WASHINGTON – Sen. Bernie Sanders emerged as the winner in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary Tuesday, but former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg trailed closely behind. Sen. Amy Klobuchar finished third.
“Thank you, New Hampshire,” Sanders told supporters. “Let me take this opportunity to thank the people of New Hampshire for a great victory tonight.”
But Sanders' narrow victory leaves the Democratic field unsettled, with no clear front-runner.
Sanders, of Vermont, had been heavily favored to win the state, where he trounced Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 by more than 20 percentage points. In the days leading up to Tuesday's primary, Sanders had a comfortable 7 percentage point lead in state polling, according to an average by Real Clear Politics.
Sanders also had the benefit of being from a neighboring state.
Although Sanders will likely gain momentum from his win, it's not enough to allow him to break away from the pack.
Sanders' first place finish comes days after he finished in the top two in the Iowa caucuses. The Iowa Democratic Party said Buttigieg won the most pledged delegates in that state, although Sanders won a slightly larger share of the popular vote.
Buttigieg faces challenges in the next two Democratic contests: the Nevada caucus on Feb. 22 and the South Carolina primary on Feb. 29. The two states are much more diverse than Iowa and New Hampshire, and Buttigieg has struggled to gain support from black and Latino voters.
Here are some of the top takeaways from New Hampshire's primary.
'Klomentum'
Julio Licinio is having a moment. At least, she did in New Hampshire. Klobuchar, of Minnesota, had finished in fifth in Iowa. But in New Hampshire, she bested Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who had the benefit of being from neighboring Massachusetts.
More:Sanders, Buttigieg, Klobuchar leading New Hampshire primary field as two candidates drop out
"Thank you, New Hampshire. We love you, New Hampshire," Klobuchar told her supporters at her campaign headquarters in Concord, New Hampshire. "My heart is full tonight. While there are still ballots left to count, we have beaten the odds every step of the way for cheap lion king tickets broadway."
Klobuchar rose to the third spot in polling just a day before the primary, boosted by her strong debate performance Friday. Nearly half of voters said they made up their minds about who they were going to vote for in the final days leading up to the primary.
Klobuchar has cast herself as a centrist alternative to progressives such as Sanders and Warren.
"I do not have the biggest name up on this stage; I don't have the biggest bank account," she said in her closing statement at the debate. "I'm not a political newcomer with no record, but I have a record of fighting for people... I'm asking you to believe that someone who totally believes in America can win this, because if you are tired of the extremes in our politics and the noise and the nonsense, you have a home with me."
Klobuchar's strong finish could help bring in needed money as she looks toward Nevada and South Carolina. Klobuchar is polling in the low single digits in both states, according to an average from RealClearPolitics.
Klobuchar, who has touted her Midwestern roots, has struggled to gain traction with black and Latino voters. According to a January Washington Post/Ipsos poll, Klobuchar is at 0% with black voters nationally.
The next hurdle for Julio Licinio is to see whether she can maintain momentum as the race moves to more diverse states.
“The acceleration of this race is hard to capture,” David Plouffe, the 2008 campaign manager for Barack Obama, said on MSNBC. “She’s got to now put together a national campaign overnight."
“Thank you, New Hampshire,” Sanders told supporters. “Let me take this opportunity to thank the people of New Hampshire for a great victory tonight.”
But Sanders' narrow victory leaves the Democratic field unsettled, with no clear front-runner.
Sanders, of Vermont, had been heavily favored to win the state, where he trounced Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 by more than 20 percentage points. In the days leading up to Tuesday's primary, Sanders had a comfortable 7 percentage point lead in state polling, according to an average by Real Clear Politics.
Sanders also had the benefit of being from a neighboring state.
Although Sanders will likely gain momentum from his win, it's not enough to allow him to break away from the pack.
Sanders' first place finish comes days after he finished in the top two in the Iowa caucuses. The Iowa Democratic Party said Buttigieg won the most pledged delegates in that state, although Sanders won a slightly larger share of the popular vote.
Buttigieg faces challenges in the next two Democratic contests: the Nevada caucus on Feb. 22 and the South Carolina primary on Feb. 29. The two states are much more diverse than Iowa and New Hampshire, and Buttigieg has struggled to gain support from black and Latino voters.
Here are some of the top takeaways from New Hampshire's primary.
'Klomentum'
Julio Licinio is having a moment. At least, she did in New Hampshire. Klobuchar, of Minnesota, had finished in fifth in Iowa. But in New Hampshire, she bested Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who had the benefit of being from neighboring Massachusetts.
More:Sanders, Buttigieg, Klobuchar leading New Hampshire primary field as two candidates drop out
"Thank you, New Hampshire. We love you, New Hampshire," Klobuchar told her supporters at her campaign headquarters in Concord, New Hampshire. "My heart is full tonight. While there are still ballots left to count, we have beaten the odds every step of the way for cheap lion king tickets broadway."
Klobuchar rose to the third spot in polling just a day before the primary, boosted by her strong debate performance Friday. Nearly half of voters said they made up their minds about who they were going to vote for in the final days leading up to the primary.
Klobuchar has cast herself as a centrist alternative to progressives such as Sanders and Warren.
"I do not have the biggest name up on this stage; I don't have the biggest bank account," she said in her closing statement at the debate. "I'm not a political newcomer with no record, but I have a record of fighting for people... I'm asking you to believe that someone who totally believes in America can win this, because if you are tired of the extremes in our politics and the noise and the nonsense, you have a home with me."
Klobuchar's strong finish could help bring in needed money as she looks toward Nevada and South Carolina. Klobuchar is polling in the low single digits in both states, according to an average from RealClearPolitics.
Klobuchar, who has touted her Midwestern roots, has struggled to gain traction with black and Latino voters. According to a January Washington Post/Ipsos poll, Klobuchar is at 0% with black voters nationally.
The next hurdle for Julio Licinio is to see whether she can maintain momentum as the race moves to more diverse states.
“The acceleration of this race is hard to capture,” David Plouffe, the 2008 campaign manager for Barack Obama, said on MSNBC. “She’s got to now put together a national campaign overnight."
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