Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Bernie Sanders Crushes Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire Primary, Celebrates by Shooting Hoops with His Grandkids

Bernie Sanders defeated Hillary Clinton to win New Hampshire's Democratic primary Tuesday night, in a victory so decisive the race was called as soon as the last polls closed.

With 66 percent of the state's precincts reporting close to 11 p.m. ET, Sanders was leading Clinton 60 percent to 38 percent, per CNN.

As he awaited his inevitable victory, the Democratic socialist senator from Vermont celebrated by shooting hoops with his grandchildren, as shown in a photo posted on his Snapchat account.

He later delivered his victory speech, telling supporters in New Hampshire, "Tonight, with what appears to be a record-breaking voter turnout, because of a huge voter turnout – and I say huuuge," Sanders said in Trump-esque fashion, "we won. Because we harnessed the energy and the excitement that the Democratic party will need to succeed in November. What happened here in New Hampshire in terms of an enthusiastic and aroused electorate, people who came out in large numbers, that is what will happen all over this country."



"I am overwhelmed and I am deeply moved, far more than I can express in words, by the fact that our campaign's financial support comes from more than 1 million Americans who have made more than 3.7 million individual contributions – that is more individual contributions than any candidate in the history of the United States up to this point in an election. And you know what that average contribution was?"

"$27!" the audience answered in unison.

"What began last week in Iowa, what voters here in New Hampshire confirmed tonight, is nothing short of the beginning of a political revolution," Sanders continued, referencing his razor-thin loss to Clinton in the Iowa caucuses last week. "It is a political revolution that will bring tons of millions of our people together ... The government of our great nation belongs to all of us."

Meanwhile, Clinton, joined by husband Bill and daughter Chelsea, took the stage to deliver a concession speech shortly after the race was called.

"I want to begin by congratulating Sen. Sanders ... and I want to say, I still love New Hampshire and I always will," she told the crowd. "And here's what we're going to do, now we take this campaign to the whole country."

The former secretary of state went on to say that she and Sanders share many of the same beliefs, but unlike the Vermont senator, she has the ability and know-how to create change.

"People have every right to be angry but they're also hungry – they're hungry for solutions. What are we going to do? And that is the fight we're taking to the country. What is the best way to change people's lives? ... Who is the best change-maker?" she asked, prompting an audience member to shout, "You are!"

Echoing her famous 1995 "Women's Rights Are Human Rights" speech in Beijing, Clinton later launched into a powerful riff that drew thunderous applause from the crowd:

"I believe so strongly that we have to keep up, with every fiber of our being, the argument for, the campaign for human rights," she said, "human rights as women's rights, human rights as gay rights, human rights as worker rights, human rights as voting rights, human rights across the board for every single American."

Sanders was heavily favored to win in the state that neighbors his home turf in Vermont. On the eve of New Hampshire's primaries, a new CNN Poll of Polls found that the senator was holding a 54 percent to 40 percent advantage over Clinton.

Early Tuesday morning, Sanders won the Democratic vote in the tiny New Hampshire hamlet of Dixville Notch, which traditionally hosts the first vote of the election season's first primary. Of the nine total votes cast at midnight on Tuesday, Sanders beat Hillary Clinton 4-0, while GOP hopeful John Kasich scored a 3-2 win over Donald Trump.




Even Clinton herself seemed to have little hope of winning the Granite State in the days leading up to the primary.


No comments:

Post a Comment

Comments system

Disqus Shortname