Sanders on NH victory: Win is ‘beginning of the end for Donald Trump’

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) took a victory lap late Tuesday night after winning New Hampshire’s 2020 Democratic primary, saying his win was the start of many down the road toward defeating President Trump in November.

“And let me say tonight, that this victory here is the beginning of the end for Donald Trump,” he told a raucous New Hampshire crowd after his victory was announced. “With victories behind us, popular vote in Iowa, and the victory here tonight, we’re going to Nevada, we’re going to South Carolina, we’re going to win those states as well.” 

Sanders’s victory was announced with about 80 percent of the vote tallied. The Vermont senator garnered roughly 26 percent of the vote and led former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg by a fluctuating margin that hovered around 1.5 points. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) finished in third place with just shy of 20 percent of the vote.

Meanwhile, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and former Vice President Joe Biden rounded out the top five, though neither of them won enough support to receive any delegates from the primary.

“I want to take the opportunity to express my appreciation and respect for all the Democratic candidates we ran against: Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden,” Sanders said. “And what I can tell you with absolute certainty, and I know I speak for every one of the Democratic candidates, is that no matter who wins … we are going to unite together and defeat the most dangerous president in the modern history of this country.”

The win compounded on a top finish in last week’s Iowa caucuses, where Sanders won the most votes but due to caucus rules, fell just short of Buttigieg in delegates. Sanders’s narrow but clear victory Tuesday cemented his status as a front-runner in the primary field moving forward.

The primary field now heads to Nevada, which will hold its caucuses on Feb. 22. Sanders’s campaign is hoping its beefy presence of more than 200 staffers will help push it to a strong finish and demonstrate support from a heavily Hispanic voting electorate.

The RealClearPolitics polling average in Nevada shows Sanders in second place, trailing only Biden.