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Trump and Sanders triumph in New Hampshire

Donald Trump has notched his first victory of the 2016 White House race with a commanding win in ...
Newstalk
Newstalk

07.03 10 Feb 2016


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Trump and Sanders triumph in N...

Trump and Sanders triumph in New Hampshire

Newstalk
Newstalk

07.03 10 Feb 2016


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Donald Trump has notched his first victory of the 2016 White House race with a commanding win in the New Hampshire Republican primary.

The billionaire businessman's double-digit win provided a much-needed rebound following his second place finish in Iowa a week earlier.

Speaking to supporters after gaining 35% of the vote, Mr Trump referenced his campaign's ground work in New Hampshire versus Iowa.

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"We learned a lot about ground games in one week, let me tell you," he said to cheers.

Meanwhile, the race for second place in the Granite State went to Ohio Governor John Kasich.

Following a dismal performance in Iowa, where he garnered less than 2% of the vote, Mr Kasich overtook the rest of the GOP field on Tuesday with 16%.

The battle for third remained tight, with Iowa winner Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush running neck-and-neck at 11-12%.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio, coming off a strong third place finish in the Hawkeye State, rounded out the top five at 10%.

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Departing New Hampshire with my amazing family! THANK YOU- NEW HAMPSHIRE! Tonight the VOTERS decided. Next stop is South Carolina! I LOVE you ALL & THANK YOU! Together we are GOING TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

Posted by Donald J. Trump on Tuesday, 9 February 2016

Mr Trump was considered a shoo-in for victory in New Hampshire after holding a commanding, double-digit lead in opinion polls for months.

Basking in the win on Tuesday night, the tycoon congratulated his Republican rivals and thanked members of his family, including his late parents.

"My parents are looking down," he said. "They're saying, 'This is something very special'."

Mr Trump then went back to his usual form, promising supporters he would be the "greatest jobs President God ever created", and vowing to "knock the hell" out of the Islamic State.

He also took an opportunity to knock Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who minutes before Mr Trump took the podium, was basking in his own victory over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Making a reference to Mr Sanders' speech, Mr Trump said: "He wants to give away our county...we're not going to let it happen."

The Republican field will next set their sights on the 20 February primary in South Carolina, where Mr Trump currently enjoys a 16-point lead in the opinion polls.

The candidates will square off in a televised debate in The Palmetto State on Saturday night.

Democratic party

While on the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton has conceded defeat to Bernie Sanders.

The former Secretary of State congratulated Mr Sanders on his victory, but promised supporters she would continue to "fight for every vote in every state".

Mr Sanders' win will be seen as a significant boost for the self-described democratic socialist, who was considered a long shot when he entered the White House race.

The Vermont Senator, who held a commanding lead in New Hampshire opinion polls for months, was projected to win his neighbouring state within minutes of the polls closing on Tuesday night.

In his victory speech to supporters, Mr Sanders said: "We won because of your energy".

He added: "Together we have sent a message that will echo from Wall to Street to Washington, from Maine to California".

"And that is that the government of our great country belongs to all of the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their Super PACs."

Meanwhile, Mrs Clinton's camp was already looking ahead to next week's Nevada caucus and beyond, saying in a memo to staffers that the Democratic nomination will "very likely be won in March".

In the memo titled "March Matters", campaign manager Robby Mook said "we believe that Hillary Clinton is well positioned to build a strong - potentially insurmountable - delegate lead next month".

Mrs Clinton and Mr Sanders will get little rest after New Hampshire.

The candidates are set to square off in a televised debate on Thursday night in Wisconsin.

They will then turn their attention to the Nevada caucuses on 20 February and the South Carolina primary on 27 February.

Mrs Clinton currently holds significant leads in both states, based on an average of opinion polls.


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