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As it happenedended

New Hampshire primary results: Bernie Sanders wins vote as Democratic field thins out

Chris Riotta
New York
,Clark Mindock,Alex Woodward
Wednesday 12 February 2020 00:21 EST
Comments
New Hampshire Rally: Elizabeth Warren battles to stay in the Democratic race

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Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primaries, declaring victory in the first-in-the-nation vote and paving an even clearer potential path to securing the nomination and moving onto the general election against Donald Trump.

After essentially tying in Iowa last week, the strong showings from Pete Buttigieg, who appeared to place in second, and Mr Sanders cemented their status at the top of the 2020 Democratic field.

And an unexpectedly strong performance from Amy Klobuchar gave her a stronger path out of New Hampshire as the contest moves on to the gantlet of state-by-state primary contests that lie ahead.

The strength of Mr Sanders and Mr Buttigieg was matched in reverse by the struggle of former Vice President Joe Biden, who spent most of the last year as the Democrats’ national front-runner but fled New Hampshire hours before polls closed anticipating a bad finish.

With final returns ahead, he was competing for fourth place with Elizabeth Warren, a disappointing turn for the senator from neighbouring Massachusetts.

Neither Mr Biden nor Ms Warren were on track to receive any delegates.

“So many of you chose to meet a new era of challenge with a new generation of leadership,” Mr Buttigieg said.

Meanwhile, Mr Sanders boasted of “a movement from coast to coast ... to defeat the most dangerous president."

Meanwhile, two candidates dropped out amid the crucial New Hampshire vote.

Michael Bennet, a Colorado Senator and former 2020 hopeful, told supporters on Tuesday: “I love you, New Hampshire. Whether you knew it or not, we were having a great time together.”

He added: “I think it’s fitting for us to end the campaign tonight.”

The announcement came just after Andrew Yang, another low-polling Democratic presidential candidate, announced he was suspending his campaign amid the first-in-the-nation primary.

“They’ve decided tonight, and tonight is not going to be our night, but let me say this to New Hampshire: You may see me once again, so thank you”, Mr Bennet said.

Mr Yang, who announced the suspension of his candidacy just moments before Mr Bennet, was the last candidate of colour to qualify for the debate stages, effectively leaving a still-crowded field of all-white candidates vying for the Democratic nomination.

Additional reporting by Associated Press. See live updates from the New Hampshire primaries as they came in below.

Please allow a moment for the live blog to load

Andrew Yang has released this tweet just before he's expected to deliver a speech announcing the suspension of his 2020 Democratic presidential campaign:

Chris Riotta12 February 2020 01:09

Here's The Independent's Andrew Buncombe with more on Andrew Yang announcing an end to his 2020 presidential campaign: 

Chris Riotta12 February 2020 01:15

Here is the latest voting data from the New Hampshire primary with 19 percent of total votes being reported:

Bernie Sanders: 27.4

Pete Buttigieg: 22.7

Amy Klobuchar: 21.0

Elizabeth Warren: 9.4

Chris Riotta12 February 2020 01:20

Breaking news: Multiple outlets are now projecting a victory for Donald Trump in the Republican presidential primaries taking place in New Hampshire as the more closely-watched Democratic primaries also occur. 

The president was largely expected to win the primary handedly, with over 90 percent support nationally among Republican voters and little competition from challengers:

Chris Riotta12 February 2020 01:25

Pete Buttigieg appears to be gaining a slight lead over Amy Klobuchar, with a quarter of the vote now in. So far Bernie Sanders, Mr Buttigieg and Ms Klobuchar have remained in first, second and third, respectively:

Chris Riotta12 February 2020 01:31

Andrew Yang reveals he “can’t believe I lost to these people” in a drop out interview with BuzzFeed News, saying: “There’s part of me that feels disappointed, like I didn’t fulfill some people’s goals for this campaign. 

Chris Riotta12 February 2020 01:36

Breaking news: Michael Bennet has ended his presidential campaign after failing to garner significant support along the campaign trail, suspending his bid as vote results from New Hampshire's primary showed a weak performance for the Colorado senator.

Story to come...

Chris Riotta12 February 2020 01:48

Elizabeth Warren has insisted she would stay in the race for the White House despite a weak showing in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary, telling her supporters in a speech on Tuesday night: “I am here to get big things done.” 

Story to come...

Chris Riotta12 February 2020 02:00

One of the most closely watched candidates, Joe Biden, is about to comment on what look like rather poor results for him, on another disappointing night

Andrew Buncombe12 February 2020 02:14

Most telling is the ex-VP's location - South Carolina, where he remains much more competitive than he ever was in Iowa or New Hampshire. Mr Biden flew to South Carolina to campaign, rather than wait for the results to land.

Andrew Buncombe12 February 2020 02:16

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