Sanders Victorious, Klobuchar Exceeds Expectations in New Hampshire Democratic Primary 

The New Hampshire Democratic primary election for the U.S. presidency occurred on Feb. 11th, 2020, without any of the technical difficulties encountered in the Iowa caucuses from the previous week. The primary results left self-described Democratic Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders in the lead with 25.6% of the vote, with former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg as the runner-up with 24.3% of primary voters. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar claimed third place in the election with 19.7%, a performance that notably exceeded expectations of the senator’s prospects in the New England state.

Unlike the Iowa race, which is facilitated via a complicated caucus system, New Hampshire distributes its delegates via a direct primary vote. With 24 pledged delegates to disburse, New Hampshire provided Senator Sanders and Mr. Buttigieg with nine delegates each, leaving the remaining six to Senator Klobuchar. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joseph Biden failed to reach the minimum threshold of 15% to receive any delegates, claiming only 9.2% and 8.4%, respectively.

The primary results further enforced the rise of Mr. Buttigieg, widely seen as a moderate candidate capable of sapping support from the Biden campaign. The rise in support for Senator Klobuchar was widely seen as a result of her Feb. 7th debate performance, which showcased a more vocal and aggressive version of the candidate.

Following the primary, many analysts began to question the viability of the Biden campaign, which placed fifth in New Hampshire and fourth in Iowa. The lackluster performance of the Vice President has left many wondering if Mayor Buttigieg is now the moderate candidate to beat. Supporters of the Biden campaign assert that both Iowa and New Hampshire are poor indicators of the national Democratic party, as both states are overwhelmingly white and rural. Following the NH primary, many view the upcoming South Carolina primary as perhaps the last opportunity for Biden to forge a path to the nomination. The South Carolina electorate is far more racially diverse than either New Hampshire or Iowa and could favor the Vice President, who has polled very well with African-American Democratic voters.

Following the New Hampshire results, businessman Andrew Yang, Colorado Senator Michael Bennet, and former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick all suspended their campaigns.

The next state contest for the Democratic nomination will occur on Feb. 22nd in Nevada. Senator Sanders maintains a lead in the polls heading in Nevada, a state in which the Hispanic vote will feature far more prominently than either in Iowa or New Hampshire.

Former New York City Mayor and billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg remains a wild card in the nomination contest. Bloomberg chose to not engage in the delegate race in either of the first two states and plans to present himself on March 3rd,  Super Tuesday, as a moderate candidate capable of galvanizing more support than the anemic Biden campaign. The Bloomberg campaign continues to spend millions on advertising, doubling its budget after the technical difficulties in Iowa.

A total of 300,612 individuals voted in the New Hampshire primaries, surpassing the previous high of 287,527 in 2008 during the race between then-Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Maryland’s presidential primaries will occur on April 28. In 2016, Maryland awarded 60 delegates to Secretary Clinton, who won 62.53% of the state’s vote. Senator Sanders was awarded 35 delegates from Maryland as a result of his 33.81% of the vote. A majority of Allegany County voters voted for Senator Sanders in the 2016 primary.