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Highly Anticipated Iowa Poll Will Not Be Released

Clay Masters
/
IPR
Former South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg listens to an attendee at his town hall in Ames on Wednesday.

Pollsters behind the Des Moines Register/CNN Iowa Poll have decided not to release the results of its final, highly anticipated survey before the Iowa caucuses.

The release of the poll was canceled Saturday night after former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s campaign raised concerns that his name was not included in at least one phone call.

The poll done by pollster J. Ann Selzer is considered the gold standard in Iowa and is fairly predictive of the caucus outcome.   

A respondent reported they weren’t asked about their preferred candidate, and the partners say it appears a candidate’s name was left out in at least one interview. The newspaper’s executive editor, Carol Hunter, said they were not able to confirm whether this was isolated to one poll surveyor.

The results were slated to be broadcast live on CNN, just days before Monday’s caucuses. The results could have offered more clarity in a tight race, at a time when many Iowa Democrats say they still haven’t made up their minds.

The decision to cancel the results comes as the U.S. senators running for president are back in Iowa after being in Washington for the impeachment trial of President Trump.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar is one of those candidates. She spoke in Des Moines Saturday.

“We’ve been everywhere in Iowa. I’m trying to make up for being gone 10 days in two weeks,” she told the crowd.

Recent surveys have shown Bernie Sanders gaining momentum as other leading Democrats like Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden trail close behind.

The Iowa caucuses are scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m.

Clay Masters is the senior politics reporter for MPR News.