“A basic rule of presidential primaries is that the more quickly the field winnows, the sooner the eventual winner can reach the majority of delegates necessary to win the nomination.
We’ve seen a version of this before.
In 2016, a charismatic New Yorker with a devoted following nearly won the Iowa caucuses and won New Hampshire. A divided field kept voters from uniting around a single alternative. And his rivals remained in the race well into the spring.
His name? Donald J. Trump.”
– Lisa Lerer, The New York Times
New Hampshire Primary
Bernie Sanders won the Democratic presidential primary in New Hampshire on Tuesday night. With 97% of precincts reporting, Sanders received 25.9% of the vote, followed by Pete Buttigieg with 24.4% and Amy Klobuchar with 19.8%. No other candidate received more than 10% of the vote.
Since Democratic candidates must receive more than 15% of the vote to be considered viable, only the three top finishers will be allocated pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Sanders and Buttigieg are projected to receive nine delegates each. Klobuchar is projected to receive six.
Democratic voter turnout surpassed 2016 election levels by roughly 30,000 and was slightly trailing the 2008 election by 5,000 with 3% of precincts still out.
Donald Trump won the Republican primary with 85.7% support. He is projected to earn at least 20 of the state’s 22 delegates. Bill Weld came in second with 9.1% of the vote.
Michael Bennetended his presidential campaign on Tuesday night. He said, “I love our country. I love the idea of democracy. And I want to pass it on to the next generation. I feel nothing but joy tonight as we conclude this campaign and this chapter. Tonight wasn’t our night. But New Hampshire, you may see me once again.”
Joe Biden held a South Carolina launch party in Columbia on Tuesday night, where he spoke to his New Hampshire supporters via livestream. Louisiana Senate Democratic Chairman Troy Carter Sr. endorsed Biden on Tuesday.
Rep. Lucy McBath (Ga.) endorsedMichael Bloomberg on Wednesday. Bloomberg advisers met with members of the Blue Dog Coalition, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Black Caucus on Feb. 7.
Andrew Yangended his presidential campaign on Tuesday night. He said in a speech to supporters, “While there is great work left to be done, you know I am the math guy, and it is clear tonight from the numbers that we are not going to win this race. I am not someone who wants to accept donations and support in a race that we will not win.”
Republicans
Donald Trumpadvisers discussed the state of the Democratic primary with NBC News.
Bill Weld said he will remain in the race through the Super Tuesday primaries.
