How New Hampshire Voted

Sanders, having won New Hampshire, seemed to be trying to address one of his core weaknesses in his (extended) victory speech: electability. Early on in his speech, he argued that the type of voter enthusiasm that drove his win in New Hampshire is what Democrats need in November, saying that Democrats win when voter turnout is high and Republicans win when voter turnout is low. Otherwise it was a fairly standard Sanders speech. He hit, among other issues: income inequality, campaign finance, veterans’ issues and mass incarceration. Sanders also spoke directly to his young supporters, who polls show prefer him to Clinton, addressing social justice issues, jobs and criticizing the costs associated with obtaining a college education.

The bad news for Bush at the moment is that he’s in danger of being edged out for third place by Ted Cruz. Curiously, Cruz’s slight surge into third seems to be fueled by strong showings in Strafford County, especially around Rochester along the Maine border. Perhaps not coincidentally, these were also some of Rick Santorum’s best towns in the 2012 primary. A week ago, Bush backers would have been ecstatic about finishing ahead of Marco Rubio. But finishing behind John Kasich and Cruz could take a lot of the luster off.

Sanders’s speech emphasized the power of the people and the idea that when turnout is high, progressives win. He’s also made a point to talk about the need for eventual party unity and has moved on to attacking Republicans. But as this was going on, I got this tweet: https://twitter.com/rumdoodle/status/697245413158465536 Now, New Hampshire and Iowa determine fewer than 100 delegates combined. It’s very early to talk about what the Democratic primary electorate wants. But Sanders and his supporters may walk a fine line here: If Clinton wins in a way that liberal activists see as illegitimate, that could be a real mess.