The big winner in the New Hampshire primary Feb. 11 was Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who pulled in a plurality of the votes in the Democratic primary with Pete Buttigieg close behind with less than 2% separating them, but it was Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) pulling off a surprising third place finish that had everyone talking.
With 97% of precincts reporting, Sanders claimed 25.7%; Buttigieg was narrowly behind him with 24.4% of the vote, while Klobuchar won 19.8%.
Stephanie Taylor and Adam Green, co-founders of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, said in a joint statement Klobuchar’s third place demonstrates she has staying power as a presidential candidate.
“Amy Klobuchar had a stellar debate performance this week, she deserved a bounce this week, and she got one. Klobuchar finished fifth in her backyard and third tonight, Warren has placed fourth and third, and Biden now trails both women,” Taylor and Green said. “If media now start covering the women in this race as we head toward the big trove of delegates on Super Tuesday, that would be great.”
Buttigieg — who pulled off a historic first in the Iowa caucuses by being the first openly gay candidate to win the most delegates in a state presidential nominating contest — also pulled off an impressive second place in New Hampshire.
Buttigieg, who was criticized for claiming victory early after the Iowa caucuses, was cordial in his speech Tuesday night.
“I admired Sen. Sanders when I was a high school student, and I want to congratulate him on his strong showing tonight,” Buttigieg said.
Continuing his trend of uplifting speeches, Buttigieg drew on Americans of all stripes, from Dreamers, to autoworkers displaced in the new economy to a young woman in a hijab enduring taunts because of her religion.
“That better future can be ours and that better future we are creating is not just a new chapter in American history, it is a new and better story in our everyday lives,” Buttigieg said. “That’s what’s at stake.”
Annise Parker, CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, said Buttigieg’s second place shatters barriers for LGBTQ candidates everywhere.
“The electability assumptions of political pundits are tumbling down all around us,” Parker said.
Although Sanders got slightly more votes than Buttigieg, both candidates won an equal amount of delegates because the two obtained a similar percentage of the primary vote.
Finishing in an embarrassing fourth place was Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who badly needed a strong showing in a state neighboring her own to continue forward. Finishing in fifth place was former Vice President Joseph Biden, although the upcoming primary in South Carolina, where he has polled strongly among black voters, will be the real test of his prospects.
Warren had 9.3 percent of the vote and Biden had 8.3 percent. Both Warren and Biden each received zero delegates in New Hampshire as a result of their standings in the primary.
Throwing in the towel in the presidential race after the New Hampshire primary was businessperson Andrew Yang and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).
Yang’s candidacy and his plan for a $1,000 a month “freedom dividend” made waves, but his candidacy didn’t attract as much support in Iowa or New Hampshire as other candidates. The candidate didn’t crack three percent in the New Hampshire primary.
