We Hold These Truths
We Hold These Truths
We Hold These Truths
| 2.12.20

One Big Thing: New Hampshire: Then and Now

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What you need to know:

  • Twenty years ago, New Hampshire was won by Senator John McCain during his 2000 presidential bid. Senator McCain’s personable campaign style featuring the New Hampshire primary debate, town hall convenings, and the Straight Talk Express demonstrated the ground-level campaigning needed to win the state.
  • In 2000 and again in 2020, New Hampshire voters have shown they are willing to surprise the nation.
  • In yesterday’s New Hampshire Primary election, Bernie Sanders narrowly edged out Pete Buttigieg, with Amy Klobuchar coming in third. While Sander’s victory swings the race’s momentum, the focus shifts to more diverse states and primaries with bigger delegate hauls up for grabs. Senator Elizabeth Warren and Vice President Joe Biden came in fourth and fifth, respectively.
  • New Hampshire also ended the Presidential bids of Andrew Yang and Senator Michael Bennet (D- CO) but primary election will remain highly competitive as each candidate seeks the opportunity to challenge President Trump in November’s general election.
  • Finally, Mike Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, decided not to contest the first four states voting in February but has already dropped hundreds of millions of dollars to make a splash in later states – primarily super Tuesday, voting on March 3, 2020.

Why is it important?

  • While the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary are criticized for being small and homogeneous, they still matter. It will take heavy political maneuvering to reconfigure the nomination process.
  • New Hampshire primary basically erased the debacle in Iowa as candidates are focused on the next round of voting in Nevada, South Carolina, and Super Tuesday.
  • Yesterday’s primary is important because it solidifies Sanders and Buttigieg as legitimate leaders heading into Nevada and South Carolina. It also highlights that there is still room for jockeying among the candidates. Senator Klobuchar’s strong finish and Mayor Bloomberg’s focus on Super Tuesday indicate that the nomination process is far from finished. 
  • Questions now arise about the other top tier candidates, namely Vice President Biden and Senator Warren and whether they gain momentum in Nevada and South Carolina.  
  • Finally, we see American democracy working. Candidates can change voters’ minds at the last minute and change the trajectory of an election. This election is far from over and Americans will have more time to think about the issues and which candidates resonate with them.

What can you do?