In Iowa, anxiety and unpredictability cloud caucus finish

On the eve of the Iowa caucuses, Democratic presidential candidates hustled across the state trying to fire up voters and make a last appeal to those struggling to make a final decision about their choice in the crowded field.

Speaking to several hundred supporters in Cedar Rapids on Feb. 2, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders declared "we are the campaign of energy and excitement" and said "we are in a position to win tomorrow night."

Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, talked up his newcomer status, telling a rally in Coralville that when Democrats have won the White House in the past, "we have done it with someone who is new in national politics."

But former Vice President Joe Biden, emphasizing his decades of Washington experience, told voters there's no time for "on-the-job training." Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren pressed her supporters to "fight back" if they ever lose hope.

Underlying the bold pronouncements, campaigns and voters acknowledged a palpable sense of unpredictability and anxiety as Democrats begin selecting which candidate to send on to a November face-off with President Donald Trump. The Democratic race is unusually large and jumbled heading into Feb. 3's caucus. Four candidates were locked in a fight for victory in Iowa; others were in position to pull off surprisingly strong finishes.

"This is going to go right down to the last second," said Symone Sanders, a senior adviser to Biden's campaign.

Polls show Biden in a close race in Iowa with Sanders, Warren and Buttigieg. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang are also competing aggressively in the state.

Democrats' deep disdain for Trump has put many in the party on edge about the decision....