Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 02:13 pm
The results of the New Hampshire primary are just starting to come in, but one thing is already clear: Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar is surging into the top three on a wave of support from late deciders.
As Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report said on Tuesday night, “[T]he Amy Klobuchar surge real.”
Breaking: the Amy Klobuchar NH surge is real.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) February 12, 2020
Based on these early returns, nothing to suggest Bernie Sanders isn’t still the favorite to win NH…but the strength of the Klobusurge is a modest surprise.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) February 12, 2020
On MSNBC, Steve Kornacki said the initial results show that Klobuchar got a boost from those who decided in the final days of the campaign.
“Amy Klobuchar is real right now,” he said.
“Amy Klobuchar is real right now,” says Steve Kornacki as New Hampshire results come in. It appears that late deciders are giving her campaign a big boost. #NewHampshirePrimary pic.twitter.com/w0F6RJCg6s
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) February 12, 2020
Since Iowa, polling in New Hampshire has shown a close race between Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg, with Sanders clinging to a small lead.
But after Friday’s Democratic debate in which Klobuchar turned in her strongest performance yet, her numbers have been rising in New Hampshire in a way that polling might not have fully captured in the final couple of days.
As Wasserman also pointed out on Tuesday, it’s clear that Sanders, Buttigieg and Klobuchar are likely to finish in the top three. Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden are jockeying for fourth and fifth place.
Pretty clear from initial returns the top three finishers in the NH primary will be Sanders, Buttigieg, Klobuchar (not necessarily in that order).
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) February 12, 2020
A second or third place finish would give Klobuchar a boost
A second place finish would immediately boost Klobuchar’s campaign and give her campaign a jolt of momentum as the primary moves forward.
Even a strong third place finish behind Buttigieg would give the Minnesota senator a boost. After all, Klobuchar’s hasn’t even been part of the discussion throughout much of the primary season.
Though Sanders is the favorite in New Hampshire and Pete Buttigieg is vying for second place, Amy Klobuchar’s performance on Tuesday night will give her much-needed momentum as the primary map expands.
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