Sanders Is Projected To Narrowly Win The N.H. Primary, Taking The Front-Runner Mantle

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is projected to win the New Hampshire Democratic primary, according to The Associated Press. Sanders was ahead throughout the night, but faced a close contest from Pete Buttigieg, former Mayor of South Bend. Ind. Sanders received 25.8% of the vote with 84% of the precincts reporting.

Speaking to supporters in Manchester late Tuesday evening, Sanders said his win marked "the beginning of the end for Donald Trump."

The victory, combined with Sanders' finish in a virtual tie with Buttigieg atop last week's still-muddled Iowa caucuses, cements a candidate who spent much of his career as a political outsider — and still is not a member of the Democratic Party — as a top contender for its presidential nomination.

Four years ago, Sanders won the New Hampshire primary easily, beating Hillary Clinton by more than 20 points. In the days leading up to this year's contest, Sanders told voters that the win helped legitimize his progressive platform of Medicare-for-all, a $15 minimum wage and free public college — all issues viewed at the time by many Democrats as outside the mainstream.

Now, many Democrats have embraced his agenda, and Sanders appears to a solid path to be the party's candidate for the White House, even with a New Hampshire margin of victory far below his 2016 win. But with Buttigieg, and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, another moderate Democrat, as the second and third top finishers in the primary, the tension inside the party about whether a progressive or more pragmatic agenda would appeal to voters in a general election against President Trump will continue.

Alluding to the divisions in the party, Sanders said Tuesday night, "we are going to unite together and defeat the most dangerous president in the modern history of this country."

Sanders predicted he would win the next two contests in Nevada and South Carolina. His success raising money among a loyal base of supporters with small dollar donations is a strength over many of his rivals.

This breaking news story will be updated.

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