Speaking to a fired-up crowd of about 400, Sanders hailed the Iowa caucuses, which he lost to Hillary Clinton by just 0.29 percentage points , as a success

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Bernie Sanders hailed his narrow loss in Iowa as “an important step forward in the fight for the political revolution” on Tuesday, as the Vermont senator’s campaign switched focus to New Hampshire ahead of the state’s 9 February primary.

Speaking to a fired-up crowd in Claremont, Sanders hailed the Iowa caucuses, which he lost to Hillary Clinton by just 0.29 percentage points, as a success.

“Last night in Iowa we took on the most powerful political organization in the country. Last night we came back from a 50-point deficit,” he told his audience at the Claremont Opera House.

The result showed that people “are prepared to stand up for fundamental changes in the way politics and economics are done in America,” Sanders continued, to cheers from the crowd.

About 400 people were at the rally, Sanders’ last event before Wednesday night’s Democratic town hall, an unofficial debate at which he will face off against Clinton, whom he leads by an average of 18 points in New Hampshire polls. Former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley dropped out of the Democratic race on Tuesday.

Sanders, wearing his usual dark suit and blue tie, sounded hoarse and occasionally sipped from a bottle of water as he addressed the crowd in his characteristically full-throated manner. But aside from the raspiness there was no sign of fatigue from the 74-year-old.

“The political revolution continues next Tuesday here in New Hampshire,” he told the crowd.

Many members of the audience appeared familiar with Sanders’ regular stump speech topics. His speech became an involuntary call-and-response at certain points.

“You know who the biggest recipient of welfare in the country is?” Sanders shouted, apparently rhetorically, after talking about income inequality in the US.

“Walmart!” the crowd shouted out in unison. It is one of Sanders’ common riffs at rallies – he says the company does not pay their workers a living wage, forcing them to turn to government benefits to make ends meet.

Sanders talked about offering universal healthcare to all. “One in five Americans can’t afford to fill the prescriptions their doctors write,” he said.

That prompted boos and some hisses from the audience. “We believe in you,” shouted one man in the crowd. There were cheers.

“More importantly, I believe in you,” Sanders replied. There were more cheers.

Clinton was interviewed on MSNBC before an appearance 100 miles away from Sanders in Hampton, New Hampshire, on Tuesday evening.

Asked whether Americans would ultimately respond to Bernie Sanders’ call for a revolution, the Democratic frontrunner said: “Our founders knew if we were going to survive as the great democracy they were creating we would have to have a system that kept the passions at bay ... We couldn’t have idealogues hurling rhetoric back and forth. We had to have people who could produce results.

“Ideas that sound good on paper but can’t create results for people are just that,” she added. “I have a track record of producing results.”

Referring to Sanders’ supporters, Clinton said she was thrilled about young people getting involved “on the Democratic side” but noted: “I do think we have an obligation to keep people focused on what is at stake ... We can’t let the Republicans rip away the progress we’ve made,” mentioning specifically Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act and the prospect of a future GOP president attempting to “stack the supreme court”.

“We’ve got to get back to the middle, the big center,” she said. “That’s how we make progress in America.”

Clinton said she was “thrilled” by winning in Iowa but appeared to play down expectations for the next Democratic contest by pointing out that New Hampshire, which borders Vermont, was “in Senator Sanders’ back yard”.

“New Hampshire votes for neighbors,” she said.