Politics Uncut: Bernie Sanders Swept Victory in New Hampshire Primary

Dipto Islam, Feb 9, 2016

Sanders swept victory in Tuesday's New Hampshire primaries underscoring voters' insistence on shaking up American politics. His victory was propelled by support from a formidable alliance of men, women, and young people.

"Together we have sent the message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California," Sanders said at a raucous victory party. "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 and their super PACs."

AP: Sanders Celebrates Victory, 'Huge Voter Turnout'

AP reports Sanders pulled from a broad coalition of New Hampshire voters, gathering a majority of votes from men, independents and voters under 45, as well as a slim majority of women. Hillary Clinton won the majority of those over 65 and those with incomes over $200,000 a year, according to early exit polls conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and the television networks.

A sharp difference is observed between what motivated Sanders and Clinton voters. According to AP’s report, the Vermont senator was supported by 9 in 10 voters for whom honesty was important and 8 in 10 who wanted a candidate who "cares about people like me." Clinton, meanwhile, won support from nearly 90 percent of those who considered the "right" experience important in their decision and about 80 percent of those regarding electability as the most important factor.

The Hill reported that Presidential contender Hillary Clinton immediately conceded the New Hampshire primary after media organizations quickly called the race for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Tuesday. The Associated Press, MSNBC and CNN all called the race for Sanders as the final polls closed at 8 p.m. ET. The Clinton campaign conceded in a memo and said it was setting its sights on upcoming races in South Carolina and Nevada.

The Sanders camp hopes that a decisive win can uplift Sanders’ credibility which would be helpful in narrowing the gaps in both South Carolina and Nevada, where he trails Clinton with minority voters. The Clinton camp hopes to weaken Sanders’ surge by keeping the margin close.

PBS: Bernie Sanders Handily Wins New Hampshire.