic primaries, Illinois Republican and Democratic primaries, Missouri Republican and Democratic primaries, North Carolina Republican and Democratic primaries, Ohio Republican and Democratic primaries, Northern Mariana Islands Republican caucuses

March 19 – U.S. Virgin Islands Republican caucuses

March 22 – Arizona Republican and Democratic primaries, Idaho Democratic primary, Utah Republican and Democratic caucuses

March 26 – Alaska Democratic caucuses, Hawaii Democratic caucuses, Washington Democratic caucuses

April 5 – Wisconsin Republican and Democratic primaries

April 9 – Wyoming Democratic caucuses

April 19 – New York Republican and Democratic primaries

April 26 – Connecticut Republican and Democratic primaries, Delaware Republican and Democratic primaries, Maryland Republican and Democratic primaries, Pennsylvania Republican and Democratic primaries, Rhode Island Republican and Democratic primaries

May 3 – Indiana Republican and Democratic primaries

May 7 – Guam Democratic caucuses

May 10 – Nebraska Republican primary, West Virginia Republican and Democratic primaries

May 17 – Oregon Republican and Democratic primaries Kentucky Democratic primary

May 24 – Washington Republican primary

June 4 – U.S. Virgin Islands Democratic caucuses

June 5 – Puerto Rico Democratic caucuses

June 7 – New Jersey Republican and Democratic primaries, California Republican and Democratic primaries, Montana Republican and Democratic primaries, New Mexico Republican and Democratic primaries. North Dakota Democratic caucuses. South Dakota Republican and Democratic primaries

June 14 – District of Columbia D