Biden presidential bid in tailspin after defeat
Moderate Democrats fear New Hampshire victory for Sanders will leave party with Left-wing candidate
Joe Biden’s presidential campaign is in a tailspin after he finished fifth in New Hampshire, leading to leaks about panic among staffers and concerns about fundraising. The former US vice-president’s faltering performance, following a fourth-place finish in Iowa, has left moderate Democrats with no clear champion to take on Donald Trump. While Bernie Sanders, the Left-wing senator, triumphed in New Hampshire, Mr Biden won fewer than 30,000 out of 250,000 votes cast.
JOE BIDEN’S presidential campaign is in a tailspin after he finished fifth in New Hampshire, leading to leaks about panic among staffers and concerns about fundraising.
The former US Vice-president’s faltering performance, following a fourth-place finish in Iowa, has left moderate Democrats with no clear champion to take on Donald Trump.
While Bernie Sanders, the Left-wing senator, triumphed in New Hampshire, Mr Biden won fewer than 30,000 of the more than a quarter of a million votes cast, despite pitching himself as the most electable candidate.
His campaign now faces an uphill task in convincing donors he can still claim the Democratic presidential nomination. Texts and emails asking for cash had already been sent out at a heightened rate before the vote.
Mr Biden, who had flown to South Carolina before the results dropped, attempted to play down the significance of the outcome, telling supporters: “It ain’t over, man. We’re just getting started.”
But there were signs the struggles of a candidate leading nationwide polls by 10 points just a month ago were having an effect on staff, with one anonymous adviser telling Politico: “This is horrendous. We’re all scared.”
In the New Hampshire primary Mr Sanders won 26 per cent of the vote, Pete Buttigieg 24 per cent, Amy Klobuchar 20 per cent, Elizabeth Warren 9 per cent and Mr Biden 8 per cent, after 98 per cent of votes were counted.
Mr Sanders’s victory in a state neighbouring his own (he is a Vermont senator), follows a joint-first finish in Iowa and means a self-defined democratic socialist is now the favourite to win the party nomination.
“Let me say tonight that this victory here is the beginning of the end for Donald Trump,” Mr Sanders said at his results party, where jubilant supporters chanted “Bernie beats Trump” and “we are the 99 per cent”.
His policy platform would be the most Left-wing proposed by a top presidential candidate in recent history, including giving all Americans government-funded healthcare, scrapping tuition fees and taking on the “billionaire class” with higher taxes.
The challenge for the moderate wing of the party is which candidate is now best placed to defeat Mr Sanders, with fears among the Democratic leadership that his “political revolution” would be defeated by Mr Trump at the polls.
Mr Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former South Bend mayor, gave another strong showing in New Hampshire, coming within just a few thousand votes of beating Mr Sanders after coming joint-first in Iowa.
After a week in which his lack of nationwide political experience was targeted by rivals, Mr Buttigieg told supporters in a results night speech: “Thanks to you a campaign that some said shouldn’t be here at all showed we are here to stay.” However his youth, limited CV as mayor of a city of just 100,000 people and struggles so far to win over African-american voters mean doubts about his viability remain.
Ms Klobuchar, the moderate Minnesotan senator, exceeded all expectations with a strong third-place finish after a campaign which played up her ability to win over Republican voters and pass bipartisan laws.
“Hello America. I’m Amy Klobuchar and I will beat Donald Trump,” she said in her results speech, adding “my heart is full tonight”. Yet whether she can improve on her showing is unclear.
Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire former New York Mayor who skipped the early states, hopes to pick up votes as the race becomes more national.
Mr Biden, who was Barack Obama’s deputy for eight years, is pinning his hopes on a comeback in South Carolina, given he has enjoyed a vast lead among African-american voters.
The fear for moderate Democrats is that the longer multiple candidates stay in the race the more the vote is split between them, giving Mr Sanders a clearer path to victory.
Ms Warren, the Massachusetts senator challenging Mr Sanders to be the leading progressive candidate, had a poor night in New Hampshire, coming a distant fourth.
Entrepreneur Andrew Yang, Colorado senator Michael Bennet and former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick all ended their campaigns after failing to break through.
Nevada is the next state to vote, followed by South Carolina, before more than 12 states make their choice on March 3, dubbed Super Tuesday.
A nominee will be crowned in July.