Sanders sweeps New Hampshire
Presidential election in New Hampshire, 2016 and Trump's New Hampshire triumph
 Date: November 8, 2016 |
Winner: Donald Trump (R) Hillary Clinton (D) • Jill Stein (G) • Gary Johnson (L) • Vice presidential candidates |
Important dates • Nominating process • Ballotpedia's 2016 Battleground Poll • Polls • Debates • Presidential election by state • Ratings and scorecards |
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February 10, 2016
James A. Barnes is a member of the CNN Decision Desk, and he helped to project the Democratic and Republican winners in New Hampshire.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary, further loosening the grip that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton once had on her party’s nomination. While the Granite State had been seen as a Sanders’ stronghold, his success was nonetheless impressive. With just over 81 percent of the precincts reporting, Sanders was beating former Secretary of state Hillary Clinton by roughly 60-to-39 percent. Younger voters and campus towns fueled his large margin over Clinton, but his victory extended into working class communities—ones that had been a bulwark of Clinton’s candidacy in New Hampshire and other primaries eight years ago when she battled Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination.
| New Hampshire Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
 Bernie Sanders |
61% | 152,193 | 15 | |
| Hillary Clinton | 38.2% | 95,355 | 9 | |
| Total Write-ins | 0.8% | 2,039 | 0 | |
| Totals | 249,587 | 24 | ||
| Source: New Hampshire Secretary of State | ||||
Sanders captured Berlin with 56 percent of the vote to Clinton’s 43 percent. In the 2008 Democratic New Hampshire primary, which Clinton won, she overwhelmed Obama in Berlin 50-to-22 percent. (Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards actually finished second there with 23 percent.) Sanders won Somersworth with 59 percent of the vote to Clinton’s 38 percent. Eight years ago, Clinton defeated Obama there 47 percent to 29 percent (Edwards received 19 percent).
Sanders captured New Hampshire’s biggest vote prize, Manchester. It has working class roots, but it’s also a bit more diverse and the largest city in the state. Sanders bested Clinton, 55-to-41 percent. Eight years ago, Clinton beat Obama in Manchester, 45-to-31 percent.
Sanders’ vow to raise taxes on the wealthy also didn’t eliminate him from consideration with voters in the state’s more prosperous bedroom communities, but Clinton fared better on this terrain, particularly in places she carried eight years ago. Clinton narrowly won Bedford, the town with the highest household median income, 50-to-49 percent, and Windham, the fifth wealthiest town, 50-to-48 percent. But Sanders prevailed in Amherst 52-to-47 percent; Bow, 51-to-48 percent; and Hollis, 54-to-45 percent. The latter three were all high-income and well-educated towns that Obama won over Clinton in 2008.
Sanders carried Merrimack over Clinton, 57-to-43 percent. In 2008, Clinton won Merrimack, 43-to-36 percent, over Obama. Londonderry, another large and well-off commuter town, was carried by Sanders, 55-to-43 percent. Eight years ago, Clinton won Londonderry, 41-to-38 percent. And in more middle class towns, like Hudson, Sanders knocked off Clinton 55-to-42 percent, while eight years ago, Clinton beat Obama, 46-to-31 percent.
Whether Sanders can carry his winning coalition in New Hampshire—winning working class voters along with high-income and well-educated voters on top of his enormous popularity among younger white voters—is unknown. But if he can, it’s an electoral formula that could win a lot more states.
For election and demographic information by town, please click on the below map.
| Color Key |
|---|
| Winning candidate |
| Bernie Sanders |
| Hillary Clinton |
James A. Barnes is a senior writer for Ballotpedia and co-author of the 2016 edition of the Almanac of American Politics. He has conducted elite opinion surveys for National Journal, CNN and the on-line polling firm, YouGov.
See also
- Trump's New Hampshire triumph
- Presidential election in New Hampshire, 2016
- Presidential Nominating Index: Clinton rules, but Sanders also rising
- Presidential Nominating Index: GOP elites tilt to Trump
- Presidential candidates, 2016
- Presidential debates (2015-2016)
- Presidential election, 2016/Polls
- 2016 presidential candidate ratings and scorecards
- Presidential election, 2016/Straw polls
