Bernie Sanders wins in New Hampshire

Bernie Sanders has declared “a great victory” in the New Hampshire primary, after edging out rival Pete Buttigieg.

“Let me say that this victory here is the beginning of the end for Donald Trump,” the Vermont senator said.

He also said his “unprecedented grassroots movement” stretched from coast to coast. “What I can tell you with absolute certainty is… we are going to unite together and defeat the most dangerous president in the modern history of this country.”

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CNN says that Sanders’ projected win makes “an argument that he is the race's front-runner in a win powered by his strength among blue-collar, younger and more liberal voters” and marks “an extraordinary comeback for a candidate who was all but written off by many after he suffered a heart attack in early October”.

Sanders’ gain was also fellow progressive Elizabeth Warren’s loss, The Guardian says. “Barring a shock success in South Carolina, Sanders might have the progressive vote to himself by the end of the month,” the paper's US columnist Cas Mudde says.

Mudde adds that “Joe Biden seems on his way out” because Pete Buttigieg is “picking up his donors and voters”. Both will soon face billionaire Michael Bloomberg, “whose deep pockets and endless ads are starting to pay off in the polls,” meaning the moderate vote is now “wide open”.

The results leave Sanders tied overall with former mayor Buttigieg. USA Today points out that “since 1972, no Democratic candidate finishing lower than second in the New Hampshire primary has gone on to win the nomination” and in “the last six contested Democratic primaries, New Hampshire voted for the party’s eventual nominee half the time”.

Two candidates have dropped out after last night’s results came in. Businessman Andrew Yang, whose signature policy offered Americans a universal basic income, said the number showed it was time for him to step aside, calling it “bitterly disappointing”.

Colorado senator Michael Bennet also ended his campaign. Deval Patrick, the former Massachusetts governor, is expected to suspend his later today.

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