Updated: Trump and Sanders win big in New Hampshire primary
Unconventional candidates on the far left and right easily win first primary of US presidential campaign.
Trump pledged to "knock the hell out" of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant fighters [David Goldman/AP]
Billionaire businessman Donald Trump has won New Hampshire's
Republican presidential nominating contest, while Vermont Senator Bernie
Sanders seized the Democratic primary over Hillary Clinton. With 15 percent of precincts reporting in Tuesday's race, Trump
was easily winning, taking about 34 percent of the vote - compared to
about 16 percent for second placed John Kasich. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush was running third with about
12 percent, while Iowa caucus winner Ted Cruz was fourth with about 11
percent.
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Trump's win solidifies his frontrunner status in the race to be the party's White House nominee in 2016.
The reality television star's untraditional campaign has been marked
by calls for the deportation of undocumented migrants and temporarily
banning Muslims from entering the United States.
Sanders, 74, who describes himself as a democratic socialist, is the
underdog in the national race against former US secretary of state
Clinton. He is promising universal healthcare, better paying jobs, and
student debt relief.
He had about 57 percent of the vote in early returns, ahead of Clinton, who had about 41 percent, according to the AP.
"What the people here have said is that given the enormous crises
facing our country, it is just too late for the same old, same old
establishment politics and establishment economics," Sanders told
supporters at his headquarters in Concord.
"Together we have sent the message that will echo from Wall Street to
Washington, from Maine to California, and that is that the government
of our great country belongs to all of the people and not just a handful
of wealthy campaign contributors," Sanders said.
In his victory speech, Trump, 69, said Sanders "wants to give away
our country." He pledged to have business experts negotiate better trade
deals and to "knock the hell out" of Islamic State of Iraq and the
Levant fighters.
New Hampshire kicks off primary vote
Al Jazeera's Shihab Rattansi, reporting from Sanders' Concord headquarters, described Sanders' victory as "a revolution".
"Hillary Clinton has a trust problem, we just haven't seen it
manifested before. Clinton just didn't connect with many Democrats in
the state," our correspondent said.
Clinton's campaign acknowledged it had lost in New Hampshire.
Campaign manager Robby Mook said in a memo they had "split" the first
two nominating contests - Clinton won Iowa last week - and said the
Democratic nomination would "very likely" be decided in March.
The Clinton campaign said the support of black and Hispanic voters
would be key to victory. The next primary races are in Nevada and South
Carolina later this month.
Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher, reporting from Manchester, New Hampshire,
said the success of the two candidates showed that people were "fed up
with the political establishment".
"This is a real display that American voters are fed up with the current system," Fisher said.
Lara Brown, of the Graduate School of Political Management at George
Washington University, told Al Jazeera that the New Hampshire results
showed a lot of people were looking at American politics "and they do
believe the system is rigged".
"They do have a sense when Donald Trump says 'We're just not winning
any more', or when Bernie Sanders talks about those people on Wall
Street really controlling Washington; I think both of those messages are
resonating," Brown said.
"And while neither (candidate) has a tremendous number of policy
solutions that are achievable or realistic in any sort of understanding
of the likely structure that will be in place in 2017, the message is
still a heart one from voters who think they've been left out."
The presidential election is on November 8.
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