Bernie Sanders claims 'victory' in Iowa caucus popular, initial vote Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders claims victory in the Iowa Caucus popular, initial vote. "We are now at a point with some 97% of the precincts reporting where our campaign is winning the popular, initial vote by some 6,000 votes," he tells the room, "we here in northern New England call that a victory." Sanders was speaking at a news conference in Manchester, New Hampshire, after Democratic Party chairman Tom Perez demanded a review of the results of the Iowa caucuses after the first contest to choose the party presidential nominee was marred by major technical problems. The final results of the Iowa Caucus are yet to be released, and some doubts have been raised about the accuracy of the returns released so far. SOUNDBITE