Wednesday February 12, 2020
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Around two thirds of the votes have been counted, but there is still no clear winner. In front, in New Hampshire – in contrast to the first Democratic area code in Iowa – is the leftist Senator Sanders. Iowa winner Buttigieg follows on foot.
The left senator Bernie Sanders is in the lead in the race for the presidential candidacy of the US Democrats, according to the first counting results. After counting about two thirds of the votes, Sanders was around 26 percent, as reported by the US media. The moderate former mayor Pete Buttigieg came to 24 percent. The 38-year-old had surprisingly landed just ahead of Sanders last week in the first area code in Iowa according to the current count.
The moderate and less well-known Senator Amy Klobuchar also finished surprisingly well in northeastern New Hampshire. It came in third place with just under 20 percent. “Hello America! I’m Amy Klobuchar and I’m going to beat Donald Trump,” she said to cheering supporters. The country needs a change.
Biden-Nimbus already broken?
Fourth and fifth were left senator Elizabeth Warren (a good 9 percent of the vote) and moderate former Vice President Joe Biden (a good 8 percent). A visibly disappointed Warren (70) told supporters that both Sanders and Buttigieg were “great people, and each of them would be a much better president than Donald Trump.” But she remains in the race.
Biden had long been in the lead in nationwide polls, but only managed to place fourth in Iowa. Biden had already warned that he could also do poorly in New Hampshire. However, the extremely weak result is likely to damage his campaign: His nimbus as the most promising applicant seems broken. The necessary party donations are now likely to be more difficult to raise. Biden, however, was combative. So far, only two states have voted, he said. “The fight to end Donald Trump’s presidency has just started,” he said to supporters in South Carolina. The state will vote on February 29.
Nine applicants left in the race
The left Senator Sanders from Vermont describes himself as a “democratic socialist” and is particularly popular with young voters. Among other things, he wants to drastically restructure the healthcare system. He accuses Buttigieg of lacking experience. The former mayor of the city of South Bend, in turn, accuses Sanders that his numerous election promises cannot be financed. Buttigieg presents himself as a middle candidate who also wants to win over Republicans disappointed by Trump.
Candidates Andrew Yang and Michael Bennet announced the end of their campaigns after disappointing results in the low single digits. This means that nine applicants are still trying to run for the party’s presidential candidacy. Originally there were around 30 applicants. For the Republicans, the primaries are only a matter of form: President Donald Trump has no serious internal competition.
Only 24 delegate votes will be cast in the primaries in New Hampshire, which will be used at the decisive nomination party conference in summer. To secure the party’s presidential candidacy, an applicant must win nearly 2,000 votes. The importance of the vote therefore lies above all in its signaling effect at the beginning of the long pre-election campaign: A good performance can give candidates an important tailwind, a defeat can lead to party donations declining and applicants having to give up. The first big decision, involving hundreds of delegate votes, is due on March 3rd. The so-called “Super Tuesday” will be voted on in more than a dozen US states.
The primaries will continue until June. Then both parties officially elect their presidential candidate. The presidential election is scheduled for November 3.
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