NH Primary Recap: Outsiders Break In

Tuesday marked the 100th anniversary of New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary—and the day saw plenty more milestones:

• Record turnout: NH Secretary of State Bill Gardner predicted a record 550,000 ballots were cast, eclipsing the 529,000 mark set in 2008.
• ‘Yuge’ victory margins: Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump won “yuge,” finishing ahead by 21-point and 19-point margins in their respective fields, with most precincts reporting.
• Sanders became the first Jewish man to win a U.S. presidential primary.

New Hampshire voters soundly rejected the establishment by handing outsiders Sanders and Trump decisive wins.

• Full New Hampshire primary results

John Kasich (second) and Ted Cruz (third) could claim victory as well. Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio certainly could not, as they finished a disappointing fourth and fifth—deflating Rubio’s “Marcomentum” after a strong showing in Iowa. For Chris Christie, a sixth-place all but ended his presidential dream.

Hillary Clinton’s loss wasn’t a surprise, but Sanders’ large margin of victory was. It was a stunning reversal by New Hampshire voters, who in the 2008 primary chose Clinton over Barack Obama.

Where we go from here

Here’s where the campaigns really start to heat up. For Sanders, Tuesday’s win offered a golden opportunity to rake in more campaign contributions to compete with the Clinton political machine. Her campaign will regroup and seek to win Thursday’s Democratic debate in Wisconsin.

The next Republican debate is Saturday in South Carolina.

Indeed, all eyes now turn to South Carolina, which hosts the next Republican primary Feb. 20.

Primary/caucus schedule

• Feb. 20: Nevada Caucus (D), South Carolina (R), Washington Caucus (R)
• Feb. 23: Nevada Caucus (R)
• Feb. 27: South Carolina (D)

Debate schedule

• Feb. 11: Democratic debate in Wisconsin (PBS)
• Feb. 13: Republican debate in South Carolina (CBS)
• Feb. 25: Republican debate in Houston (CNN/Telemundo)

Then it’s full-speed ahead to Super Tuesday on March 1.