Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders secured resounding victories in the New Hampshire primaries for the United States Presidential elections on Tuesday. The New Hampshire polls are the first of the primaries, which help narrow the field of candidates on both the Republican and Democrat sides. More than half a million people came out to vote in an election in which initial underdogs Trump and Sanders surged ahead of more conventional choices.
The controversial Trump won 34% of the Republican vote, his closest competitor being Ohio Governor John Kasich who held around 15%. An unusually large number of candidates appeared to split the vote share among the Republicans. Ted Cruz, who won the Iowa caucuses, got 12% of the vote, and close competitor Marco Rubio got 10%. Billionaire Trump’s brash style and manner of simplifying complex geopolitical issues into basic “good” and “bad” categories has appealed to a section of the Republican population, who believe he will take a firm stand on illegal immigration, boost the economy and act strongly against possible terrorism.
On the Democrats’ side, Sanders’ democratic socialism won him 58% of the votes against early favourite Hillary Clinton, who secured only 40% of them. Sanders’ brand of staunch liberalism, which seeks to raise taxes, rein in Wall Street and establish affordable healthcare captured the electorate far more than Clinton’s more moderate politics. Clinton lost despite her history with the state’s voters – she had won the primaries there when she was running in 2008 against Barack Obama.
Experts said the results suggest a deep dissatisfaction among the electorate, who have felt betrayed by their respective parties and the federal government.
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