MANCHESTER, New Hampshire — Bernie Sanders’s status as the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nomination front-runner is on better footing following his win in New Hampshire.
The 78-year-old Vermont senator met expectations on Tuesday night after earning 26.1% of the vote in the New Hampshire primary with 86% of precincts reporting.
“Let me take the opportunity to thank the people of New Hampshire for a great victory tonight,” he said in Manchester over chants of “Bernie beats Trump.” “No matter who wins, we are going to unite together and defeat the most dangerous president in the history of the country.”
Sanders’s victory places him in good stead for the Nevada caucuses, which will be held on Feb. 22. It was also a face-saving result. After months of touting his ability to turnout supporters, the veteran White House candidate lost the delegate race in Iowa to former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, though he defeated him in the popular vote.
The win in New Hampshire should, in many ways, come as no surprise. Sanders defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton here in the 2016 primary by double-digits, commanding more than 60% of the vote. Aided by his reputation as a senator from a neighboring state, Sanders was the presumed favorite by political strategists and betting markets.
In the week leading up to Election Day, Sanders and Buttigieg exchanged barbs in hopes of wooing over the high number of undecideds and ginning up enthusiasm in their respective bases, with both claiming victory in Iowa.
“At a moment when our country is so divided, we can’t risk further polarizing the American people,” Buttigieg said on Monday. “That’s why I’m very concerned about the suggestion that either you got to be for revolution or you must be for the status quo because that vision of politics as all or nothing is a vision that most of us can’t see where we fit in.”
In response, Sanders hit Buttigieg over the many wealthy donors funding his campaign and boasted about his lack of support from billionaires.
For Marcus Ponce de Leon, 39, the competition between Sanders and Buttigieg was “kind of” surprising, but he harbored no doubts the senator would prevail given his platform and name recognition.
“I’m happy that we’re not disappointed,” the healthcare executive, who backed Sanders in 2016, told the Washington Examiner. “Honestly, I think it’s the news media that’s boosting Pete Buttigieg’s performance. If they weren’t giving him so much airtime right now, he wouldn’t be coming close to Bernie, and, at the same time, they’re denying the airtime Bernie should be getting.”
Steven Norton, 60, was a late convert to Sanders after first belonging to Elizabeth Warren’s camp but defected because of Sanders’s sincerity, passion, and plans. Following speculation there would be record turnout, the Londonderry semiretired teacher wondered whether the electorate was exhausted, disenchanted, and overwhelmed by the daily news cycle.
“I’m hoping it’s not all a pipe dream,” he said.
The Democratic field, however, remains crowded. Although Sanders garnered 26.7% of the vote, his failure to deliver a majority result will leave many of his rivals, including Buttigieg, with the impression the contest is still wide open.
Polls out of Nevada are few and far between, with the latest from early January showing former Vice President Joe Biden with a lead of 1 percentage point over Sanders, at 19% of the vote. Following Biden’s performance on Tuesday, his support is expected to drop. A RealClearPolitics average of recent surveys showed Sanders’s share at 17.5%. Buttigieg averages 7% in the state.
