Sanders projected to eke out narrow win in New Hampshire primary, with Buttigieg, Klobuchar close on his heels
MANCHESTER, N.H. -- With 97% of the expected vote reported, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was the top performer in New Hampshire's Democratic primary, followed by former Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
The first-in-the-nation primary heated up on Tuesday as the first decisive outcome this cycle after the tumultuous Iowa caucuses.
The candidates made their final pleas to voters across the state to outline their vision for the country, rebuke President Donald Trump, call for party unity and made more overt contrasts with their rivals.
While Sanders and Buttigieg battled it out for the top spots in the primary, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden jockeyed for positions, as both have found themselves in a tight race for third and fourth place in recent polling.
Here's how the day unfolded.
11:48 pm South Carolina and Nevada could produce new front-runners, analysts say
Moving forward, primaries in Nevada and South Carolina could produce more competition as former Vice President Joe Biden and billionaires Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer look to gain delegates in the next two primaries.
Tuesday night, Biden traveled to South Carolina, a state he has focused much of his attention on in recent weeks. ABC News Correspondent Eva Pilgrim noted that Biden event attracted the most “diverse” crowd she’s seen at a campaign event for the former vice president. While Pilgrim said that South Carolina is “not do or die” for his campaign, it is definitely “important.”
South Carolina will also be important for Bloomberg. ABC News Contributor Heidi Heitkamp. a former North Dakota senator, said that “the winner tonight is Michael Bloomberg” because “no one has emerged as the presumptive candidate.” Heitkamp believes that moving forward Bloomberg could fully cement himself within the race with strong performances in both South Carolina and Nevada.
Continuing the conversation, former campaign manager for New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker's presidential bid Addisu Demissie added that “Tom Steyer has been quietly working in South Carolina and Nevada.” Demissie continued to push that Steyer could gain some momentum heading into Super Tuesday if his work in the two states pays off.
11:07 p.m. Sanders touts diverse support in building his coalition
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the projected winner of the New Hampshire primary, addressed a cheering crowd in New Hampshire on Tuesday night and proudly touted his diverse support in building a coalition aimed at taking progressive approaches to health care, resolving student debt and curbing climate change to the White House.
"The reason that we are going to win is that we are putting together an unprecedented multigenerational, multiracial political movement," he said.
11:02 p.m. Buttigieg thanks diverse group of voters for his strong finish in New Hampshire
Pete Buttigieg appeared triumphant as he stood before his New Hampshire supporters Tuesday night as he trailed in second place closely behind Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary.
The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, acknowledged a diverse group of voters that propelled him near the top of the polls.
"So many of you turned out -- die-hard democrats, independents unwilling to stay on the sidelines and even some former Republicans willing to try something new," he said. "So many of you chose to meet a new era of challenge with a new generation of leadership."
Buttigieg congratulated his competitors, especially Sanders on his win, adding that he has admired the Vermont senator since he was a high school student.
"Vote blue, no matter who," Buttigieg said to the crowd. "We are on the same team."
11 p.m. ABC News projects that Bernie Sanders will win the NH Democratic primary
Based on our analysis of the vote, ABC News projects that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will win the New Hampshire Democratic primary. Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg will be second, and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar third.
11 p.m. How did Hispanics vote?
New Hampshire has come under fire for its early status among concerns about lack of diversity in voting before Super Tuesday. Only 2% of its population is Hispanic or Latino, but of that 2%, 40% voted with Sanders, according to ABC News analysis of exit poll data.
All other candidates had Hispanic support in the teens or lower, including Biden who finished the night with 10%.
According to ABC News Polling Director Gary Langer, there were 110 Hispanics tallied in exit polls, just enough for analysis. )There were only 62 African Americans in this count, not enough for analysis).
ABC News' Polling Director Gary Langer reported.
10:48 p.m. Where do the suburbs stand?
With 82% of expected vote reporting, as of 10:46 p.m. ET, Bernie Sanders is currently leading with 26%, followed by former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, with 24% and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, with 20%.
The gap between Buttigieg and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is still very close, with only 4,311 votes separating them at this point.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden are still vying for fourth and fifth with Warren having 9% and Biden holding only 8%. About 2,200 votes separate the two.
Some of the state's key suburbs are still outstanding with 0% of the vote in, including Hooksett, Goffstown, Dunbarton, outside of Manchester, a city in which Sanders delivered a strong performance.
Around Concord, Buttigieg appears to be leading across those suburbs, particularly in Loudon and Bow, where he is the top vote-getter. But another suburb of Concord, Pembroke, has 0% of precincts reporting. In one exurb of Concord, Allenstown, Sanders topped Buttigieg with 100% of precincts reporting, 27%-22%. Around Nashua, Litchfield remains at 0%, and in another suburb, Amherst, Buttigieg clinched 29% of the vote, compared to Klobuchar's 26%, with 100% of precincts reporting there.
Hanover, home to Dartmouth University, was supposed to one of the foundations of Sanders' youthful base, but it sided with Buttigieg with 26% of the vote to Sanders' 20%.
ABC News' Kendall Karson and Quinn Scanlan reported.
10:40 p.m. Buttigieg nips at Bernie's heels after Iowa caucus debacle
After the problem-plagued Iowa caucuses and former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg's surprise catapult to the presumed top-tier, he has remained on Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' heels in the days leading up to New Hampshire.
Statewide polling showed him consistently in second place since the Iowa caucuses, only points behind Sanders and within the margin of error, bumping former Vice President Joe Biden for the second place position in a number of polls.
A New Hampshire poll released on Jan. 23 showed Buttigieg at 15%, nearly tied with Biden, in third place trailing behind Sanders.
Polls released after Buttigieg's impressive results in Iowa showed him skyrocketing to second place and maintaining a hold at or around 20%.
A poll released on Sunday evening showed Buttigieg at 22% with Sanders at 29%.
Buttigieg spent 30 days in New Hampshire and held at least 80 events.
His apparent strong showing in the primaries captured the attention of President Trump on Tuesday night.
Trump blasted the former South Bend, Ind. mayor on Twitter, saying he was "giving crazy Bernie a run for his money."
"Bootedgeedge (Buttigieg) is doing pretty well tonight. Giving Crazy Bernie a run for his money. Very interesting!" he tweeted.
10:18 p.m. Klobuchar a 'big surprise' in New Hampshire, says ABC News political analyst.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar's success in New Hampshire at 20% of the vote is a "big surprise," considering polls had her pulling in juts 6% of the vote just a few days ago, said ABC News Chief Political Analyst Matt Dowd.
Dowd described New Hampshire as a "hugely disappointing night" for Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren, especially considering that their numbers combined, at 8% and 9% consecutively, do not add up to Klobuchar's numbers.
While Klobuchar did well, what remains to be seen is whether she can have a "second act," Dowd said, adding that she will now have a "target on her back" and reminding the public that Bill Clinton only won one of the first 11 primaries and caucuses in 1992.
"She will be tested in the next two or three weeks, unlike anything she's ever been tested before," Dowd said.
10:12 p.m. Strong liberals lift Sanders, Buttigieg keeps a broad base as New Hampshire centrists bring Klobuchar into contention
According to a final analysis of New Hampshire exit polls, older and more educated voters, moderates and those looking for a candidate to unite the country lifted Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar to competitive status in the New Hampshire Democratic primary, largely at former Vice President Joe Biden’s expense. Vermont Bernie Sanders held on to younger and very liberal voters, and, as in the Iowa caucuses last week, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg demonstrated appeal across a range of groups.
ABC News' Polling Unit Director Gary Langer reported.
10:07 p.m. Where did Warren stack up with her competitors on her ground game?
Warren had the most visits to the state out of her competitors, coming in at 28 over the primary cycle, but held far fewer events than some of her competitors.
Andrew Yang, who ended his presidential bid on Tuesday night, held 134 events in the Granite State, the most of any of the Democrats, followed by Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard at 114, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, who also left the race Tuesday night, held 103. Warren held at least 62 and overall, spent 40 days in the state.
Based on preliminary exit polls, Warren clinched support from 10% of women, while Klobuchar secured the most support from women at 25%.
53% of voters, based on preliminary exit polls, between the ages of 18-35 have opted for Sanders, followed by Buttigieg at 18%. Warren fared the best among voters aged 30-44 at 13%.
ABC News' Christopher Donato reported.
10 p.m. Trump targets Steyer, Warren after poor showings in New Hampshire.
President Donald Trump took to Twitter to target the Democratic candidates that did not fair well in the New Hampshire primary.
Trump targeted billionaire-turned presidential candidate Tom Steyer, who he called the "Impeachment King," for only garnering 1% of the vote in Iowa and just 3% in New Hampshire.
Trump also criticized Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren for "having a really bad night" in New Hampshire, accusing her of "sending signals that she wants out."
9:55 p.m. Klobuchar vows to unite the country to defeat Trump
As the results for the New Hampshire Democratic primary come in, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar addressed her supporters on the heels of an apparent third-place finish in the state, vowing to unite the country in an effort to defeat Trump, who she called the "great divider."
"We see that what unites us is so much deeper than what divides us," she said. "We know that the heart of America is so much bigger than the heart of this guy in the White House."
Klobuchar emphasized that the race "is not about the loudest voice or the biggest bank account" but rather "the best ideas and the person who can turn those ideas into action."
"We know that we can win by bringing people with us instead of shutting them out," she said.
Klobuchar and her team are "taking this message of unity to the country" as they look ahead to Nevada and South Carolina, she said.
9:45 p.m. ABC News estimates that Sanders, Buttigieg and Klobuchar have nabbed six delegates each
ABC News estimates that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar will get at least six pledged delegates. Six more have yet to be estimated-- and ABC News has not estimated any for either Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren or former Vice President Joe Biden.
With 53% of expected vote reporting, as of 9:45 p.m. ET, Bernie Sanders is currently leading with 27%, followed by Pete Buttigieg, with 24%, and Amy Klobuchar, with 20%.
Sanders leads over Buttigieg by about 5,400 votes, and Buttigieg leads over Klobuchar by almost 6,000 votes.
Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden both have 9%, but Warren leads over Biden by more than 1,300 votes.
ABC News' Kendall Karson and Quinn Scanlan reported.
9:40 p.m.: Sanders continues to lead as New Hampshire Secretary of State says its too early to tell how turnout is faring.
With 53% of expected vote reporting, as of 9:40 p.m. ET, Bernie Sanders is currently leading with 27%, followed by Pete Buttigieg, with 24%, and Amy Klobuchar, with 20%, who continue to battle it out over second place. Over 5,000 votes currently separate Buttigieg and Klobuchar.
Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden are in an even closer fight for fourth and fifth place, with both now at 9% each
Most of the outstanding vote is across small towns with only up to three precincts. Among those towns with yet to report, some of the biggest towns are Derry, Hanover and Durham - the last two of which are home to some of the state's big universities - Dartmouth and University of New Hampshire. These areas are considered epicenters of Sanders' core base.
According to a preliminary analysis of exit polls, Sanders is performing best among men, voters making under $50,000 and voters with no college degree. Women are narrowly backing Buttigieg, and those with a college degree are siding with Klobuchar.
ABC News' Kendall Karson and Quinn Scanlan reported.
9:30 p.m. Biden 'moving on' to Nevada, South Carolina, he tells supporters.
Former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, briefly live-streamed a message to his supporters at the Radisson Hotel in Nashua, New Hampshire, to thank them and say the campaign is now "moving on" to South Carolina, Nevada "and beyond."
"I've said it from the moment I entered this race, as Val mentioned, we are in the battle for the soul the nation," Biden said. "...And we want you all to know how much we appreciate everything you've done. Truly from the bottom of our hearts and so many of you have become a friend."
Biden made no mention of the results in New Hampshire during his two-minute remarks, choosing instead to keep the focus on the people and supporters he met in the state throughout the campaign.
ABC News' John Verhovek reported.
9:25 p.m. Buttigieg has strongest lead in pivot areas.
With 51% of precincts reporting, Buttigieg strong leads in pivot areas of the state.
So far, Buttigieg is carrying Wentworth's Location with 50% of the vote. It's located in Coos County, which voted for Obama in both 2008 and 2012, and then for Trump. He also carries in Croydon, located in Sullivan County, another pivot county in the state. He also carries New London, New Hampshire, in Merrimack County, where Sanders swept the vote in 2016. In the last eight years, the Manchester/Concord corridor has been New Hampshire’s most competitive between Republicans and Democrats and has also shifted to the right.
9:15 p.m. Presidential race for Bloomberg 'begins on Super Tuesday,' campaign spokeswoman says.
The senior national spokeswoman for Michael Bloomberg's campaign, Sabrina Singh, told ABC News Chief National Affairs Correspondent Tom Llamas that the race for the Bloomberg will ramp up on Super Tuesday and beyond.
"We know that this race, for us, really begins on Super Tuesday and beyond," Singh said. "These are the states that are going to be the batteground states."
The Bloomberg campaign is focused on lying the groundwork in states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin, which Singh said are "crucial to beating Trump in November."
"We know we need to win back those voters in 2016 that did not turn out for Hillary Clinton."
9:02 p.m. With 41% of the vote reporting, Sanders carries the Democratic field.
As of 9:00 p.m. ET, Bernie Sanders is still leading with 28%. The margin between Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar is widening slightly: Buttigieg has 23% and Klobuchar has 20%.Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden are still in a battling it out for fourth and fifth place, with 10% and 9%, respectively. With 41% of precincts reporting, Warren's leading over Biden by about 1,100 votes.
ABC News' Quinn Scanlan and Kendall Karson reported.
9:00 p.m.: Who has qualified for the ninth Democratic debate?
According to an ABC News analysis, Biden, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Sanders and Warren have qualified for the next Democratic debate on Feb. 19 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
8:55 p.m. Sen. Michael Bennet has dropped out of the race
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet announced to his supporters in New Hampshire that he was dropping out of the race but warned that they may not have seen the last of him.
"Tonight is not going to be our night, but let me say this to New Hampshire, you may see me once again," he said.
Bennet thanked his supporters for giving him and the other candidates a chance and reminded them of why he decided to run in the first place.
"I got in this fight because I love this country," he said. "I love America. I love the idea of democracy, and I want to make sure that our generation passes this democracy intact at least, if not in better shape, to the next generation of Americans. And tonight as we stand here, we can’t say that we’re in very good shape. Our democracy is at risk. The ability for people to work hard and live a middle class life in this country is at risk."
Bennet concluded his speech by saying he will do "absolutely everything" he can to "make sure that Donald Trump is a one-term president."
"I will support the nominee of my party no matter who it is to make sure that we defeat Donald Trump," he said.
8:41 p.m. Warren touts the long game in election night speech.
At her election night party, Warren took the stage and congratulated Sanders, Buttigieg and Klobuchar for "strong nights." She also congratulated Klobuchar, her “friend and colleague,” for “showing just how wrong the pundits can be when they count a woman out.”
Warren has pivoted to playing the long game as her results have shown her fare less than positive for her campaign, honing in on arguments that many of the 1,991 delegates needed to clinch the nomination will be awarded in the weeks to come.
"We might be headed for another one of those long primary fights that lasts for months. We’re two states in with 55 states and territories to go. We still have 98% of our delegates for our nomination up for grabs. And Americans in every part of the country are gonna make their voices heard," she told supporters.
She's also turned her focus on "unwinnable fights" in recent days, saying she's "been winning unwinnable fights pretty much all my life -- we persist and we win," Warren said in Manchester on Saturday night. "There are a lot of people who've said we can't do it... the way I see it, they're going to keep saying that right up until we get in the fight - we persist, and we win!"
ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett and Sasha Pezenik reported.
8:37 p.m. ABC News estimates Sanders, Buttigieg and Klobuchar have won four delegates each.
Based on ABC News Decision Desk estimates, at this time Sanders, Buttigieg and Klobuchar have won four delegates each with 33% of precincts reporting.
8:30 p.m. Elizabeth Warren addresses supporters in New Hampshire
"I'm here to get big things done," Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a speech to cheering supporters in New Hampshire as the results for the Democratic primary came in.
Warren went to four polling locations on Tuesday, greeting supporters wearing "liberty green" at each one. She went to Portsmouth, Durham, Nashua and Manchester. She took questions from press here and there along the way, but the press scrums got pretty intense by the end, making that fairly impossible.
8:25 p.m. Andrew Yang thanks wife, supporters in exit speech
As entrepreneur Andrew Yang ended removed himself from the race for the 2020 presidential election, he acknowledged his wife, Evelyn, and his supporters in New Hampshire for sticking by him."You all have uplifted me and inspired me and Evelyn and this campaign at every turn," Yang said. "Your passion and energy, your donations and hundreds of thousands of hours calling, volunteering, your enthusiasm, dedication and commitment."
Yang recalled the messages of "humanity first" and "a vision of an economy and society that works for us and our families" that his campaign focused on throughout his run.
"We have touched and improved millions of lives and moved this country we love so much in the right direction," he said. "And while there is great work left to be done, you know I am the math guy, and it is clear tonight from the numbers that we are not going to win this race."
Former presidential contender Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar wished him well.
8:21 p.m.Former Gov. Bill Weld, Trump's primary challenger, to continue to Super Tuesday.
Former Gov. Bill Weld, the last standing long-shot Republican primary challenger to President Donald Trump, will move "on to Super Tuesday" regardless of tonight's results, communications director Joe Hunter tells ABC News.
Bill Weld pulled in 23% of GOP voters with an advanced degree, 21%of moderates and 15%of independents. He soared to 47% among Republican voters who oppose building a wall among the border with Mexico; they, however, accounted for just 14% of the electorate. Trump, for his part, peaked at 97% of very conservative voters and 95% of evangelical white Christians.In Iowa, Trump carried the vote with 97%, according to the Associated Press.
ABC News' Will Steakin reported and Polling Director Gary Langer reported.
8:12 p.m. Former Gov. Bill Weld, Trump's primary challenger, to continue to Super Tuesday.
Former Gov. Bill Weld, the last standing long-shot Republican primary challenger to President Donald Trump, will move "on to Super Tuesday" regardless of tonight's results, communications director Joe Hunter tells ABC News.
ABC News' Will Steakin reported.
8:17 p.m. Klobuchar looks ahead of New Hampshire.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar released two ads in Nevada before the results in New Hampshire were even finalized.
The ads are set to air in the Las Vegas and Reno markets Wednesday and highlight issues critical to both liberal and moderate democrats, such as healthcare, prescription drugs and the economy.
ABC News' Lissette Rodriguez reported.
8:12 p.m. Klobuchar leads with women, based on preliminary exit poll results.
There’s a substantial gender gap in the New Hampshire results; Sanders does 9 points better with men than women; Klobuchar, 9 points better with women than men. Buttigieg, true to form, ran about evenly in both groups.
Klobuchar prevailed among college-educated women – winning 32 percent, followed by 22 percent for Buttigieg, 19 percent for Sanders and just 13 percent for Warren. Non-college men backed Sanders with 35 percent; Buttigieg came distantly second in this group.
As noted, Sanders, for all his strengths, has a “too liberal” problem – 52 percent of New Hampshire voters described him this way in preliminary exit poll results. They went for Klobuchar (39 percent) and Buttigieg (29 percent), with just 12 percent backing Biden.
Biden also had trouble among the few nonwhites in the electorate, a group whose support he’s been banking on. Sanders won 27 percent of this group, Biden 21 percent, with Buttigieg and Klobuchar trailing at 13 percent apiece. One reason is that nonwhites were somewhat younger than the whites who turned out, and, as noted, young voters favored Sanders.
Health care was the top-cited issue among four that were tested, and Sanders won those who picked it. He also won voters focused on income inequality. Those who care most on climate change and foreign policy tilted toward Buttigieg. Klobuchar won similar levels of support across these issue groups.
ABC News' Polling Unit Director Gary Langer reported.
8:10 p.m. Buttigieg supporters watch results pour in.
Supporters for Buttigieg watch as preliminary results for the New Hampshire Democratic primary come in at a rally in Nashua, New Hampshire.
8:07 p.m. Tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang ending his presidential bid
Entrepreneur Andrew Yang has ended his bid for the presidency.
Yang was widely regarded as a breakthrough candidate who surpassed the expectation of many as he outlasted sitting senators, former governors and other lifelong politicians as political newcomer. Yang has never held an elected position, yet generated a strong following that carried him through multiple Democratic debates.
His departure further winnows the Democratic field, once historic for the number of minority contenders.
Read more about his political journey here.
8:01 p.m. Updates with up to 14% of expected vote reporting, Sanders is leading the race at this point
With up to 14% of expected vote reporting, as of 8:00 p.m. ET, Bernie Sanders is currently leading with 28%, followed closely behind by Pete Buttigieg, 22%, and Amy Klobuchar, 20%, who are vying for second place.
ABC News is unable to make a projection in the New Hampshire in the Democratic primary. Sanders is leading the race at this point, followed by Buttigieg and Klobuchar. Biden and Warren are vying for fourth and fifth place.
Here's how the entire Democratic field is faring, with 14% of expected vote reporting:
Sanders 28%Buttigieg 22%Klobuchar 20%Warren 9%Biden 9%Steyer 4%Gabbard 3%Yang 3%
Most of the vote comes from north country, the state's northern tip, representing more rural parts of the state. Some votes are beginning to trickle in from Concord, Dover and Manchester.
ABC News Kendall Karson and Quinn Scanlan reported.
8:00 p.m.Older voters, moderates and those looking for a candidate to unite the county: ABC News analysis
Based on preliminary analysis of New Hampshire primary exit polls, older voters, moderates and those looking for a candidate to unite the county aided Amy Klobuchar in the New Hampshire Democratic primary, all at Joe Biden’s expense. Bernie Sanders held on to younger and strongly liberal voters, and, as in the Iowa caucuses last week, Pete Buttigieg demonstrated appeal across a range of groups in preliminary exit poll results.
Whatever divided these voters, they were united in one regard: a remarkable 81 percent described themselves as “angry” about the Trump administration.
Backing someone who can unite the country was one of the top two attributes of concern, and Klobuchar won 31 percent support in that group, essentially even with Buttigieg, at 29 percent. Preliminary results also found Klobuchar prevailing among seniors and running well – again with Buttigieg – among moderates.
Klobuchar, 59, and Buttigieg, 38, also benefitted from their comparative youth. With Sanders, Biden and Elizabeth Warren in their 70s, two in 10 voters said candidate age was an important factor in their vote, and six in 10 of them backed Klobuchar or Buttigieg. Further, Klobuchar won 30 percent of those who called the most recent ABC News debate important in their decision, and she and Buttigieg roughly split those who made their choice in the campaign’s closing days.
Sanders, for his part, produced another strong performance among younger voters – not just under 30, but up to age 44 – and those who called themselves very liberal. He ran well but did not dominate among “somewhat” liberals, and fell back among moderates.
In contrast with Klobuchar, Sanders won voters seeking a candidate who can “bring needed change” as well as those looking chiefly for one who “cares about people like me.” Among his best groups were the nearly six in 10 voters who back a government run, single-payer health care system. His support among those voters was triple that of Elizabeth Warren, another champion of a single-payer approach.
Sanders also won handily, with 37 percent, among those chiefly seeking a nominee who “agrees with you on major issues.” But many more voters were focused instead on the candidate who can beat Donald Trump, and there Sanders’ support fell by half.
A similar result came in a question asking whether the next president should return to Barack Obama’s policies or pursue a more liberal approach. Voters divided about evenly – with Sanders soaring among those looking for more liberal policies, but cratering among those favoring for a return to the Obama era.
Buttigieg collected votes across an array of groups, much the same as in his top-two finish in the Iowa caucuses last week. Preliminary results found him running a distant second to Sanders among 18- to 29-year-olds (a poor group for Klobuchar), yet also second to Klobuchar among seniors (a poor group for Sanders). Buttigieg also did notably well with better-off voters, winning about three in 10 of those with household incomes of $100,000 or more.
ABC News' Polling Unit Director Gary Langer reported.
8 p.m. ABC News projects that Trump will win the New Hampshire Republican primary, based on analysis of the exit polls and the vote so far.
ABC News' Polling Unit Director Gary Langer reported.
8:00 p.m. ABC News cannot project a winner of the NH Democratic primary.
Based on analysis of the exit polls and the vote in so far, we can say that Sanders is leading while Buttigieg and Klobuchar are vying for second. Biden and Warren are vying for fourth and fifth place in the NH Democratic primary.
7:37 p.m. ABC News exclusive: Don Jr blasts Buttigieg
AMHERST, N.H.—A confident Donald Trump Jr told ABC News in an exclusive interview that he believes his father, President Donald Trump, will be the big winner tonight "much like Iowa," and called former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg "the NASCAR driver of the Democrat party sponsored by every billion you can imagine."
"I think much like Iowa, Donald Trump is going to win tonight. That's the one thing I can pretty much assure everyone of. It's been incredible to go around the state again, to be back here now vs 2016, we have a team, we have people, we have enthusiastic people who have seen the president deliver the things that he was promising back then. So it's the difference between maybe he could do it and hey, he's actually done it. The energy has been totally through the roof. It's been awesome."
ABC News' Will Steakin reported.
7:02 p.m. Pete Buttigieg responds to Michael Bloomberg "You don’t xerox people.”
In an exclusive interview with ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg responded to new reports about Michael Bloomberg's controversial stop-and-frisk policy, saying "It’s problematic." “There’s certainly tremendous racial bias in the way that stop and frisk has played out. And I’m not gonna -- I’ll leave it to others to characterize Mayor Bloomberg."
"Any law enforcement strategy that seems to regard people as profile rather than as human beings, especially seeing how this has disproportionately impacted black and brown Americans is something that just has no place in an equitable future," he said. "You don’t xerox people. And it’s upsetting to hear that kind of language.”
ABC News' Justin Gomez reported.
7 p.m. Meet the voters who cast the 1st NH primary ballots of 2020
North Country is a stretch of rural New Hampshire without government services -- there's no trash pickup, and residents dig their own wells -- and the nearest hospital at which to see a specialist could be hours away.
Voting booths here have been barns and laundry rooms and bedrooms and even dining rooms.
They opened at midnight on Tuesday. Read more about the community here.
ABC News' Chris Donato reported.
6:31 p.m. ABC News partner FiveThirtyEight is up with their live blog
ABC News partner FiveThirtyEight is up with their live analysis blog.
Welcome to New Hampshire primary night!! Hopefully, we’ll actually get results tonight in a timely fashion (looking at you, Iowa).
A crew of FiveThirtyEighters has been here on the ground in New Hampshire since the debate on Friday, and we’ve been busy covering candidate events and hitting the campaign trail (and maybe a tattoo parlor) ever since.
Our primary forecast is frozen. We won't update it with any new data, including polls, until all the results from New Hampshire are it. In New Hampshire, our forecast suggests Sanders is likely to win the most votes, with a 2 in 3 shot. Buttigieg has about a 3 in 10 chance of winning the most votes. The likelihood for the other 2020 candidates to finish first tonight is low.
Check out Nate Silver’s piece on 28 scenarios for how things could shake out in New Hampshire and beyond — but remember that whoever finishes in second or third place could capture a lot of media attention, too, depending on the margin. For instance, a strong second-place finish by Buttigieg could keep him viable, and a second-place finish by Warren or Klobuchar could jumpstart either one of their campaigns.
6 p.m. Democratic voters making last-minute decisions.
About 48% of Democratic primary voters said they made up their minds about their chosen candidate either on Tuesday or within the last few days, with 16% deciding today, according to preliminary results from the New Hampshire primary exit poll.
About 59% of Democratic primary voters said they don't think Trump's impeachment made a difference in his chance of being re-elected, and about 64% of Republican primary voters said they think it helped his chances.
Turnout among conservatives is at a record-high in the GOP primary, with about 81% labeling themselves as conservatives, up from the previous record of 71% in 2016. About 61% of voters in the Democratic contests are liberals, according to the preliminary exit polls.
About 83% of GOP voters say they support building a wall "along the entire U.S. border with Mexico," and about 88% say Trump has mostly kept his campaign promises.
ABC News' Polling Unit Director Gary Langer reported.
5:15 p.m. Turnout among independents and liberals is running high.
Turnout among these two groups may hold the key to the Democratic primary, according to preliminary results from the New Hampshire primary exit poll.
About 45% of voters in the early results are independents, compared to 40% in 2016, when independents boosted Sanders to an overwhelming victory in New Hampshire, winning 73% of their votes versus Hillary Clinton.
On the issues, about 58% of voters said they support a single government health plan for all Americans, matching to about 57% in the Iowa caucuses, and about 37% called health care the most important issue for their vote, according to the preliminary results from the exit polls.
ABC News' Polling Unit Director Gary Langer reported.
5:15 p.m. Here's the state of play in New Hampshire so far.
Under pressure to excel in the Granite State amid a fiercely competitive race, many candidates have camped out in the state since early last week, spending much time openly criticizing their rivals' records and experience.
Only eight days after the contest in Iowa -- caucuses which were thrown into turmoil due to "inconsistencies" in reporting results -- two front-runners have emerged.
The state Democratic Party ultimately projected former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg the winner of the caucuses Sunday night, awarding him two more delegates than his closest competitor, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders - setting up a bitter fight between the two in New Hampshire.
While Buttigieg and Sanders battle it out for the top spot in the primary, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden are jockeying for a last-minute boost, as both have found themselves in a tight race for third and fourth place in recent polling.
Though Biden has seemingly already admitted defeat in New Hampshire -- announcing plans to skip out early and head to South Carolina ahead of the Feb. 29 primary.
But New Hampshire is also crowded by eleventh-hour momentum from Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, as well as a slate of lower-tier contenders vying to drain some support from the top two tiers, including Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.
ABC News' Ryan Shepard contributed to this report.
