IS A WIN IN NH CRUCIAL?

It seems to depend on whom you ask.

ROCHESTER, N.H. — In the hours before New Hampshire’s first-in-thenation primary voting begins, Democratic presidential candidates took varied approaches as they look to advance deeper into what could be an extended nominating fight.

Bernie Sanders showed the same confidence Monday he displayed ahead of the Iowa caucuses last week, which ended with a split decision between the Vermont senator and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana. “If we win here tomorrow, I think we’ve got a path to victory for the Democratic nomination,” Sanders declared Monday.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, once the national front-runner, tamped down expectations amid prospects of a second consecutive disappointing outcome before the race turns to more racially diverse states he believes can restore his contender status. “This is just getting started,” he told CBS on Monday.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts fell somewhere between those approaches, vowing to make a comeback, but not predicting victory as she tries to slice off chunks of Sanders’ progressive base and Buttigieg’s core of college-educated voters hungry for change.

“Look, I’ve been counted down and out for much of my life,” Warren told reporters Monday, referring to a 2017 Senate debate when Majority Leader Mitch McConnell admonished her. “Nevertheless, she persisted,” Warren said, quoting McConnell’s remark that became a rallying cry for liberal women. “You get knocked down. You get back up.”

Buttigieg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the biggest surprises of the 2020 contest so far, looked to extend their rides despite uncertainty about what’s ahead for two campaigns with overwhelmingly white bases.

Trump, meanwhile, is eager to cast a shadow over the entire Democratic slate as he heads to Manchester for a Monday evening rally to continue his victory-andvengeance tour following Senate votes that acquitted him on two impeachment charges. Trump lost New Hampshire in 2016 by fewer than 3,000 votes and the state is among several his reelection campaign believes it can flip in November.

Trump’s supporters began lining up in New Hampshire on Sunday, and the crowd only grew despite freezing, wet weather. The president managed a similar scene in Iowa days ahead of the caucuses, drawing thousands of boisterous supporters who contrasted with a lower-thanexpected caucus turnout for Democrats.

Against that backdrop, Biden insisted Monday that he remains well-positioned for the nomination and to defeat Trump in November.