DNC chair calls for 'recanvass' of Iowa results after delays

WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the Democratic National Committee on Thursday called for a “recanvass” of the results of the Iowa caucuses, saying it was needed to “assure public confidence" after three days of technical issues and delays.

”Enough is enough," party leader Tom Perez wrote on Twitter.

With 97% of precincts reporting, Pete Buttigieg, a former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are nearly tied for the lead, and both candidates have declared themselves victorious in the contest. The Associated Press has not called the race.

The Iowa Democratic Party apologized for technical glitches with an app that slowed down reporting of results from Monday's caucuses and has spent the week trying to verify results. However, it was unclear if the state party planned to follow the directive of the national leader to recanvass those results. Iowa chairman Troy Price suggested in a statement Thursday that he would only pursue a recanvass if one was requested by a campaign.

The caucus crisis was an embarrassing twist after months of promoting Iowa as a chance for Democrats to find some clarity in a jumbled 2020 field. Instead, after a buildup that featured seven rounds of debates, nearly $1 billion spent nationwide and a year of political jockeying, caucus day ended with no winner and no official results.

Campaigning in New Hampshire, Sanders called the Iowa Democratic Party's management of the caucuses a “screw-up" that has been "extremely unfair" to the candidates and their supporters.

"I really do feel bad for the people of Iowa," said Sanders, who added that it was “an outrage that they were that unprepared.”

Iowa marked the first contest in a primary season that will span all 50 states and several U.S. territories, ending...