Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire Democratic Primary, holding off a strong challenge from former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg. The two were also atop the leaderboard in last week’s Iowa caucuses.
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar capitalized on a strong debate performance to place third in New Hampshire, ahead of Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden.
Despite the lingering uncertainty over the official Iowa results, the caucuses did appear to provide a boost – particularly for Buttigieg. Klobuchar’s strong debate performance also moved the needle, as she was an equally-popular choice among late deciders.
Much like in Iowa, more New Hampshire voters preferred a candidate promising fundamental change than one who would restore the political system to its pre-Trump state. That spelled trouble for Biden in particular, whose core pitch to voters centered on a return to the politics of the Obama era.
Voters who wanted fundamental change broke heavily for Sanders (38 percent), while “restore” voters went primarily for Buttigieg (28 percent) and Klobuchar (23 percent) rather than the former vice president (14 percent).
Some of the push for fundamental change may be economic. Less than two-in-ten primary voters (17 percent) said they are getting ahead financially, and an overwhelming majority think the country’s economic system is unfair to most people.
Voters who think the economy is unfair preferred Sanders (34 percent) – including 44 percent of those who think the economy is very unfair.
Those who think things are generally fair opted for Buttigieg (26 percent).
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04.25.2024