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For Immediate Release
February, 05 2020, 11:00pm EDT
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With Surge in Youth Vote and 92% of Caucus-goers Supporting the Green New Deal, Sunrise Movement Helps Deliver Sanders Win in Iowa
Today, after a four-day delay in the release of caucus results, Bernie Sanders is declaring victory in the Iowa Caucus after the Iowa Democratic Party's results show him winning a majority of votes on the first and second alignment. This victory comes in the first major contest of the 2020 presidential Democratic primary, showcasing the dynamism of Sanders' youth voting base and the overwhelming popularity of the Green New Deal as a governing agenda.
Des Moines, IA
Today, after a four-day delay in the release of caucus results, Bernie Sanders is declaring victory in the Iowa Caucus after the Iowa Democratic Party's results show him winning a majority of votes on the first and second alignment. This victory comes in the first major contest of the 2020 presidential Democratic primary, showcasing the dynamism of Sanders' youth voting base and the overwhelming popularity of the Green New Deal as a governing agenda. With 97% of precincts reporting, the results as of now show a Sanders victory with a lead of nearly 6,000 votes in the first alignment and over 2,500 in the final alignment. With the margin of victory in the final alignment being under 3,000, and Sunrise Movement getting over 7,000 young Iowan voters to pledge to caucus for a Green New Deal champion as a part of our intensive 6 month field program and national endorsement of Sanders, it's safe to say that our movement helped deliver the margin of victory for Sanders in this key race.
Iowa also saw an overall youth voter share increase of 33% from 2016 levels, with Sanders capturing 48% of the youth vote according to the Washington Post. Since the announcement of the Sunrise endorsement last month, the climate crisis rose to be the most popular issue along with healthcare for Iowan Democratic caucus-goers and the constiutency's support for the Green New Deal surged by 10 percentage points, reaching a record total of 92% according to the most recent polling by Data for Progress.
"Young people across Iowa turned out in historic numbers to show that our generation is the largest political force in this nation," Sunrise Movement co-founder Varshini Prakash stated in a recap video of caucus night. "Our movement and our Iowa team quite literally shifted public opinion on the climate crisis -- bringing Iowan public support for the Green New Deal to an unprecedented majority and helping to push Green New Deal champion Bernie Sanders to the top of the race. If this many young people participated in the notoriously inaccessible and time-intensive Iowa caucuses, this could be a promising sign for even higher youth turnout in New Hampshire and on Super Tuesday to bring Sanders more victories."
"The Democratic Party's intransparent delay in results matched with their decision to release partial results over an undisclosed timeline was completely unacceptable and undemocratic," Sunrise Movement Political Director Evan Weber said. "Young people already have an immense amount of distrust for the Democratic Party because we see the ways in which the establishment has consistently shut us and our issues out in favor of maintaining a broken status quo. Disasters like this throw fuel to the fire -- but we're channeling that fire into organizing thousands of young people in New Hampshire to generate historic youth turnout like we did in Iowa and deliver a mandate for a Green New Deal and a Bernie Sanders presidency."
In the final week before the caucus alone, Sunrise leaders across the country made over 18,000 calls to Iowans to get them to turn out for Bernie Sanders. Sunrise Iowa also partnered with Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement to look beyond the caucus and this election cycle, bringing together community leaders to sketch out a motivating vision for what winning the Green New Deal would mean for Iowa -- as depicted in an animated video that premiered on the day of the caucus.
"Over the last 6 months, we've canvassed through sleet and snow and met thousands of young Iowans," Sunrise Movement Iowa organizer Mona Abhari, 23, said. "The team here has kept pushing through the doubts of the entire professional political class, and accomplished so much. If we're going to defeat Trump and win a Green New Deal, this has to just be the beginning. 2020 is going to be a pivotal year -- not just for our generation, but for every single generation that will follow us for centuries to come."
Senator Sanders made the Green New Deal a cornerstone of his campaign strategy in Iowa. In addition to investing millions into television and digital ad buys highlighting his Green New Deal platform and how it would transform Iowans lives, the campaign also held a series of prominent climate crisis town halls that spotlighted Sunrise Movement and progressive figures like Rep. Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ro Khanna, and more.
"Do not underestimate your power," Senator Sanders directed towards American youth in a tweet posted on the day of the caucus. "You will transform this country if you turn out to vote."
Sunrise Movement is a movement to stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process.
LATEST NEWS
'Blindly Endorsing' Trump Crimes, Senate GOP Kills Venezuela War Powers Bill
"Senate Republicans continually fall in line behind Donald Trump, no matter how reckless, no matter how unconstitutional," fumed Sen. Chuck Schumer.
Jan 14, 2026
US Senate Republicans on Wednesday defeated the latest in a series of war powers resolution aimed at blocking President Donald Trump from further unauthorized military attacks on Venezuela, a result that came after the president pressured a pair of GOP lawmakers who previously voted to advance the measure to flip.
Vice President JD Vance's tie-breaking vote was needed to overcome a 50-50 deadlock on the resolution introduced last month by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) “to block the use of the US armed forces to engage in hostilities within or against Venezuela unless authorized by Congress” as required by the 1973 War Powers Act.
Two GOP senators who voted earlier this month to advance the resolution—Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana—voted against the legislation on Wednesday. This, after Trump publicly lambasted five Republican senators who voted to advance the bill, ensuring its temporary survival.
Paul and fellow GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Democrats and Independents who caucus with them, Sens. Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, in voting for the resolution.
"The chances of us getting into an endless war are even greater."
Hawley said he was swayed by Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who told the senator “point blank, we’re not going to do ground troops" in Venezuela following the bombing, invasion, and kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife earlier this month.
Young shared a letter from Rubio stating that Trump will “seek congressional authorization in advance (circumstances permitting)” if he decides on any “major military operations” in Venezuela. He also warned on social media that "a drawn-out campaign" in the Venezuela "would be the opposite of President Trump's goal of ending foreign entanglements."
The resolution's co-sponsors accused their Republican colleagues of enabling Trump's lawbreaking and endless wars.
"Senate Republicans continually fall in line behind Donald Trump, no matter how reckless, no matter how unconstitutional, no matter the potential cost of American lives," Schumer said at a press conference following the vote. "They go along with the president, who is defying what the Constitution requires."
"The chances of us getting into an endless war are even greater, because when the Republicans rubber-stamp everything [Trump] does, the restraints go away," Schumer continued. "Donald Trump said he's not afraid of putting boots on the ground in Venezuela when asked how long it would take—one year, two years, three years, even that wasn't long enough; he said much longer—that's not ambiguous."
"So why wouldn't our Republican colleagues just do what Congress is supposed to do, assert our authority, and let's have a debate?" Schumer added. "What has happened tonight is a roadmap to another endless war because this Senate, under Republican leadership, failed to assert its legitimate and needed authority."
Senate Republicans just BLOCKED the bipartisan War Powers resolution to end the illegal war in Venezuela. They voted for forever wars, and against the best interests of the American people.
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@merkley.senate.gov) January 14, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Other Democratic senators also decried Wednesday's vote, with Alex Padilla of California saying that the "Senate Republican majority just walked away from their constitutional duty and chose to rubber-stamp Trump’s ‘act now, plan later’ military intervention in Venezuela."
"They are blindly endorsing the actions of a president who cannot articulate a clear mission or long-term strategy in the region, putting American troops in harm’s way, and gambling with billions of taxpayer dollars," he continued. "Trump campaigned on ending endless wars, not starting new ones. He lied to Congress and the American people, cozying up to Big Oil while hiding behind claims of combating drug trafficking just after pardoning another head of state found guilty of helping smuggle 400 tons of cocaine into our country."
“If Senate Republicans were truly ‘America First,’ they would stand up for the Constitution they swore to defend and reclaim Congress’ authority instead of once again surrendering it to an out-of-control president," Padilla added.
Advocacy groups also condemned the Senate vote.
BREAKING: The Venezuela War Powers Resolution has failed in the Senate.J.D. Vance broke a 50-50 tied vote on a point of order to discard the resolution.70% of the U.S. opposes this war.This government isn't representing them. It's representing the oil & arms industries.
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— CODEPINK (@codepink.bsky.social) January 14, 2026 at 3:51 PM
"What we saw was an effort to dissuade senators from exercising their jurisdiction over war by threatening political careers and offering nonbinding assurances the administration hopes Congress will rely on, even though its actions give Congress no reason to do so," Demand Progress senior policy adviser Cavan Kharrazian said.
"Congress’ war powers don’t rest on trust," he added, "they rest on law, and legal obligations don’t disappear because of promises."
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'Real Justice' for Renee Good Begins With Impeaching Noem, Omar Says as Protests Continue
"ICE's reckless actions have taken a mother from three children, a partner from a wife, and inflicted unfathomable pain on our community."
Jan 14, 2026
As protests against the Trump administration's immigration operations continued in Minnesota on Wednesday, a week after a federal officer fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar argued that justice for the Minneapolis woman requires impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
"Today we are honoring the life and memory of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, a writer, and a poet," Omar—whose congressional district includes Minneapolis—said outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, beside other lawmakers.
Good "had just dropped... her 6-year-old son off at school and was serving as a legal observer when she was murdered by an ICE agent in South Minneapolis," Omar said, referring to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Jonathan Ross.
"ICE's reckless actions have taken a mother from three children, a partner from a wife, and inflicted unfathomable pain on our community. My deepest condolences go out to Renee's family, friends, and anyone who loved her," the congresswoman continued. "We will not stop fighting until we achieve real justice and accountability."
According to Omar: "That must begin with impeaching Kristi Noem and ensuring no federal agent can act as a judge, jury, and executioner on our streets. It must also include [a] full and transparent investigation, and legal action against ICE."
Omar is among dozens of Democrats in the House of Representatives backing articles of impeachment against Noem for alleged obstruction of justice, violation of public trust, and self-dealing, introduced on Wednesday by Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-Ill.).
That introduction and Omar's remarks at the Capitol came as protests continued in the Twin Cities, Minneapolis and Saint Paul—which, along with Minnesota, are suing the US Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and other agencies and leaders, including Noem, to end the deployment of thousands of immigration agents to the state.
In that case, US Judge Kate Menendez, appointed to the District of Minnesota by former President Joe Biden, declined to issue a temporary restraining order on Wednesday morning. Instead, she is seeking more information from all parties by late next week.
"I think the issues are really important and I don't want to suggest by not acting immediately one way or the other that I think they are unimportant," Menendez said, according to CBS News. "To the contrary, I understand this is important to everybody."
Meanwhile, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who filed the case, joined Saint Paul students for a walkout against ICE.
The Intercept reported Wednesday that "federal agents have repeatedly invoked Good's death to threaten the lives of observers and demonstrators in Minnesota," including in an encounter with local resident Phil Maddox, who filmed a masked man with an ICE officer badge screaming into his vehicle, "Stop fucking following us."
As the outlet detailed:
Maddox pans his phone camera to reveal another agent standing by the passenger-side door with a handgun drawn. Stomping back past the car, the first agent continues his tirade, telling Maddox that he won't "like the outcome" if he follows the agents.
"You did not learn from what just happened?" the ICE agent asks. "Go home to your kids." Maddox said he immediately interpreted the question as a threat.
"They're saying, 'Get in our way and we'll shoot you,'" Maddox said. "'We have immunity, we can do what we want, and you should fear us.'"
On Monday, Pioneer Press, shared another account of an agent referring to Good's death: "Brandon Siguenza told media and detailed in a Facebook post how he and a friend, Patty O'Keefe, were taken into custody near 42nd and 16th streets in South Minneapolis on Sunday morning. He said agents sprayed pepper spray into their vehicle's vents, broke their windows and arrested them both on charges of obstruction."
According to the outlet, which covers the Twin Cities:
O'Keefe told KARE-TV that during the drive to the detention facility at the Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling, one agent told her, "You guys got to stop obstructing us, that's why that lesbian (expletive) is dead."
O'Keefe said the comment was "shocking."
As videos emerge of federal agents telling observers to stop recording them, the National Coalition Against Censorship on Tuesday reminded Americans that "the First Amendment unequivocally protects the right to observe, monitor, and take pictures and video of government officials conducting their duties in public."
Minneapolis City Council President Elliot Payne also reminded residents of their rights on Wednesday while sharing his own experience being "assaulted by ICE" with reporters. Payne said that an agent pushed him from behind on Monday, while he observed another agent pointing a taser at people on the street.
"You have the right to observe these operations," Payne stressed. "You have the right to keep your door shut. You have a right to demand a judicial warrant, and if they do not have a judicial warrant, you do not have to open your door."
In recent days, protesters, observers, and targeted Minnesotans have shared footage of federal officials demanding to see proof of citizenship, even though there is no law requiring citizens to carry that and immigration agents are barred from conducting indiscriminate searches.
Pioneer Press reported that "during questioning by investigators, Siguenza said he was told 'they could offer undocumented family members of mine legal protection if I have any (I don't), or money, in exchange for giving them the names of protest organizers, or undocumented persons. I was shocked, and told them no.'"
In a separate report, the outlet shared a story from Elizabeth Lugert-Thom, a Saint Paul resident who said that agents, who didn't identify themselves, knocked on her door and asked if she knew where Hmong and other Asian families lived nearby. She also told them she didn't know, and wrote on Facebook, "I was a bit shaken and a bit shocked of what I was asked to do."
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'A Travesty': Trump Suspends Processing of Immigrant Visas From 75 Nations
"Trump is once again using lies, racism, and xenophobia to block entire groups of people from coming and contributing to this country," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal.
Jan 14, 2026
The US State Department announced one of the Trump administration's most far-reaching efforts to restrict immigration to the country on Wednesday, saying on social media that it will pause processing of all immigrant visas from 75 countries and claiming people from those nations often receive public benefits after arriving in the US.
"The freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people," reads the statement.
The countries represent more than one-third of the 193 countries on the planet and include Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Laos, Somalia, and Sudan.
The announcement comes as the administration is seeking to expand the definition of what constitutes a "public charge"—people who are likely to utilize public benefits.
President Donald Trump and his top advisers have long been fixated on the claim that immigrants and refugees overuse social services, and the White House has particularly been focused on the use of public programs by Somali immigrants following a fraud scandal in Minnesota.
Last year, the libertarian Cato Institute published a study showing that despite Trump's claims, native-born Americans consume more public benefits than immigrants on average per capita.
Immigrants used 21% fewer welfare and public benefits than Americans born in the US, the study found.
"Trump is once again using lies, racism, and xenophobia to block entire groups of people from coming and contributing to this country," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.).
Late last year, the administration proposed a rule that would direct immigration officers to consider whether an immigrant would use programs such as Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and free and reduced-cost school lunches when deciding whether to grant them entry to the US.
A number of observers noted Wednesday that the State Department announced the visa processing freeze months before the US is set to host the World Cup—and 15 of the 42 teams that have already qualified for the soccer tournament are reportedly from countries impacted by the new policy.
A State Department official told Politico that the pause is not expected to directly affect tourist visa processing, but the outlet reported that "individuals could still face difficulties if their countries are subject to other Trump travel bans and restrictions."
The US embassies in Haiti and Iran both posted warnings about visa restrictions on their websites.
"The US should lose hosting rights," said Etan Nechin of Haaretz. "This is a travesty."
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