Biden vows to press on despite Iowa 'gut punch'

Washington, Feb 6 (IANS) Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has vowed to continue despite his poor performance in this week's Iowa's caucuses, the party's first 2020 leadership vote, which he said was a "gut punch", it was reported on Thursday.

Addressing an audience on Wednesday in New Hampshire, the former Vice President said: "I'm not going to sugarcoat it... This isn't the first time in my life I've been knocked down," the BBC reported.

With most results declared in Monday's glitch-plagued caucuses, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg (26.4 per cent) and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (25.7 per cent) were neck and neck.

But Biden said on Wednesday: "I'm not going anywhere."

He also sharpened his attacks, targeting the two Democratic front-runners by name.

"We need a nominee who can help Democrats up and down the ticket," he said, suggesting that self-described socialist Sanders would be unelectable in a general election.

Biden also said it would be a "risk" to nominate 38-year-old Buttigieg, "someone who's never held an office higher than mayor of a town of 100,000 people", the BBC reported.

According to partial results from Iowa, Biden has failed to pick up a single one of the delegates needed to clinch the Democratic White House nomination under the caucus system.

New Hampshire will be the next state to vote on February 11 in a string of nationwide votes culminating with the crowning of the party's presidential candidate in July.

Eleven contenders remain in the race to challenge President Donald Trump in the November 3 election.

Biden, who remains the front-runner nationally, is hoping to shine in later primary contests with more diverse electorates, such as Nevada or South Carolina.