A spokesperson for Tom Steyer’s 2020 presidential campaign expressed confidence even after the Iowa caucuses ended without determining a winner.
“The race still appears to be wide open and that’s what we thought would happen after last night,” Benjamin Gerdes, senior press secretary for Steyer’s campaign, told Hill.TV on Tuesday.
“Now we’re heading on to places like Nevada and South Carolina, where Tom is making significant inroads,” he continued. “We still feel like we have a real shot at this thing.”
The Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) has blamed a new mobile app for failing to provide any insight into who had won the first-in-the-nation caucuses.
IDP officials said the app that local precincts were relying on didn’t function properly but added that the caucus results would be released “as soon as possible.”
“Precinct level results are still being reported to the IDP. While our plan is to release results as soon as possible today, our ultimate goal is to ensure that the integrity and accuracy of the process continues to be upheld,” the party said in a statement.
The state party has drawn backlash for the debacle, with campaigns fuming over a lack of transparency.
As campaigns await the results, Gerdes maintained that Steyer will continue to focus on states like South Carolina and Nevada, where he has gained momentum in recent weeks.
“We’re breaking through what everyone thought was an unbreakable firewall,” Gerdes said referring to South Carolina. “Our understanding going forward is that we’re going to continue to make gains and we’re going to continue to grow in that state and if we’re able to do that in South Carolina and do that in Nevada, we feel like we have a real shot at the nomination.”
Though former Vice President Joe Biden has long been the favored candidate in South Carolina, recent polling shows his rivals, including Steyer, challenging him for that share of support.
RealClearPolitics average of South Carolina polls shows Steyer in third place with 16.5 percent support. Biden leads the pack in the Palmetto State with 30.5 percent of the vote followed by Sanders with 17 percent. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) placed fourth with 10.5 percent of the vote.
Steyer is also among the top five in Nevada.
According to a recent Suffolk University-USA Today poll of Nevada, the billionaire philanthropist tied for fourth place with former South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D), with each receiving 8 percent support. Biden is in first place at 19 percent followed by Sanders at 18 percent and Warren at 11 percent.
—Tess Bonn
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