Bernie Sanders is ahead of the pack of Democratic presidential contenders as the New Hampshire primary is underway. In a new national poll from Quinnipiac University, the Vermont Senator garnered 25% support. Former Vice President Joe Biden fell nine points from the school's January survey to 17%...and in third place? Michael Bloomberg.
Rounding out the top five, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg, who were the only candidates to reach double digit support. Speaking of support, while Buttigieg and Sanders have both claimed Iowa as a win, they’re now asking for a recanvass of some results from last week's caucuses. Buttigieg came out ahead in the delegate count from the caucuses, followed closely by Sanders.
What this means going forward? If no one cleans up in New Hampshire, there’s a growing chorus for what’s called a “brokered convention.” That’s when there isn’t a clear winner, delegates are "released" and able to switch their allegiance to a different candidate before the next round of balloting. In theory, that means a clear winner will emerge.
Speaking of “clear winners,” presidential hopeful Mike Bloomberg already is one – but more on that in a moment. Bloomberg is reportedly paying social media influencers to promote his campaign. According to the “Daily Beast,” Bloomberg's camp has quietly started a push to make his campaign seem cool. To that end, influencers have been getting paid a fixed fee of $150 to create original content that says why Bloomberg should be elected. It may have worked. In the tiny town of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire – which traditionally casts the first primary votes in the country – Bloomberg has already won. When the five residents cast their ballots, Bloomberg received three write-in votes, one from a Republican and two from Democrats.
The rural towns of Millsfield and Hart's Location all opened their polls just after midnight and counted votes within the hour. First results show that Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar is leading the Democratic field with eight votes among the three communities.
Source: Quinnipiac University
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