by Elijah Lutz, Staff Writer
The voter turnout was high Tuesday night during the New Hampshire primary, the first official primary of the electoral season. In the GOP camp, businessman and nationalist Donald Trump was victorious, fighting back after a loss in the Iowa caucuses last Monday. For the Democrats, Vermont Senator and self-described democratic socialist Bernie Sanders took the top prize over his opponent.
The Republican results revealed nationwide poll leaders earning less-than-spectacular numbers. Trump earned first with 35 percent of the vote, and was declared the projected winner at 8 p.m., immediately after all polls were closed. He was followed in second by Ohio Governor John Kasich, who earned 16 percent. Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who won the Iowa GOP caucuses, came in third with 12 percent. Perhaps the most unexpected result was the 11 percent earned by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who went from being a frontrunner early in the race to having low support numbers and polling scores in the last few months. Florida Senator Marco Rubio also earned 11 percent in contrast to a strong showing in Iowa after Saturday’s GOP debate.
Sanders earned 60 percent of the vote, and was also declared the projected winner immediately after the polls had closed. Former Secretary of State and Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton earned 39 percent. Former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, who dropped out last Monday but remained on the ballot for New Hampshire, earned one percent. This comes after an extremely close race in Iowa that was eventually won by Clinton, but only by the smallest of margins. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Clinton campaign is re-evaluating campaign strategies as they, and other campaigns, now turn their focus on South Carolina.
Next on the primary election calendar are the Nevada Democratic Caucuses and the South Carolina Republican Primary on Feb. 20, followed by the Nevada Republican Caucuses on the 23, and the South Carolina Democratic Primary on Feb. 27.
FULL RESULTS
REPUBLICAN
Donald Trump – 35 percent
Gov. John Kasich – 16 percent
Sen. Ted Cruz – 12 percent
Fmr. Gov. Jeb Bush – 11 percent
Sen. Marco Rubio – 11 percent
Gov. Chris Christie (no longer running) – 8 percent
Carly Fiorina (no longer running) – 4 percent
Ben Carson – 2 percent
Rand Paul (no longer running) – 1 percent
DEMOCRAT
Sen. Bernie Sanders – 60 percent
Fmr. Sec. Hillary Clinton – 39 percent
Fmr. Gov. Martin O’Malley (no longer running) – 1 percent