Democratic race opens in Iowa amid worry over beating Trump

But instead of optimism, a cloud of uncertainty and deepening intraparty resentment hangs over Monday’s election, which, after a multi-year buildup, will finally begin to reveal who and what Democrats stand for in this tumultuous era.“If anybody tells you they know who’s going to win, either they’ve got a whisper from God or they’re loony, because nobody knows,” said Deidre DeJear, the former state chair for Kamala Harris and the first black woman to win a statewide primary in Iowa.Polls suggest that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders may have a narrow lead, but any of the top four candidates — Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg — could score victory in Iowa’s unpredictable and quirky caucus system as organizers prepare for record turnout. The expectations game was raging in the hours before voters began gathering at high school gyms and community centers in more than 1,600 caucus sites across the state.Having predicted victory multiple times in recent weeks, Biden’s team sought to downplay the importance of Iowa’s kick-off contest the day before voting began amid persistent signs that the 77-year-old lifelong politician was struggling to raise money or generate excitement on the ground.Biden senior adviser Symone Sanders said the campaign viewed Iowa “as the beginning, not the end,” of the primary process.“It would be a gross mistake on the part of reporters, voters or anyone else to view whatever happens on Monday — we think it’s going to be close — but view whatever happens as the end and not give credence and space for New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina,” she said of the three states up next on the primary calendar.The tone was noticeably more upbeat for Bernie Sanders’ campaign, which has repeatedly predicted victory and believes he’s running even stronger in New Hampshire.