Here are 3 early thoughts on the Iowa Caucuses. Perhaps the last of its kind.

Whatever you think, no one saw this coming.

At the time of writing (09.00 Iowa time), there are no results in the Iowa Caucuses some 14 hours after they began. Due to the new rules, agreed to by all candidates, this year’s Caucuses were always going to be more complicated than normal, but this is unprecedented.

Multiple metrics of ‘success’ including state delegate equivalents, first alignment, second alignment, then final pledged delegates coupled with ‘softer wins’, like flipping Trump precincts could also complicate the picture. Something compounded by the still large field, where the performance of at least five or six candidates were going to be influential in the final outcome.

But the problem no one saw stems from an app called Shadow, designed to make data collection more efficient and accurate. On Caucus night though, a number of precincts ‘reported major problems in attempting to download the application and upload the results’. Local Democrats resorted to calling into the state party, causing even more delay. Some, live on air with Wolf Blitzer. So we are here: no results.

Whatever you thought twenty-hours ago, no one predicted this.