An Iowa Tie Might Be Bad News for Sanders

Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are so ridiculously close in Iowa that the AP still hasn't called the race. A look at what the outcome means for both campaigns:

• One common theme: The virtual tie is an OK result for Clinton but an "ominous one" for Sanders, as this New York Times analysis argues. The thinking: Iowa Democrats are a white and liberal bunch, and Sanders should have done better.
• An analysis at the Week makes a similar case, with a headline referring to Sanders' "stinging defeat." If he can't win here, he's likely in big trouble in a national race, it notes.
• Vox has a much more optimistic take about Sanders' "remarkably strong" performance and chalks it up to young voters.
• Along those lines, John Cassidy at the New Yorker calls Sanders the night's "big winner." He "confirmed his capture of the Party's under-forty wing, which means trouble for Hillary Clinton"—especially if the rising Marco Rubio ends up as the GOP nominee.

• Politico has a glum analysis for Camp Clinton: When this campaign started, Iowa was supposed to be a resounding victory, not a "tentative first step." Clinton's "inability to ride a first-class ground organization to triumph underscores the candidate's weakness and the lack of a message that resonates with primary voters."
• A similar take at the Washington Post: Sanders did well with liberals, young voters, and independents, writes Karen Tumulty. "The photo finish showed that Republicans are not the only voters looking for qualities beyond experience and electability."

(More Hillary Clinton stories.)