Bernie Sanders Declares 'A Virtual Tie' In Iowa Caucus

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) took the stage in Iowa late Monday night trailing former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by just 0.3 percentage points in the Democratic presidential caucus, so it was fitting that his speech resembled a version he would give for a victory more than one for a loss.

“While the results are not yet known, it looks like we are in a virtual tie,” Sanders said.

Sanders said he just barely trailed Clinton with 94 percent of precincts reporting. Clinton had 49.9 percent to Sanders’ 49.6 percent. (See the latest results here .)

Sanders noted that he entered the race last year with a sparse operation in the state, in order to tout how far he and his supporters had come.

“We have no good organization, we had no money, we had no name recognition, and we were taking on the most powerful political organization in the United States of America,” he said.

Clinton, fearing a repeat of 2008 when then-Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois won the Iowa caucus, invested heavily in offices, paid staff and campaign infrastructure. But, as Sanders noted Monday, he was able to catch up, fueled by grassroots enthusiasm and small-dollar donations.

“While the results are still not complete, it looks like we will have about half of the Iowa delegates,” Sanders said. “I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Secretary Clinton and her organization for waging a very vigorous campaign.”

Sanders said his showing in Iowa sent “a very profound message” to the political, economic and media establishment: “That is, given the enormous crises facing our country, it is just too late for establishment politics and establishment economics.”

He added that Americans are ready for “the radical idea” that they no longer have to put up with “a rigged economy.”

“We are going to create an economy that works for working families, not just the billionaire class,” he said.

“I stand here tonight, breathing a big sigh of relief,” she said. “Thank you Iowa!”

The two candidates next turn their attention to New Hampshire, which holds its primary on Feb. 9.