DNC Chair Tom Perez Calls For ‘Surgical’ Recanvass Of Iowa Caucus Precincts

Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez clarified Thursday evening that he was not calling for a statewide recanvass of the Iowa caucuses, but rather a recanvass of areas where irregularities had been noted.

Perez pointed to “question raised” about specific precincts, including Black Hawk County where some state delegate equivalents were incorrectly given to Deval Patrick.

“We have a shared interest in making sure we had accuracy, so what we did today is asking to make sure that if people need a recanvass in this precinct or that precinct, that it’s done,” he said during an interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Thursday night.

“What happened in Iowa was unacceptable.”

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DNC Chair Tom Perez discusses call to recanvass Iowa Caucus vote. pic.twitter.com/LqbqDDqq9B

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 7, 2020

He also confirmed that he was not suggesting the Iowa Democratic Party conduct a statewide recanvass.

“Assuming no candidate files a request, it will be surgical, surgical,” Perez told Maddow. “Because we want to make sure if somebody raises a question, we have an opportunity to answer that question.”

Earlier that day he tweeted that he was “calling on the Iowa Democratic Party to immediately begin a recanvass.”

Enough is enough. In light of the problems that have emerged in the implementation of the delegate selection plan and in order to assure public confidence in the results, I am calling on the Iowa Democratic Party to immediately begin a recanvass.

— Tom Perez (@TomPerez) February 6, 2020

Perez’s tweet came after a New York Times article found that the Iowa results were “riddled with inconsistencies and other flaws.”

The results show former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg edging out Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders by a smidge, with 26.2% and 26.1% respectively. They are followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) (18%), former Vice President Joe Biden (15.8%) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (12.3%).