Trump, Sanders eye first victories
New Hampshire voters headed to polls yesterday for the crucial first US presidential primary, with Donald Trump chasing victory and Hillary Clinton looking to narrow the gap on Bernie Sanders.
The northeastern state, home to just 1.3 million people, sets the tone for the primaries -- and could shake out a crowded Republican field as the arch-conservative Senator Ted Cruz and establishment candidates led by Marco Rubio battle for second place behind the frontrunner Trump.
A RealClearPolitics poll average shows Sanders -- who has called for nothing short of a "political revolution" -- leading 53.3 percent to 40.5 percent for Clinton in New Hampshire.
But a week after the Iowa caucuses kicked off the White House nomination race, everything remains in play in New Hampshire due to a high number of registered independents, who can choose to vote in either party, along with up to 30 percent of voters still undecided in recent days.
On Republican side, Trump needs to turn his soaring lead in the polls into a convincing win in New Hampshire if he is to recover from the embarrassment of finishing second behind Cruz in Iowa.
Trump told MSNBC as voting began he had been urging the supporters packing his rallies in the state to get out and cast ballots.
The rest of the Republican pack has been fighting it out, aiming for a strong second or even solid third-place showing that could reinvigorate them for South Carolina and Nevada, the next stops on the long road to becoming the party's nominee.
A poor result will likely rupture the presidential dreams for 2016 for former and current governors Bush, Kasich and Chris Christie.
On the Democratic front, Clinton is looking to confound polls that predict a large victory for her insurgent challenger Sanders.
Clinton won Iowa by a hair, and remains the overall favorite to win the Democratic nomination.
Comments