First alignment at Drake Fieldhouse underway. BIG Sanders group. Followed in size order by Warren, Buttigieg, Yang (3) and Biden (1). Waiting for official counts.
Viability threshold is 11. Looks like only Warren and Sanders will be viable on first alignment. (Also, I missed a lone Klobuchar supporter in the first alignment — he’s here too!)
The spaces for each group are delineated by hurdles with candidate names taped to them, which I think is very charming for a fieldhouse venue. Sports !
Still waiting for official first alignment count.
Still waiting for official first alignment count.
FIRST ALIGNMENT at Drake Fieldhouse:
Sanders and Warren are viable. No one else is.
Bernie fans chanting, “come on over, come on over!”
The three Yang fans are mobbed with caucusgoers and press.
Sanders and Warren are viable. No one else is.
Bernie fans chanting, “come on over, come on over!”
The three Yang fans are mobbed with caucusgoers and press.
The singular Biden guy just tried to convince the singular Klobuchar guy to caucus with him for Buttigieg. They are one away from viability.
Klobuchar fan goes with Warren instead.
Klobuchar fan goes with Warren instead.
BUTTIGIEG NOT GOING TO BE VIABLE — they almost got the extra people they need but in the FINAL SECONDS Bernie gained several of his supporters. Warren taking the remainders.
That was wild to see. Some top brass for Bernie were wooing people in the Buttigieg line, which was struggling to reach (or keep) 11 people for viability.
Once one person broke for Sanders (literally in the final minute of re-alignment!) the entire line dissolved.
Once one person broke for Sanders (literally in the final minute of re-alignment!) the entire line dissolved.
Raw numbers for Drake Fieldhouse satellite caucus:
VIABLE
Sanders 43 > 46
Warren 15 > 22
NOT VIABLE
Buttigieg 8
Klobuchar 1
Biden 1
Yang 3
VIABLE
Sanders 43 > 46
Warren 15 > 22
NOT VIABLE
Buttigieg 8
Klobuchar 1
Biden 1
Yang 3
Fight for 15 demonstrators from outside have come into the building and are marching around the floor, post-caucus.
(and the update you’ve all been waiting for, which is that I have almost but have Not Yet broken my legs while parkouring around these very steep bleachers. journalism is a sport in itself!)
Putting together the pieces after the chaos: it seems like Buttigieg was stuck at ten, never got that eleventh person to be viable. Their camp was working hard to convince people until the very end when they scattered by necessity.
