Buttigieg Relishes Apparent Lead in Iowa, As Warren Tells Voters A Woman Can Beat Trump

While still awaiting complete results from the Iowa caucus, presidential candidates on Tuesday moved on to New Hampshire, criss-crossing the state as they began to prepare to face the second major contest in the 2020 primaries.

The Iowa contest remains unsettled, with 71% of precincts reporting as of 7 a.m. Wednesday. But so far, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg appears to be in the lead at 26.8%. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is in second with 25.2%, followed by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden.

Buttigieg was elated as he addressed his last of several town hall meetings Tuesday across New Hampshire in Concord, where nearly 500 people showed up to hear him speak.

"We are having a very good day, and we are mindful that we have a lot of work to do, so I am here humbled by good news that’s here today mindful that we are … yeah, we can go ahead and celebrate that for a second," he exclaimed.

Buttigieg now hopes to convert his Iowa success into a good performance in New Hampshire, as he seeks to consolidate his position as the party's centrist candidate, edging out Biden and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

Lauri DeWitt, a nurse, was among those already committed to Buttigieg. She said she likes some of his positions, "but I also think he has an open-mindedness and a flexibility and an ability to work with people, probably more than any other candidate."

Meanwhile, Warren — who as of Wednesday morning appeared to be third in Iowa — also addressed a crowd of nearly 500 people in Keene earlier Wednesday. It was her only event in New Hampshire for the day, as she continues to juggle campaigning with her Senate duties, including voting in the impeachment trial of President Trump on Wednesday.

Warren told the crowd that she is best candidate to beat Trump.

"'Can a woman win as president?'" Warren said, repeating her skeptics. "I just want to be clear on this. The world has changed since 2016. We took back the House. We took back statehouses in 2018 because of women candidates and because of women who got and fought for those candidates. Since Trump has been elected, women have been outperforming men in competitive races."

Among those listening to Warren was Karen Leubkeman, who said she knows she wants to vote for a woman. She’s trying to decide between Klobuchar and Warren.

"She has a lot of good ideas," Leubkeman said. "She’s an extremely intelligent woman. I think she has the kind of caring heart that we need in government at this moment."

But Leubkeman does not support Medicare for All, which Warren has continued to back, despite hesitancy from some voters.

The technical snafus that plagued the result-gathering in the Iowa Democratic caucuses have left candidates moving on to a race they hope will provide more definitive results, when the people of New Hampshire vote in their primary next week.