Iowa caucus: AOC tells everyone to 'breathe' as Democrats say New Hampshire is now more important than ever

Congresswoman reminds voters to 'take a moment' and thank the volunteers who made the caucus possible

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York congresswoman and high-profile surrogate to Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, thanked volunteers in Iowa and encouraged everyone to “breathe” as the entire country awaited official results from the first-in-the-nation caucus.

In a message posted to her Twitter account on Tuesday afternoon, the 30-year-old Democrat reminded those anticipating the results to “take a moment” and “thank all the hardworking volunteers, canvassers, field staff, and folks who have worked so tirelessly on the ground.”

“We will get [Iowa] results,” she added. “Let’s appreciate everyone who worked so hard & share a message of gratitude for them.”

The congresswoman also included a photo in the tweet of campaign supporters and volunteers for Mr Sanders standing in front of a “Bernie” flag.

Her comments came after Iowa’s state Democratic Party withheld the results of the election on Monday night, initially citing “quality control checks” on data transmitted across the state using a new election app. Election officials described a multitude of issues accessing the app and transmitting information on caucus night.

The presidential candidates meanwhile turned their focus swiftly to New Hampshire, the next state heading for a crucial vote in the Democratic primaries.

Andrew Yang said his takeaway from Iowa was that “this race is a muddled mess”.

“That means the opportunity for us is growing because there isn’t a clear front runner or even field”, he added in a tweet. “New Hampshire will be more important than ever.”

Several 2020 hopefuls delivered celebratory statements the night of the caucus, as reports indicated widespread issues with the election app were behind the delay in results.

Mr Sanders told a crowd: “I have a strong feeling that at some point the results will be announced. And when those results are announced, I have a good feeling we’re going to be doing very, very well here in Iowa.”

Early entrance polling indicated the senator had strong support among the youngest voting blocs participating in the caucus, while Joe Biden was picking up support among voters age 65 and older.

Pete Buttigieg, who also had a reportedly strong showing during the caucus, told his supporters on Monday night: “By all indications, we are going on to New Hampshire victorious.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, it remained unclear which candidate won the first caucus — a crucial test in the path to secure the Democratic nomination.

Speaking to his supporters on Monday, Mr Biden — who appeared to have a weaker showing than some predicted — said: “From our indications, it's going to be close, we are going to walk out of here with our share of delegates. We don't know exactly what it is yet, but we feel good about where we are.”