Politics

Trump, Sanders win New Hampshire primaries; Kasich claims second

MANCHESTER, NH —Hillary Clinton was dealt a humiliating defeat in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday, when far-left Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders deluged the once-unsinkable Democratic presidential candidate with a tsunami of angry young voters.

Hillary Clinton speaks to her supporters in Manchester, NH.Reuters

Sanders — a Brooklyn-born, self-described socialist — thumped Clinton, 60 percent to 38.4 percent, after painting her as a tool of wealthy special interests.

“Together, we have sent the message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California — and that is that the government of our great country belongs to all of the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors,” Sanders said in his victory speech.

The 74-year-old Vermont senator’s biggest support came from the 84 percent of under-30 voters who cast their ballots for him.

He did especially well among young women, getting 70 percent of the vote of those under 45 .

Meanwhile, a similar wave of voter anger at Washington insiders swept Donald Trump to a clear victory in the GOP primary.

Trump was able to regain his posture after losing to Ted Cruz in Iowa. The billionaire got 35.2 percent of the New Hampshire vote, drubbing second-place Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who got 15.9 percent.

“We learned a lot about ground games in one week!” Trump said eight days after being criticized for his poor get-out-the-vote effort in Iowa. “We are going to do something so good and so fast and so strong and the world is going to respect us again. Believe me.”

Donald Trump addresses his supporters.AP

Sanders’ victory over Clinton was so thorough that the former secretary of state conceded only moments after polls closed.

“I still love New Hampshire and I always will,” Clinton said in her concession speech. “Now we take this campaign to the entire country. We are going to fight for every vote in every state.”

Although both Trump and Sanders had led in pre-election polling, their huge victories were still a blow to the establishment and another sign that both parties could face a prolonged and bruising contest before choosing nominees.

Sanders defeated Clinton in the Granite State, where Bill Clinton staged a political resurrection in the 1992 presidential campaign.

Despite the humiliation of a victory in Iowa by the narrowest of margins and a defeat in New Hampshire, the Clinton camp said it was confident she would bounce back in South Carolina later this month.

“I know I have some work to do — particularly with young people,” Clinton admitted in her speech.

The biggest surprise for Republicans was the second place finish of Kasich, whose centrist views played well in the New England state.

John KasichGetty Images

“Tonight, the light overcame the darkness of negative campaigning,” Kasich said.

Chris Christie, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina brought up the rear.

Although Carson and Fiorina vowed to fight on, Christie sounded dejected as he prepared to return to New Jersey and reconsider his run.

“We’re gonna go home to New Jersey tomorrow and we’re going to take a deep breath,” said Christie, who was banking on a strong showing in New Hampshire.
Cruz and Jeb Bush both trailed Trump by double digits.

A probable fifth-place finish was a rude awakening for Marco Rubio, who was damaged during Saturday’s debate when he got stuck on repeat and kept using the same talking points after being attacked by Christie for doing so. By Tuesday, he was being trailed by hecklers dressed up as robots.

After coming into New Hampshire looking like the establishment favorite, Rubio’s performance gave other establishment candidates new reasons to stay in the race.

“Our disappointment is on me,” Rubio said Tuesday night. “I did not do well on Saturday night. That will never happen again.”

On Fox News, Trump defended his calling Cruz a “pussy” for the Texas senator’s position on waterboarding, saying he was just repeating what a woman said at the rally.

“It wasn’t overly bad. And I have to tell you, the woman shouted and shouted and I said, OK, I’m gonna do it — it was like a retweet, so I would never say a word like that,” Trump said.

“By the way, can I tell you what? The audience went crazy, standing ovation,” Trump added. “Five thousand people went nuts — they loved it. And you know we were having fun, and that’s what I mean about being politically correct. Every once in a while, you can have a little fun, don’t you think?”

But Trump said if he becomes president, he said he would steer clear of vulgar language.

Chris ChristieReuters

“When you’re president, or if you’re about to be president, you would act differently,” he told NBC.

Jeb BushReuters

Carson, who flew home to Florida after the Iowa caucuses before heading to New Hampshire, sounded ready to throw in the towel.

In a TV interview, he said he’d be willing to be Trump’s running mate.

“I certainly would sit down and discuss it with him,” Carson told Fox Business News before the polls closed. “I would have to have major philosophical alignment with whoever it was. I would have to have guarantees that I could do some substantial things.”

The campaign now heads to South Carolina, which holds its GOP primary Feb. 20 and Democratic contest Feb. 27. The electorate is much different there than in New Hampshire, and in some ways more representative of the country.

Trump and Clinton hold commanding poll leads in the latest Real Clear Politics average in South Carolina.

Additional reporting by Marisa Schultz

Watch supporters cheer as Bernie Sanders is declared the winner: