The debacle in Iowa has produced delayed results and a flurry of questions about the Democratic Party’s capacity to hold a fair and transparent primary process.

But in the midst of it all, exit polls point to a surprise winner that wasn’t even on the ballot: Medicare for All (M4A). According to polling conducted by Edison Research, some 57 percent of Iowa caucusgoers favor a single-payer system that eliminates private insurance, compared to 38 percent opposed.

Much of the recent commentary surrounding the health-care policy debate has noted a drop in support for M4A among Democrats — albeit in the wake of a concerted industry effort to undermine it that’s been taken up, directly and indirectly, by many candidates running for the party’s presidential nomination.