Sanders defeats Clinton, Trump wins in New Hampshire

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Bernie Sanders won a commanding victory over Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday, and Donald Trump also scored a big win in a triumph of two candidates who have seized on Americans’ anger at the Washington political establishment.

Both outcomes would have been nearly unthinkable not long ago. Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, beat a former secretary of state and first lady once seen as the all-but-certain Democratic nominee. While Clinton remains the favourite in the national race for the Democratic nomination, the win by the Vermont senator could be a springboard into a competitive, drawn-out primary campaign.

For Trump, the win was an important rebound after his loss to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in last week’s Iowa caucuses, the first nominating contest. Trump has led national polls for months and the New Hampshire victory reinforces his position as frontrunner, proving he can win votes, and giving credibility to his upstart populist candidacy.

For some Republican leaders, backto-back victories by Trump and Cruz add urgency to the need to coalesce around a more mainstream candidate. However, it was unlikely that New Hampshire’s contest would clarify that slice of the field, with Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush all locked in a tight race, along with Cruz, behind Trump.

At stake Tuesday were fewer than one per cent of the delegates who, at party national conventions in July, will choose nominees to succeed U.S. President Barack Obama. But a strong showing in New Hampshire can result in a wave of media coverage, donations and give a candidate momentum ahead of state contests in coming weeks, including the March 1 “Super Tuesday”, when 11 states vote.