Sen. Bernie Sanders edges Pete Buttigieg to win New Hampshire Democratic primary, according to projections

Show Caption Hide Caption Democratic debate post-Iowa had candidates trading blows in New Hampshire The debate between the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary had some Democratic candidates landing blows, and some making strides.

Bernie Sanders won New Hampshire’s Democratic primary Tuesday, edging Pete Buttigieg in the Democrats’ presidential nominating contest after last week’s muddled results in the Iowa caucuses, according to projections by media outlets.

Less than 1 percent of the pledged delegates to the national convention were at stake, an even smaller number than in Iowa. But the first two states typically winnow the race and define the frontrunners after voters in the small states have spent months kicking the tires on all the campaigns.

“Thank you, New Hampshire,” Sanders said. “Let me take this opportunity to thank the people of New Hampshire for a great victory tonight.”

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar was on pace to finish a strong third.

And since 1972, no Democratic candidate finishing lower than second in the New Hampshire primary has gone on to win the nomination. In the last six contested Democratic primaries, New Hampshire voted for the party’s eventual nominee half the time.

Next up are the Feb. 22 caucuses in Nevada, a state with a more racially diverse population than the first two and one where labor unions play an outsized role. South Carolina’s primary is Feb. 29.

We just won the New Hampshire primary. What we have done together here is nothing short of the beginning of a political revolution. Join us live at our primary night rally in Manchester! https://t.co/OmKd1xIumv — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 12, 2020

In California, the state with the largest cache of delegates at stake, early ballots have already been mailed to voters. California’s results will be tallied as part of Super Tuesday on March 3, when a third of all delegates will be awarded.

- Maureen Groppe

Buttigieg: We are here to stay

As networks called a narrow victory for Bernie Sanders, second-place finisher Pete Buttigieg thanked New Hampshire for validating his campaign.

“Thanks to you,” he said, “a campaign that some say shouldn’t be here at all has shown that we are here to stay.”

Buttigieg called for a debate over which candidate has the best vision for how to win the White House and unify the country, countering his rivals without citing them by name.

“We must get this right,” he said. “Let’s welcome that debate.”

While all Democrats share the goals of “bringing balance” to the economy and health care to everyone, along with attacking climate change and gun violence, he said, there are different views on how to get there.

In an implicit swipe at Sanders, Buttigieg said that the politics of “my way or the highway” is not the way to defeat Trump.

He also addressed the criticism from Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar – who finished a surprising third -- and former Vice President Joe Biden – who left without winning any delegates -- that he doesn’t have enough experience to be president. While some might dismiss him as a naïve newcomer, he said, a fresh outlook is what makes things possible and is how you build “a new majority.”

Although Buttigieg didn’t win New Hampshire, his close second was stunning, considering that he was a virtual unknown a year ago. And Sanders was the New Hampshire favorite going into Tuesday because he won the state with more than 60% in the 2016 primary.

The contest came after Buttigieg picked up more delegates than Sanders in the Iowa caucuses, according to the Iowa Democratic Party.

“Who would have predicted six months ago that the race in N.H. would end in a fight to the finish between @BernieSanders and @PeteButtigieg?” tweeted David Axelrod, who was chief strategist for Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns. “The former South Bend mayor is having another big night, putting more wind in the sails of his improbable quest.”

- Maureen Groppe

Trump mocks ‘Impeachment King’ Steyer and rest of Democratic field

WASHINGTON – With all eyes on New Hampshire, what is the leader of the free world supposed to do?

If you’re Donald Trump, you take to Twitter and offer a rolling color commentary on the Democratic field as results roll in from the first-in-the-nation presidential primary.

“A lot of Democrat dropouts tonight, very low political I.Q.,” Trump wrote after entrepreneur Andrew Yang and Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet ended their presidential campaigns following a poor showing in the New Hampshire primary.

Trump tore into a favorite target – Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who called for Democrats to unite as she headed for a disappointing fourth-place finish.

“Elizabeth Warren, sometimes referred to as Pocahontas, is having a really bad night,” he tweeted. “I think she is sending signals that she wants out. Calling for unity is her way of getting there, going home, and having a ‘nice cold beer’ with her husband!”

Trump ripped businessman Tom Steyer, who before jumping into the Democratic primary founded and pumped millions of dollars into a group calling for Trump to be impeached.

With more than two-thirds of the vote reported, Steyer appeared headed for a distant sixth-place finish.

“Impeachment King Steyer (how did that work out?) spent 200 Million Dollars and got less than 1% of the vote in Iowa, and only 3% of the Vote in New Hampshire,” Trump gloated. “Could it be that something is just plain missing? Not easy to do what I did, is it?”

Trump even went after former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who wasn’t on the New Hampshire ballot.

“A very bad night for Mini Mike!” he tweeted.

Just a few hours earlier, Trump-branded Bloomberg a “lightweight,” accused him of trying to buy the Democratic primary, and said he’d rather run against him than Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in November.

“Sanders has real followers,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office “Whether you like him or not, whether you agree with him or not – I happen to think it’s terrible what he says – but he has followers. Bloomberg is just buying his way in.”

- Michael Collins

Amy Klobuchar: Tonight is about grit

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar presented herself as one of New Hampshire’s famous comeback kids Tuesday night, as incomplete results showed she would finish in the top three in the first-in-the-nation primary.

“Tonight is about grit,” Klobuchar told her cheering supporters as she stood in front of a large, green “Amy” sign. “And my story, like so many of yours, is one of reliance.”

Counted out of the race by most people as recently as a week ago – “Thank you, pundits” she added – Klobuchar said she “came back and we delivered.”

“And, man, were we at the debate in New Hampshire!” she said.

Following a strong debate performance Friday, Klobuchar surged in the past week after her apparent fifth-place finish in Iowa. About half of those surveyed in a CNN Exit Poll said the most recent debate was an important factor in Tuesday’s vote.

Klobuchar said President Donald Trump’s worst nightmare is the “people in the middle” who have had enough of his name-calling and mud-slinging and now have someone else to vote for in November.

She promised to turn her “happy, scrappy campaign” into a movement of fired-up Democrats, independents and moderate Republicans that see the election as a check on the economy, on patriotism and decency.

It’s not about having the loudest voice or biggest bank account, she said, but the best ideas and the person who can turn those ideas into action.

But Klobuchar, whose fundraising and staffing lags far behind the other top candidates, could have a tough time replicating her success in the upcoming 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.

- Maureen Groppe

‘It ain’t over man:’ Joe Biden promises to win South Carolina

After a disappointing finish in New Hampshire, Joe Biden told a cheering South Carolina crowd Tuesday night he was counting on them to be the “opening bell” of the campaign for him.

“The fight to end Donald Trump’s presidency is just beginning,” the former vice president said, speaking at a launch party in Columbia.

Biden touted the importance of the next two elections: the Nevada caucuses on Feb. 22, and the South Carolina primary on Feb. 29.

Biden left New Hampshire even before the polls closed after predicting he would not do well in the Granite State. Having lost in Iowa and New Hampshire whites make up a disproportionate of the electorate, Biden is pinning his hopes on the “black and brown voters” in more diverse states.

“Up ‘til now, we haven’t heard from the most committed constituency in the Democratic Party, the African American community. And the fastest-growing segment of society, the Latino community,” he said. “So to hear all these pundits and experts, all these cable TV talkers talk about the race, tell them: ‘it ain’t over, man. We’re just getting started. Our votes count too’.”

Unofficial election results show Biden fishing in fifth in New Hampshire after a disappointing fourth-place finish in the Iowa Democratic caucuses last week. Even he conceded Sunday he won't be in the winner's circle when the Granite State finishes counting ballots in its first-in-the-nation primary.

"It's a long race," he said during Friday's debate in Manchester. "I took a hit in Iowa, and I'll probably take a hit here."

A poor showing in New Hampshire is traditionally a death knell. Since 1972, no Democratic candidate who finished lower than second has gone on to win the presidential nomination.

- Ledyard King

Sanders, Buttigieg, Klobuchar leading New Hampshire primary field

Three candidates – Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar – were leading the board as the results came in.

MSNBC projected that those are the only three who will end up with pledged delegates when the results are final.

Sanders, the Vermont senator who won New Hampshire handily in the 2016 primary, was at the top.

Buttigieg and Klobuchar were closely behind.

“Looks like Bernie will win but not like he did in 2016,” tweeted Joe Lockhart, who was former President Bill Clinton’s press secretary. “State of the race no clearer tonight.”

Although no candidate is likely to leave New Hampshire with the frontrunner title, the primary did narrow the field. Two candidates – Andrew Yang and Michael Bennet – suspended their campaigns before the results were final.

- Maureen Groppe

Gabbard says she will continue her campaign in South Carolina

Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard told supporters that she will stay in the primary race and continue on to South Carolina after a projected disappointing finish in New Hampshire.

“No matter what happens here tonight, I want you to know that we have already been victorious because of what we have built here, together." Gabbard, who relocated from Hawaii to New Hampshire in December to focus on the primary, said in a speech Tuesday night. “As much as they have tried to erase us from this election, we stand strong. We are still here."

Gabbard’s campaign is planning multiple events tomorrow in South Carolina.

- Savannah Behrmann

Sanders supporters feeling confident

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Loud cheers erupted from Sanders supporters at his election night party, held in a basketball gym on the campus of Southern New Hampshire University, when CNN showed him in first with 28 percent of the vote.

The crowd, many waving “Bernie” signs, counted down, “5, 4, 3, 2, 1!” as polls closed and then broke into chants of, “Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!” They continued to cheer as votes trickled in and Sanders’ lead maintained.

“I believe in the movement, I believe in the cause and I believe it’s time to take America back by the people and for the people,” said Scott Dakota, a 55-year-old musician and composer from Keene, New Hampshire, positioned directly in front of the stage where Sanders will be speaking.

“No recent Democrat nor Republican recent candidate has made sense to me until Bernie Sanders came along,” said Dakota, a campaign volunteer who opened his house as a canvassing station. “Bernie Sanders brought me back into politics.”

John Thyng, 47, of Deering, N.H., wearing a purple SEIU Local 1984 sweatshirt, said he’s hopeful Sanders’ performance in New Hampshire will “set the stage for the rest of the country.”

“He’s great for workers, working people, and we need to make a change,” Thyng said. “We need a revolution and he’s the person who’s going to help us do it.”

He added: “There’s a lot of people who have been trying to pull Bernie down here in New Hampshire, a lot of the political establishment, but people want change and he’s going to bring the change that we need.”

Standing next to Thyng, Ruth Simcox, 69, a volunteer from Bloomington, Indiana, said she’s been volunteering in New Hampshire since last Thursday, mostly helping with canvassing. She said she talked to many Sanders supporters who “after Iowa, they’re planning on this being a big night for us.”

“I think Bernie Sanders is one of the truest, honest candidates we’ve had in a long time,” Simcox said. “He’s for the people, not for the money.”

She said she feels good about the results that have come in so far and that it will hold up. “I’m sure they will,” she said.

Warren campaign looking ahead as she falls behind in New Hampshire

Elizabeth Warren spoke to a New Hampshire crowd as she was projected not to crack the 15% threshold required to receive delegates in the first-in-the-nation primary.

Sanders, Buttigieg and Klobuchar are projected to land in the top three slots. But Warren said her campaign is still looking to the remaining primaries.

Warren said she respects the Sanders and Buttigieg, and “I also want to congratulate my friend and colleague Amy Klobuchar for showing just how wrong the pundits can be when they count a woman out.”

“Senator Sanders and Mayor Buttigieg are both great people and either of them would be a far better president than Donald Trump.”

Undeterred, Warren said her campaign would unite the Democratic Party and the country behind ideas that accomplish structural change, making life better for the majority of Americans.

“Our campaign is best positioned to beat Donald Trump in November, because we can unite our party.

She also decried “harsh tactics” of attacking fellow candidates in ads and “supporters shouting curses,” and urged the party to avoid falling into “factions.”

“We’re two states in, with 55 states and territories to go. We still have 98% of the delegates for our nomination up for grabs, and Americans in every part of our country are going to make their voices heard.”

-Jeanine Santucci

Michael Bennet ends campaign for president

Sen. Michael Bennet, who joined the presidential race after a fiery speech on the Senate floor during the government shutdown last year, has ended his bid for the presidency, according to the Associated Press.

Bennet had staked much of campaign's future on the New Hampshire primary, forgoing months of campaigning in other early states to stick to the Granite State.

But Tuesday's early results showed Bennet trailing his top-tier rivals by double-digits.

Andrew Yang ends his campaign for presidency

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Andrew Yang, an entrepreneur whose signature policy included giving all adults a monthly stipend, has ended his quest for the presidency, according to several news outlets.

"I'm so proud of this campaign. Thank you to everyone who got us here," he tweeted Tuesday shortly after polls closed.

Yang's candidacy comes to an end following an unexpected rise last year, where he outlasted a New York City mayor, former and current governors, and even several U.S. senators in his quest for the presidency. Despite being relatively unknown when he first announced his candidacy, Yang grew an energetic and passionate base – known as the Yang Gang – that propelled him into a household name.

Yang, 45, is the founder of the nonprofit Venture for America, and before announcing his campaign for presidency, had never run for elected office before. The Obama administration selected him in 2012 as a “Champion of Change” and in 2015 as a Presidential Ambassador for “Global Entrepreneurship.”

New Hampshire Democratic primary voters prioritize electability over issues

Most New Hampshire voters participating in the first-in-the-nation Democratic primary Tuesday are “angry” with the Trump administration, support a Medicare-for-All style health care plan, and think the nominee’s most important quality is the ability to beat President Donald Trump in November, according to an exit poll conducted for CNN and other television networks.

Surveys of voters taken before polls closed in the Granite State provide an early indication of what’s motivating people as they fill out their ballots.

The exit poll, conducted by Edison Research for the National Election Pool, are based on interviews conducted throughout the day with 1,947 randomly selected Democratic primary voters at 45 wards in New Hampshire. Results for the full sample have a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Among their findings:

Nearly half who say they decided on their candidate did so only in the past few days, a sign of how in flux the Democratic field is.

About half said Friday’s debate in Manchester was an important factor in deciding their vote for president.

By a roughly 2-1 margin, voters said they are looking for a candidate who can beat President Trump over one who agrees with them on the issues, echoing similar trends found in previous voter surveys.

Eight in 10 say they're "angry" about the Trump administration.

About four in 10 cited health care as the most important issue, and six in 10 said they could support a single-government plan, such as Medicare for All, a program outed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Climate change was the next most often cited issue with about 3 in 10 naming it their top concern.

The exit polls also showed two trends that could be warning signs for Sanders, according to MS-NBC

About a third of voters were 65 or older, compared to only 11% between 18 and 29. In addition, about four in 10 identified themselves as moderates or conservatives compared to about two in ten who called themselves “very liberal.”

Progressives and younger voters have been the core of Sanders’ support.

- Ledyard King

Trump says he’d like to run against ‘lightweight’ Bloomberg

President Donald Trump offered his thoughts on the Democratic presidential field on Tuesday just a couple of hours before polls closed in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary.

Trump mocked former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as “lightweight” and accused him of trying to buy the Democratic nomination.

“He’s also one of the worst debaters I’ve ever seen,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Trump said he’d rather face Bloomberg in November than Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

“Sanders has real followers,” Trump said. “Whether you like him or not, whether you agree with him or not – I happen to think it’s terrible what he says – but he has followers. Bloomberg is just buying his way in.”

Asked about former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign, Trump said: “It’s stumbling. It’s mumbling. Not pretty."

But Trump said he thought Biden still had time to turn his campaign around.

“It’s not going to be easy,” Trump said, but “I think he can turn it around. I think he has a shot. He’s got probably almost as good a shot as anyone. But he’s going to have to work very hard – much harder than they thought.”

- Michael Collins

Democratic strategists will be watching closely after muddled Iowa results

All eyes will be on participation in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary as Democratic strategists wrestle with the consequential uncertainty of whether voters are already tuning out with nine months left on the election calendar.

Lower-than-expected participation in the Feb. 3 Iowa caucuses and arena-packed crowds at President Donald Trump’s rallies that have eclipsed those of his rivals – including one on the eve of the New Hampshire primary – have rattled some and undermined the early narrative that Democrats are so energized after losing in 2016 that they’re ready to show up in droves in 2020.

The Granite State’s participation in Tuesday’s primary could portend whether Democrats are facing the same enthusiasm headwinds that worked against Hillary Clinton four years ago.

“Democrats can’t just take it for granted that we’ll have an enthusiasm advantage in November,” said Josh Schwerin with Priorities USA Action, a political action committee that supports Democratic candidates. “Just having Trump on the ballot isn’t enough.”

A higher turnout in New Hampshire would allay concerns over the challenges facing Democrats in November, including a strong economy and volatility in their own field. But strategists warn it’s still early in the primary process, and the entire dynamic could change as the field begins to narrow and Democrats coalesce around a candidate.

Read more on whether the Democrats face an enthusiasm gap as they prepare to take on Trump.

- Courtney Subramanian and John Fritze

Warren volunteers remain confident

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Needing a strong performance in her neighboring state that overperforms her sagging projections, Elizabeth Warren thanked supporters outside a voting site here Tuesday afternoon, telling them, “We’re going to do this together.”

Warren, U.S. senator from Massachusetts, arrived to chants of “Big structural change” and “Just two cents” from dozens of her followers outside Webster Elementary School north of downtown Manchester. “We love you, Elizabeth!” one woman yelled. The senator took turns taking selfies as she greeted a line of fans that led to the school’s front-door.

“Fighting back is an act of patriotism,” Warren said to one man who called her a patriot. “That’s right!” he responded.

Warren ignored questions from reporters asking what a victory looks like Tuesday and whether she needs to win the state.

At one time, Warren was considered a strong contender in New Hampshire given its proximity to Massachusetts. But now many polls have her in fourth place, surpassed most recently by the surging Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Any finish lower than the top two would raise questions about the long-term viability of her campaign – but the campaign is already pushing back.

“After New Hampshire tonight, 98% of pledged delegates will still be up for grabs,” Warren’s campaign manager Roger Lau wrote in a campaign memo released ahead of election night. “And as the race consolidates after Super Tuesday, we expect the results to show that Elizabeth Warren is the consensus choice of the widest coalition of Democrats in every corner of the country.”

Warren’s volunteers outside the Manchester polling site said they still have confidence she can win the nomination.

“Not at all,” said Colin Pio, a Warren volunteer from Manchester, when asked whether he has concerns about her poll numbers. “Look, I worked for Hillary Clinton here in 2008. We woke up on election morning and she was down 10 points and she ended up winning. Who knows what’s going to happen?

“Frankly, I think this race is going to go on for months after months at this point. This is the tip of the iceberg.”

MaryRose Mazzola, a campaign volunteer from Boston, touted Warren’s ground game and said Warren historically outperforms her polling. She’s hopeful she can finish at least third in New Hampshire.

“Especially with third place wide open, I think she has a great shot at it,” said Mazzola, who is chief of staff for Massachusetts state Sen. Barry Finegold, a Democrat from Andover, Massachusetts.

“The chaos in Iowa has kind of led to the race continuing to be wide open,” Mazzola said. She’s a unique candidate. You see the polling where she’s a lot of people’s second as well as first choice. So, I think third would be strong and could translate, get the fundraising back up and could really spread across the country.”

- Joey Garrison

Biden will leave New Hampshire earlier than expected to go to South Carolina

WASHINGTON – Former Vice President Joe Biden will leave New Hampshire earlier than expected Tuesday to go campaign in South Carolina.

Ahead of what could be a lower finish in the Granite State, the Biden campaign announced he and his wife Jill Biden would leave New Hampshire following the conclusion of the primary, opting out of a planned event in Nashua, and travel to South Carolina.

The Bidens will instead attend a launch party with campaign co-chair Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., and address New Hampshire supporters in a livestream. According to the campaign, Joe Biden’s sister Valerie Biden Owens would thank New Hampshire campaign supporters in person.

In a statement, Biden said he had “enjoyed traveling across New Hampshire” but was “looking forward to traveling to South Carolina this evening and Nevada later this week” to hear from diverse voters. The South Carolina primary is Feb. 29.

Live results: Follow results from the New Hampshire Democratic Primary

‘I'll probably take a hit here': Biden faces big test in New Hampshire, where he’s struggling in polls

According to Bloomberg News reporter Jennifer Epstein, Biden told reporters he was "mildly hopeful here in New Hampshire" shortly after his campaign announced the change in scheduling.

The primary electorates in South Carolina and Nevada, the next two states to hold Democratic presidential primaries, are more diverse than those in New Hampshire and Iowa. Biden has maintained stronger poll numbers among minorities as he has slipped in national polls.

A national Monmouth University poll released today showed Biden dropping 14 percentage points nationally since last month, from 30% to 16%, and the RealClearPolitics average of New Hampshire polls has him tied for fourth place in the state with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

- Nicholas Wu

‘Having Trump on the ballot isn’t enough: Democrats battle to rev up enthusiasm for November

New Hampshire voters look to Sanders, Klobuchar, Buttigieg as they seek nominee to take on Trump

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., appeared to be the most popular choice among New Hampshire Democratic primary voters leaving Parker Varney School, set in a middle-class neighborhood in west Manchester, Tuesday afternoon.

But Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who has shot up in polls in recent days in New Hampshire, had converts as well.

Leaving the polls, Marilyn Muir, 88, said she decided to vote for Klobuchar following her strong televised debate performance Friday.

“She was so determined and so honest,” said Muir, who is retired. “That’s what I felt. Up to then, I hadn’t determined who I would vote for. It was between her and Biden, but I went for her.”

Muir voted for Sanders, who is 78, in 2016 but said she has concerns with his age this year. “He’d be good except that he’s too old. That’s a stress on a man that age.”

But Sean Karkos, a 29-year-old attorney, said he voted for Sanders last time and again Tuesday.

“I’ve been a supporter of his since the last election, and I haven’t seen any change in his policies or what he’s arguing for.”

He cited Sanders’ progressive causes – closing the wealth gap, pushing for equal rights and his backing of a Green New Deal – as issues that appeal to him as a voter.

“I’m confident he can beat Donald Trump. Fortunately, I think most of the people running today could.”

Sanders, who leads all the latest polls, is the overwhelming favorite to win Tuesday’s primary. He won New Hampshire in the 2016 primary by 22 percentage points. But Klobuchar has rapidly surged in the state in recent days, while former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, has enjoyed a big post-Iowa bounce as well.

Mike Barber, a former construction worker who also voted for Sanders, said he almost switched to Klobuchar at the last second, but opted to back Sanders as he did in 2016.

“I just like his passion. I like some of the things he says,” Barber, 56, said.” I don’t agree with everything he says. He just hits my instincts. I think he’s the man. People ask if he can stick up in a general election to Trump. But I absolutely think he can. That’s my biggest concern right now.”

“Socialist this, socialist that,” Barber said, dismissing criticism that Sanders is too far to the left to defeat Trump. “But he can’t do anything without Congress’s help.”

Chad Johansen, 27, a self-described moderate who voted for Sanders, backed Sanders in the 2016 primary but voted for Trump in the general election over Hillary Clinton.

“I’m a small business owner, so a lot of people focus on some of his plans that are going to increase taxes,” said Johansen, who owns a phone and tablet repair shop. “But a big thing for me is the struggle to find good reliable help especially with health care. The way it is today, I can’t compete as a small business owner with what these larger businesses can offer for health benefits.”

He said he found common ground in some of Sanders’ and Trump’s positions back in 2016, but has regret for voting for Trump. He called it “Trump-gret,” and plans to “most likely” support the Democratic nominee against Trump regardless of who that is.

“Some people like the way he acts, but I think it’s childish and he needs to keep things professional as the president of the United States.”

– Joey Garrison

Buttigieg defends electability as New Hampshire votes

Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg defended his electability in an interview with NBC's "Today" show Tuesday as voters cast their ballots in New Hampshire's primary election.

Polls have consistently shown Buttigieg with little backing among African-Americans, a group whose support former Vice President Joe Biden has touted as evidence he is best suited to become the nominee of a party that prides itself on diversity.

But Buttigieg argued that a good performance in New Hampshire, on the heels of his apparent win in the Iowa caucuses – The Associated Press has still not called that race – will give him a boost with minority voters.

"Voters of color who are laser focused on defeating this president, more than anything else, want to know that you can actually win," Buttigieg said. He said the positive results from the first two contests have given his campaign "the look that we now need as we will travel directly to states like Nevada, South Carolina and the Super Tuesday states that have a lot of racial diversity and where we can make that case eye-to-eye.”

- William Cummings

Voting has started in the New Hampshire primary

The first votes in the first-in-the-nation primary were cast just after midnight in three small New Hampshire towns on Tuesday.

In Dixville Notch, where midnight voting became a tradition in 1960, the town's remaining five residents delivered a surprise victory for former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg with three write-in votes (one from a registered Republican). The town's other two votes were split by Sen. Bernie Sanders and former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

In the nearby town of Millsfield, WMUR reported that most of the residents cast their ballots in the Republican primary, with 16 voting for the incumbent, President Donald Trump, and one for former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota received two votes, doubling the totals of Buttigieg, Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden, who got one vote each.

‘I'll probably take a hit here': Biden faces big test in New Hampshire, where he’s struggling in polls

Klobuchar also dominated in the town of Hart's Location with six votes, while Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts got four, entrepreneur Andrew Yang three and Sanders two. Biden, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and billionaire Tom Steyer each got one vote, according to the town's website. On the Republican side, Trump got 15 votes while Weld got four and self-described "states' rights maniac" Mary Maxwell got one.

According to New Hampshire law, the polls in those three towns can close as soon as every registered resident has voted. The website for Hart's Landing boasted that the polls there opened at midnight and closed at 12:04 a.m., with the results posted by 12:33.

"We’re off to a great start in New Hampshire today!" Klobuchar tweeted, touting her success in the small sample from the midnight votes.

- William Cummings

What to know about today's New Hampshire primary

New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primaries are finally upon us — just eight days after chaos surrounding the release of Iowa's Democratic caucus results.

The primaries began at midnight — a tradition in the township of Dixville Notch — and will stay open in most places until 7 p.m. ET.

On the Democratic side, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont heads into Tuesday's primary as a frontrunner after leading several recent state polls. The momentum follows his finish in the Iowa caucuses, were he earned the most raw vote support and was in the top two in state delegate equivalents.

'Stakes are incredibly high': New Hampshire voters feel the pressure as primary looms

Sanders also has a home-field advantage in New Hampshire: his home state of Vermont is a neighbor, and neighbors have fared well in previous Granite State primaries. Plus, he's won New Hampshire before. In 2016, Sanders took 60% of the vote in the Democratic primary, compared to his rival Hillary Clinton at 37%.

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Former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg also heads into Tuesday with momentum from the Hawkeye State. He leads Iowa in state delegate equivalents (the marker traditionally used to declare a winner) and the party has stated he received the most national delegates, though no winner has officially been declared. He has shot to second place in several New Hampshire polls, and could pick up undecided voters, of which there are still many.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who finished third in Iowa and is from the neighboring state of Massachusetts, has fallen slightly in polling ahead of Tuesday. Once seen as a frontrunner in some early states, some recently polling has seen her fall out of the top 3. She will be looking for a surge of enthusiasm in New Hampshire.

More: Bernie Sanders takes lead for the first time in national Quinnipiac poll ahead of New Hampshire primary

Sen. Amy Klobuchar is seeing a late surge in the state, coming in at third in several of the most recent state polls. She also could benefit from the number undecided New Hampshire voters.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, however, has been lowering expectations in the state, after his fourth-place finish in Iowa. Biden on Friday during the Democratic primary debate in New Hampshire said, “I’ll probably take a hit here.” His campaign is pointing to the upcoming elections in Nevada and South Carolina, where he holds a lead in polling.

On the Republican side, President Donald Trump is expected to win handily over challenger former Gov. Bill Weld. Polling has show Trump with a substantial margin of support, and he overwhelming won the Iowa Republican caucus.

The New Hampshire primary is only the second voting contest in the election of a party nominee, but it holds an outsize influence: No Democrat since the 1970s has places lower than second in New Hampshire and become the nominee. In addition, those who finish at top in the state will likely benefit from media attention and fundraising before the Nevada caucuses and South Carolina primaries.

Check back for updates throughout the day.