“Wait, huh?” That seemed to be the predominant question on everyone’s mind as the Iowa caucus failed to display any results for several hours after it’s usual deadline and instead left many scratching their heads in confusion. Both upsetting the Democratic candidates, puzzling voters and delighting ansy Republicans, the failure of the 2020 Iowa caucus is sure to dominate conversations for years to come. 

But first, what exactly is the Iowa caucus and why is it so important? Come each presidential election, the Iowa caucuses are held so citizens of Iowa can hold a meeting discussing the political standing points of the running politicians before casting their votes for which candidate they like the most. The Iowa caucus has been such a paramount aspect of presidential campaigns simply for the fact that it provides major intel on who the most popular candidate is and is often used to predict who will be the party’s main nominee. “The winner of the Iowa caucuses on the Democratic side has frequently gone on to be the Democratic nominee,”  journalist Harry Enten explains in a CNN article, “Since 1972, there have been nine primary seasons without a Democratic incumbent president running. Six of nine times (67%), the Iowa winner was also the Democratic nominee. One of these non-successes (Tom Harkin in 1992) was from Iowa.” 

While the historic voting event has been around for decades, this year’s caucus was a profound and baffling disaster. Technological glitches prevented any real results or projections from being available for the public to view for hours after the initial votes were cast. All of this leads to widespread irritation from the Democrats. “Obviously, I suspect I speak for all of the candidates, I am extremely disappointed by the inability of the Iowa Democratic Party to come up with the results in a timely manner,” presidential nominee Bernie Sanders said. This irritation was parroted by fellow runner Elizabeth Warren, who urged the Iowa caucus to “get it together.” The common irritation felt by many Americans that night was not shared by everyone though. President Donald Trump tweeted in response to the debacle, joyously declaring, “The only person that can claim a very big victory last night is ‘Trump’.”

The kickoff for the 2020 presidential campaign was both ripe in conflict, controversy and confusion. If the start of the election season is any indicator for what this presidential race will be like, Americans can prepare for a very long, and possibly exhausting, next several months.