Bernie Sanders looks to take on US President Donald Trump as current front runner
Firebrand far-left candidate Bernie Sanders has surged to the front of the Democratic pack, labelling his victory at the New Hampshire primary “the beginning of the end for Donald Trump”.
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Firebrand far-left candidate Bernie Sanders has surged to the front of the Democratic pack racing to take on US President Donald Trump, with former vice president Joe Biden fleeing the state before polling closed in the crucial New Hampshire primary.
The vote on Tuesday, local time, confirmed self-described socialist Mr Sanders as frontrunner and mirrored the results of national polling, a week after he all-but tied for the lead in Iowa with former Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg.
Washington outsider Buttigieg, a moderate who at 38 is the youngest presidential contender (Mr Sanders, at 78, is the oldest), ran a tight second to Mr Sanders.
Most pollsters called the race with 86 per cent of the ballot counted, with Mr Buttigieg holding 24.3 per cent and Mr Sanders 26.1 per cent of the New Hampshire vote.
“This victory here is the beginning of the end for Donald Trump,” Mr Sanders said.
“The reason that we are going to win is that we have an unprecedented grassroots movement, from coast to coast of millions of people.”
In the 2016 race, Mr Sanders won 60 per cent of the New Hampshire vote in a two-way contest before eventually losing the candidacy to Hillary Clinton.
In New Hampshire, former Minnesota prosecutor Amy Klobuchar (19.8 per cent) confirmed her status as the party’s new rising star, coming third to Mr Buttigieg and further establishing her credentials as a centrist with the potential to sway swing voters.
“Hello America, I’m Amy Klobuchar and I will beat Donald Trump,” she said at a rally.
“Donald Trump’s worst nightmare is that the people in the middle, the people who have had enough of the name calling, of the mud slinging, have someone to vote for in November.”
The tight race points to a months-long primary battle, with big-spending New York billionaire candidate Michael Bloomberg not even on the ballot, having sat out February’s first four contests to focus on Super Tuesday in March, and rising in recent polling.
The results were a blow to Mr Biden, who came fifth to the progressive Senator Elizabeth Warren (9.4 per cent), compared to Mr Biden’s 8.4 per cent.
Mr Biden sensed doom early and cancelled his post-vote party in New Hampshire to head to South Carolina, where his campaign is hoping to build on a firewall of black support in the southern state.
Iowa and New Hampshire are more than 90 per cent white, and Mr Biden said “you can’t win the nomination without the support of black and brown people”.
“We just heard from the first two of 50 states, two of them,” he said.
“Where I come from, that’s the opening bell, not the closing bell, and the fight to end Donald Trump’s presidency is just beginning.”
The New Hampshire primary vote took on extra significance after last week’s disaster at the Iowa caucuses failed to elect a clear winner between Mr Buttigieg and Mr Sanders, and provide its usual winnowing of the field.
Disappointing results in the first two primaries prompted the withdrawal of popular tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang, who had championed a universal basic income of US$1000 (AUD$1460) a month, and little known Senator Michael Bennet.
“I am the math guy, and it’s clear from the numbers we’re not going to win this campaign,” Mr Yang said.
“So tonight I’m announcing that I am suspending my campaign.”
Ms Warren was one of the first candidates to speak after voting closed, urging unity among those remaining.
“The fight between factions in our party has taken a sharp turn in recent weeks, with ads mocking other candidates and with supporters of some candidates shouting curses about other Democratic candidates,” she said.
“These harsh tactics might work if you’re willing to burn down the rest of the party in order to be the last man standing.”
Originally published as Bernie Sanders looks to take on US President Donald Trump as current front runner
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