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Biden Reacts To 4th Place In Iowa: A ‘Gut Punch’

   DailyWire.com
CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE - FEBRUARY 04: Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event on February 04, 2020 in Concord, New Hampshire. A day after the Iowa caucuses Joe Biden is campaigning in New Hampshire ahead of the state's primary on February 11.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Even though results from the Iowa caucuses are still pouring in, one thing seems like a near-certainty: Former Vice President Joe Biden had an abysmal showing and will close out the state in fourth place.

Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Biden simply referred to his loss in Iowa as a “gut punch,” though he also took the moment to knock the procedural disaster that unfolded on Monday night.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat it. We took a gut punch in Iowa,” Biden said, as reported by Politico. “The whole process took a gut punch. But look, this isn’t the first time in my life I’ve been knocked down.”

Biden’s concession is a markedly different statement than the one he gave on Tuesday, as the results in Iowa still hung in the balance. At the time, he said he had a “good night.”

“We had a good night last night in Iowa. I know you think that’s silly,” Biden said at the time. “But everything we can feel, it’s good. Here’s the deal, we think we’re going to come out of there really doing well.”

As reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, the former vice president’s poor showing in Iowa — he currently holds just 15.4% of the statewide vote — has severely raised concern among the Democratic Party establishment:

In Iowa, Biden trailed the top moderate candidate, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, and the leading progressive, Bernie Sanders, according to initial returns from 71% of precincts. He was running fourth, close to Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who just days ago polled in single digits.

That leaves some establishment Democrats, including some Biden supporters, questioning his contention that he’ll reclaim clear front-runner status in the race against President Donald Trump once the primary fight moves beyond overwhelmingly white Iowa and New Hampshire to more racially diverse electorates. And it’s a reminder of how Biden’s previous presidential campaigns never advanced beyond Iowa.

As of now, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) holds a comfortable lead in New Hampshire — a state he also won in 2016 — while Biden leads in Nevada. However, as Sanders shores up momentum, even Nevada could be at stake for the former vice president. According to Bill Freeman, a Biden donor from Nashville, three losses in a row would put Biden in serious hot water.

“If he came in fourth, yeah, that could hurt,” said Freeman. “That’s a bad night, no matter how you spin it.”

Alex Sink, a Democratic donor, said that people will now hold back to see how Biden performs and look to another candidate like former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

“I was anxious to do it because, like so many others, I’m curious and interested and worried about who our candidate will be and how we are going to beat Trump,” said Sink. “Most of my friends don’t know yet who they are voting for.”

Despite losing Iowa and most likely losing New Hampshire, many Biden supporters are looking ahead to Nevada and South Carolina to give him the boost that he needs.

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