Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton celebrated as she held a slim lead over rival Bernie Sanders in Iowa’s Democratic presidential nominating contest on Monday (February 1).
“Wow, what a night, an unbelievable night!” she exclaimed as she took the stage at a Des Moines rally, alongside her husband, former president Bill Clinton, and daughter Chelsea Clinton.
“This has been an incredible honor to campaign across Iowa with so many of you to make the case for the kind of future we want for the Democratic party and for the United States of America,” she added.
Clinton was in a virtual tie with Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist U.S. senator from Vermont. With 93 percent of the precincts reporting Clinton led with 50.1 percent to Sanders’ 49.3 percent.
Former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, who had trouble gaining any traction in the Democratic race, planned to suspend his campaign. He was in third place with 0.5 percent.
“I congratulate my esteemed friends and opponents. I wish Governor O’Malley the very best,” Clinton said, calling him “a great public servant.”
On the Republican side, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz beat billionaire Donald Trump, upsetting the national front-runner in the race to be their party’s White House nominee.
Before exiting the stage, Clinton promised to “keep fighting” for her supporters.
“As I stand here tonight, breathing a big sigh of relief — thank you Iowa — I want you to know, I will keep doing what I’ve done my entire life,” she said. “I will keep standing up for you. I will keep fighting for you.” (Reuters)
