Clinton and Sanders neck and neck following Iowa vote
The former Secretary of State failed to achieve a clear win over the Vermont Senator.
In the Democratic race for The White House, things are certainly heating up after the highly anticipated Iowa caucus.
Hillary Clinton – who is making her second run for President – effectively tied with her self-described socialist rival Bernie Sanders in a confusing result for many.
With 99 per cent of precincts reporting, Clinton had 49.9 per cent to Sanders’ 49.6 per cent according to the New York Times.
The result led to both candidates making victory speeches, although Clinton told supporters she was “breathing a big sigh of relief” following the vote, before acknowledging the battle ahead.
She said she was looking forward to getting into the debate with Sanders, adding that “we finally began to have one of the most important, substantive conversations that the Democratic party could have”.
Sanders, meanwhile, declared the race a virtual tie, saying that “what Iowa has begun tonight is a political revolution”.
In what many see as a win for Sanders, he said that the message he took from the vote was that “given the enormous crises facing the country it is too late for establishment politics and establishment economics”.
Both candidates have expressed their support for the LGBT community and same-sex marriage, although Clinton’s approach to the issue is seen as stronger.
This was highlighted after she won endorsement from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), whose board voted unanimously in favour of Clinton for President – noting her raft of LGBT policy pledges.
HRC opted to favour Clinton’s plan – which includes 24 sweeping pledges across LGBT policy areas – over Sanders, who has outlined just seven specific LGBT policies.
The former Secretary of State has come under scrutiny for only backing same-sex marriage in 2013 – though Bernie Sanders also did not officially back same-sex marriage until 2009.
None of the 12 Republican candidates provided HRC with details of any policies to benefit LGBT people.
The next primary race take place on February 9 in New Hampshire.
