Deval Patrick hits rivals’ reactions to Iowa results chaos

Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) lashed out at how his Democratic rivals reacted amid the fallout over the delayed results of Iowa’s caucuses on Monday.

“One candidate is calling the results into question because he apparently didn’t do well. Another is declaring victory without any votes being confirmed,” Patrick said in a statement on Tuesday. 

“The way to beat Donald Trump isn’t to act like Donald Trump. Our party and our country deserve better,” he continued. 

Patrick appeared to be referencing former Vice President Joe Biden and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg. The Biden campaign’s general counsel pointed to “considerable flaws” in the caucus system in a letter to Iowa Democratic Party officials on Monday. 

“I write on behalf of the Biden for President Campaign regarding the considerable flaws in tonight’s Iowa Caucus system,” Dana Remus wrote. “The app that was intended to relay Caucus results to the Party failed; the party’s back-up telephonic system likewise has failed.”

Meanwhile, Buttigieg appeared to declare victory when addressing supporters in Iowa on Monday night despite not receiving official results. 

The former mayor appeared on TV morning shows on Tuesday and defended the move. 

“We were looking at the internal numbers we had and beginning to realize something extraordinary happened last night,” Buttigieg said on MSNBC. 

The Iowa Democratic Party has laid blame for the delay in results on a phone app the precincts were using to transmit results, saying it did not function properly.