Sanders takes an early lead in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary

Fiery progressive Bernie Sanders fought for Democratic front-runner status Tuesday night as New Hampshire’s primary began to cull the crowded field, bringing at least some clarity to a presidential nomination fight marred so far by dysfunction and doubt.

As Sanders predicted victory, former mayor Pete Buttigieg hoped to seize the backing of his party’s establishment with a strong finish. Joe Biden just wanted to avert political disaster after leaving the state hours before the final polls closed.

New Hampshire began narrowing the Democrats’ unwieldy 2020 class even before the final results were known. Political newcomer Andrew Yang, having attracted a small but loyal following over the past year, was suspending his campaign. He was one of just three ethnic minorities left in the race.

Also out: Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, who ran as a just-the-facts moderate in a race in which liberal candidates grabbed the headlines.

Pete Buttigieg, Democratic presidential candidate and former mayor of South Bend, Ind., is considered another leading contender in New Hampshire.(Eric Thayer/Reuters)

Sanders maintained the lead as the results rolled in, followed by Buttigieg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar respectively.

Elizabeth Warren and former vice-president Joe Biden rounded out the top five candidates, but by a wide margin.

Biden opted to travel to South Carolina instead of waiting for the results in New Hampshire. Biden left the state hours before the final polls closed. He predicted he would «take a hit» in New Hampshire after finishing fourth place in Iowa.

Inside the Joe Biden results viewing party in New Hampshire. Biden was supposed to be here in person tonight, but decided to head off to South Carolina instead. He’ll likely have more support when that state votes at the end of the month. <a href=»https://t.co/aDJI5LaGky»>pic.twitter.com/aDJI5LaGky</a>

&mdash;@CBCKatie

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, among the front-runners for months, was doing poorly in early results. Some election analysts considered an embarrassing defeat given her home state, Massachusetts, shares a border with New Hampshire.

«Our campaign is built for the long haul, and we are just getting started,» she told cheering repoters as she took the stage.

She said Sanders and Buttigieg are «both great candidates,» and congratulated her «friend and colleague» Klobuchar.

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren speaks at her New Hampshire primary night rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S., Feb. 11, 2020. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

For voters in the Granite State, who wins the presidential nomination is less important than their ultimate goal: ousting U.S. President Donald Trump from the White House.

In an exit poll conducted by Edison Research on Tuesday, most of the voters participating said they will vote for the Democratic nominee «regardless of who it is.»

Edison, which compiles exit polls and live election results for media organizations including ABC News, CBS News, CNN, NBC News and Reuters, found that eight in 10 primary voters will support the party candidate in a run against Republican Trump in the Nov. 3 election.

Eight in 10 also said they were «angry» with the Trump administration, and six in 10 said they were largely backing a candidate who they thought could deprive Trump of a second term.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota greets supporters outside a New Hampshire primary polling location on Tuesday in Manchester, N.H.(Holly Ramer/The Associated Press)

Trump easily won New Hampshire’s Republican primary. He also won the state in 2016. He was facing token opposition from Bill Weld, a former governor of Massachusetts.

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