Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night, giving Democrats their first definitive winner in the presidential nomination process – but he took the victory by less than 2%.
Sanders was leading when polls closed in New Hampshire and maintained first place throughout the night, with Joe Biden in a shocking fifth place position.
Sanders was expected to do well but the former vice president, who many party elders see as their best hope to beat Donald Trump in November, began faltering after a poor showing in last week’s Iowa caucuses.
The progressive senator, however, was not able to win with as large a margin he had hoped next door to his home state, as moderate Pete Buttigieg closed the gap as voted were counted.
Starting the night with an average of 28 per cent as precincts reported their results, Buttigieg closed the 6 per cent gap and after 10:00 p.m., the candidates were less than two per cent apart.
Amy Klobuchar also crept up to third place, around 4 points behind Buttigieg, after a strong debate performance on Friday gave her a last-minute surge in the state.
She took the stage at her primary night party when about 50 per cent of precincts reporting, choking up at some point while addressing supporters.
Elizabeth Warren falls behind Klobuchar next with Biden leading only Andrew Yang, Tom Steyer, Tulsi Gabbard and Michael Bennet.
And Yang and Bennet ended their campaigns Tuesday night amid their poor New Hampshire showing.
‘A lot of Democrat dropouts tonight, very low political I.Q.’ Donald Trump tweeted.
Polls showed Biden was in a tough spot and the 77-year-old candidate fled the state for South Carolina, which holds its primary at the end of the month, hours before polls closed on Tuesday.
Amy Klobuchar also crept up to third place, around 4 points behind Buttigieg, after a strong debate performance on Friday gave her a last-minute surge in the state.
She took the stage at her primary night party when about 50 per cent of precincts reporting, choking up at some point while addressing supporters.
Elizabeth Warren falls behind Klobuchar next with Biden leading only Andrew Yang, Tom Steyer, Tulsi Gabbard and Michael Bennet.
And Yang and Bennet ended their campaigns Tuesday night amid their poor New Hampshire showing.
‘A lot of Democrat dropouts tonight, very low political I.Q.’ Donald Trump tweeted.
Polls showed Biden was in a tough spot and the 77-year-old candidate fled the state for South Carolina, which holds its primary at the end of the month, hours before polls closed on Tuesday.
Democratic socialist Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in 1st place in the New Hampshire primary election
Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg in second after a strong performance in the Iowa caucuses last week
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar came up in a shocking third place after an impressive debate performance n Manchester on Friday
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, however, dropped to fourth place after placing third in Iowa
Former Vice President Joe Biden came in fifth after admitting last week that New Hampshire likely wouldn’t vote him the victor in the first-in-the-nation primary
Bernie Sanders – seen with his wife Jane – was in the early lead in New Hampshire
Richard Johnson, the moderator for Hinsdale, N.H., dumps primary ballots onto a table at the Millstream Community Center in Hinsdale, N.H., as Megan Kondrat and Mike Darcy watch
Bernie Sanders supporters at his election night party in Manchester
Sanders’ primary night party erupted around 7:45 p.m., when the massive screen in the typical college gymnasium at Southern New Hampshire University illuminated and showed Sanders in the lead – just 15-minutes before polls closed – with more than nearly 30 per cent.
Their enthusiasm wasn’t deterred when CNN showed that was with just 5 per cent of precincts reporting in.
Throughout the night the numbers continued to fluctuate as the gap between Buttigieg and Sanders got smaller and smaller.
Supporters filtered into Sanders’ primary night celebration as the polling places closed, and a few hundred either took their seats in the stadium-like stands while others stood near the stage where Bernie delivered his victory speech.
The crowd counted down the clock as it approached 8:00 p.m. poll closing time like it was the New Year’s Eve midnight ball drop ringing in a new year.
Sanders is coming off a self-declared win in Iowa as well, where he won the popular vote but South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg took the most delegates. Sanders’ campaign said they are demanding a recanvass.
In 2016, the Vermont senator won the New Hampshire primary with an astounding 60.4 per cent to Hillary Clinton’s 38 per cent. He’s looking for a repeat win Tuesday night.
Amy Klobuchar came out of the New Hampshire primary with a surprise third place finish and a burst of momentum for her campaign heading into Nevada and South Carolina.
She defied early expectations, most of which did not see her making it past the first round of primary contests, let alone besting Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren in one of them.
The Minnesota senator choked up bit when she thanked her supporters at her primary night party.
‘My heart is full tonight. While there are still ballots left to count we have beaten the odds every step of way,’ she said. ‘Thank you New Hampshire. We are on to Nevada because the best is yet to come.’
Klobuchar ranked near the bottom of the polls when she entered the presidential contest in February of 2019, famously giving her kick off speech in a Minnesota blizzard.
She ran her campaign based on her Minnesota moderate pragmaticism and her folksy, quick with a quip image. She skyrocketed ahead of Biden and Warren after a strong debate performance on Friday, collecting enough donations – $3 million as of Monday – and support to push her to the next round of contests.
But while moderates and independents – who can vote in New Hampshire’s primary – have flocked to her, she has not captured the progressive wing of the party, which tends to dominate in primary contests.
She acknowledged that Tuesday night.
‘I cannot wait to build a movement and win with a movement of fired up Democrats and independent and moderate Republicans,’ Klobuchar told the crowd.
She asked supporters to stick with her and to donate to her campaign.
‘I don’t have that big bank account. I don’t have that big name of some of those people in the race and I’m not a political newcomer with no political record. What I have is your back,’ she said as she asked for their support.
The New Hampshire crowd was fired up.
While Klobuchar’s crowd of supporters waited for her to speak, they tried out a variety of chants and cheers: ‘Let’s go Amy’; ‘Every race, every place, every time, win big’; ‘All of us, all of us, all of us’; ‘She knows us’; ‘Who do we want? Amy? When do want her? 2020’; ‘Go Amy, Beat Trump’; and ‘Beat Trump, Vote Amy.’
In the end, they just shouted ‘Amy, Amy, Amy.’
Elizabeth Warren had a disappointing placement Tuesday night.
The Massachusetts senator came in fourth place – despite being from the neighboring state, which is seen as an advantage.
Elizabeth Warren gave an early concession speech in New Hampshire but vowed to campaign on
Andrew Yang dropped out of the race Tuesday night
Colorado Senator Michael Bennet also dropped out of the race
Warren gave an early concession speech Tuesday night – before the race was officially called – where she congratulated Sanders and Buttigieg on their strong showing.
‘I also want to congratulate my friend and colleague Amy Klobuchar for showing just how wrong the pundits can be when they count a woman out,’ she said in pointed reference to those who have questioned how her presidential campaign can continue.
She warned the road to the Democratic nomination could be a long one.
‘We might be headed for another one of those long primary fights that lasts for months,’ she said.
The Massachusetts senator also made a call for unity – calling out Sanders and Buttigieg for the knocks they taken against one another – and arguing only a united Democratic Party can beat Donald Trump.
‘If we’re going to beat Donald Trump in November, we are going to need huge turnout within our party, and to get that turnout, we will need a nominee that the broadest coalition of our party feels they can get behind,’ she said.
She then made the pitch for herself as that candidate.
But Warren was not estimated to receive a delegate out of the New Hampshire contest thanks to her poor finish.
She kept her speech positive, however, and pivoted to thanking her supporters, her husband and her dog Bailey, who campaigned with her.
‘Tonight I want to say thank you — thank you to every volunteer, every organizer, every door knocker, every phone banker, every five-dollar donor,’ she said.
She paused and put her hand on her heart, head bowed, when the crowd yelled ‘Warren, Warren, Warren’ to her.
She vowed to campaign on.
‘Our campaign is built for the long haul. And we are just getting started,’ she said.
Meanwhile, New Hampshire state officials reported no election problems, which will likely give Democrats a clear winner following the debacle of the Iowa caucuses. The primary contest here is run by state officials unlike Iowa’s caucuses, which are run by party leaders and local volunteers.
‘We’ve got this. We know what we’re doing here. The only way it will last that long if the numbers are so close we have a virtual tie,’ New Hampshire Democratic Party chair Ray Buckley told reporters on a phone call Monday.
‘Everything here is paper ballot. Nothing is connected to the internet. The ballots are immediately impounded by the state police. There is just no question for anyone to have any fear,’ he added.
The state uses paper ballots that are filed in with a pencil. Those ballots are then counted by machines that are not connected to the internet. Afterward, state police officers collect the printouts of final tallies and deliver them to the statehouse.
Bernie Sanders and his wife Jane leave a New Hampshire polling site after visiting supporters
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar emerged to mingle with voters in Manchester Tuesday morning. Manchester is the most population city in the small New England state of New Hampshire, with a population of more than 112,500
Joe Biden left New Hampshire Tuesday afternoon but his campaign is still holding an event for supporters
Pete Buttigieg, who came in first in Iowa, showed up to a polling place in Hopkinton, New Hampshire with Congresswoman Annie Kuster (D-NH) with New Englands favorite: Dunkin’ Donuts
Klobuchar was in high spirits Tuesday morning after winning two of the first three New Hampshire precincts that voted over night
Billionaire Mike Bloomberg took the remaining polling location of Dixville Notch with three write-in votes
Dixville Notch has a population of 12 people, and five voted in the primary at midnight. One vote went to Pete Butitgieg, one to Bernie Sanders, and three to Bloomberg – but one of them was from a Republican
Dixville Notch Hart’s Location and Millsfield traditionally cast their votes at midnight on primary election day
But it was Amy Klobuchar who came out ahead in one of the state’s quirkier traditions: the midnight vote.
Residents of three small towns in the northern part of the state gather at their polling places at midnight to vote, making them the first official results in the state.
The Minnesota senator won two of the three midnight tallies.
Klobuchar, who has recently surged in the polls after winning fifth place in the Iowa caucuses, won Hart’s Location with six votes and Millsfield two.
The closely-followed Dixville Notch, which has a population of only 12 people, went to billionaire Mike Bloomberg, who wasn’t even on the ticket.
Ten minutes past midnight, the polling place was closed after five people voted in the Democratic primary in Dixville Notch.
One person voted for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, one for former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg and three wrote-in Bloomberg’s name.
There was one voter who wrote-in for Bloomberg that is a Republican.
New Hampshire has a partially open primary election, meaning those not registered with a political party can vote in both the Democratic and Republican primary elections. However, the state does not have a fully open primary because those registered with a party can only vote in that party’s elections.
As of a 2017 count, Millsfield has a population of 21 and Hart’s Location is double the size with 41 people.
Millsfield also had five Democratic primary voters – two went for Klobuchar, one for Sanders, one for Buttigieg and one for former Vice President Joe Biden.
Hart’s Location had a slightly bigger turnout with 15 voters in the Democratic primary.
But one Democratic winner doesn’t mean the party will have their nomination all wrapped and ready to take on President Donald Trump, who held a rally in Manchester Monday night to taunt his political rivals.
President Donald Trump made sure he wasn’t forgotten as the focus shifted to the Democratic primary.
In New Hampshire, the president, of course, came out in a landslide victory against his nearly-non-existent primary competition – although opposition candidate William Weld registered a much stronger showing than he did in Iowa.
Trump was leading with 86 per cent of the vote with almost a third of the vote in and former Massachusetts Governor William Weld, who was campaigning across the state for months, was below 10 per cent of the vote.
It was the second easy victory for the president in as many weeks after Iowa – where Democrats were thrown into confusion as the first-in-the-nation primary competiton still hadn’t announced a winner nearly a week after the caucuses.
To further mock the Democrats, Trump used his favorite social media medium, Twitter, to attack candidates as the results filtered in.
‘Elizabeth Warren, sometimes referred to as Pocahontas, is having a really bad night,’ he tweeted as the candidate slipped to fourth place. ‘I think she is sending signals that she wants out. Calling for unity is her way of getting there, going home, and having a ‘nice cold beer’ with her husband!’
He was referencing a video Warren released when announcing her candidacy where she was standing in her kitchen sharing a brew with her husband – a moment that went viral for allegedly being staged.
Trump also took a hit a billionaire Tom Steyer, who doesn’t even fall within the top five candidates in New Hampshire and placed seventh in Iowa with a measly .3 per cent.
‘Impeachment King Steyer (how did that work out?) spent 200 Million Dollars and got less than 1% of the vote in Iowa, and only 3% of the Vote in New Hampshire,’ he taunted. ‘Could it be that something is just plain missing? Not easy to do what I did, is it?’
No single candidate has yet united the Democrats nationally and the current field of contenders represent all corners of the party: young, old, moderate, liberal, pragmatic, hopeful.
And where the candidates enter the field on Tuesday may not be where they exit.
Bernie Sanders held his final campaign rally with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Monday night
Bernie Sanders: The leader in the New Hampshire polls, Sanders wants the victory. He won the 2016 Democratic primary in New Hampshire but lost the nomination that year to Hillary Clinton. He and Pete Buttigieg are fighting over who came out on top in the Iowa caucuses (Buttigieg picked up the most delegates and Sanders is asking for a recanvass). He needs a clear cut New Hampshire victory to boost him to finish what he couldn’t in the last presidential cycle.
‘If we win here tomorrow, I think we’ve got a path to victory for the Democratic nomination,’ the Vermont senator told supporters at one of his rallies on Monday.
He closed out his campaigning Monday evening with over 7,500 attendees with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a performance by The Strokes.
Pete Buttigieg: Buttigieg touted himself the front runner after Iowa’s caucus debacle but now he needs to show he comes out on top when all the votes are counted. The youngest candidate in the field, he’s come under attack for his lack of experience but has argued his ability to bring out support makes up for never having held national office.
Pete Buttigieg walks and N.H. Rep. Annie Kuster while carrying doughnuts to a poling station in Hopkinton
‘It feels good out here,’ he told reporters on Monday.
He fell behind Sanders in the latest round of New Hampshire polls and started to down play a victory in the state in its final hours.
‘Look we are competing against home region competition, two New England senators I recognize that, but I still think we’re going to have a great night,’ he told NBC News in an interview that aired on the ‘Today’ show Tuesday morning, referring to Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
But the former mayor was up and out early Tuesday morning, bringing donuts to a polling place in Hopkinton and appearing on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe.’
Amy Klobuchar changes into more comfortable shoes after a rally
Amy Klobuchar: A few polls put her in third place going into Tuesday, giving her momentum in the closing hours of the primary. A bronze medal keeps her campaign viable and the cash flowing in. She’s already guaranteed a spot on the Las Vegas debate stage thanks to her coming out of Iowa with one delegate but a third place finish or higher gives her bid a big boost going into the next round of contests in Nevada and South Carolina.
‘I need your help,’ Klobuchar told a rally in Exeter, New Hampshire, her voice breaking as she spoke the words.
‘Right now we are on the cusp of something really great,’ she said, ‘but I can’t call everyone you know. So I’m asking you to do that today.’
The Minnesota senator won two out of the three small northern New Hampshire towns that gather at their polling places at midnight: Hart’s Location and Millsfield.
Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren: Polls show them tied for fourth, which is particularly troubling for the former vice president. Both candidates spent Monday explaining why their campaigns are viable and both have announced their next round of campaign stops after Tuesday’s vote is counted.
Joe Biden is looking ahead to the next round of contests
The big question mark is money. Do they have the funds to keep their campaigns afloat until they can rack up a primary win? And when will that win come? Nevada and South Carolina are the next two contests. The pressure will be on.
Warren visited her press bus on Monday to give a rare talk about the state of her campaign. The Massachusetts senator doesn’t typically discuss strategy.
‘I just have to keep fighting. That’s, that’s what it’s all about. I cannot say to all those little girls: ‘This got hard and I quit.’ My job is to persist,’ she said.
Biden also lowered expectations for New Hampshire.
Elizabeth Warren told reporters she has to ‘keep fighting’
‘It’s an uphill race here,’ he told CNN Monday night. ‘We’re running against two senators from neighboring states, has never been a good thing to happen to any other candidates going in the race.’
And he emphasized there are more contests to come.
‘The path is South Carolina, and going into Nevada and Super Tuesday,’ he told NBC News.
The former vice president left New Hampshire Tuesday afternoon to travel to South Carolina to campaign for its February 29 primary.
New Hampshire presented a fresh opportunity for Biden, reeling from a surprising fourth place Iowa finish. On Wednesday, two days after the Hawkeye State caucuses, a fighting Biden appeared on the campaign trail, starting at an event in Somersworth. ‘We took a gut punch in Iowa,’ he admitted, then went after Buttigieg and Sanders by name for the first time.
‘I have great respect for Mayor Pete and his service to this nation, but I do believe it’s a risk – to be just straight up with you – for this party to nominate someone who’s never held office higher than mayor of a town of 100,000 people in Indiana,’ Biden said. As for Sanders, he said he feared that the ‘democratic socialist’ would tank down-ballot races for the party.
Biden seemed to be campaigning with a new vigor and he went on that night to create a viral moment when he talked at-length at a CNN town hall about learning to overcome a stutter.
But then the former vice president disappeared from the campaign trail for a day and a half, taking his jet to Delaware for debate prep.
Joe Biden leaves a polling station Tuesday morning
Joe Biden hugs a supporter
He returned to New Hampshire for the Friday night debate – and continued up his attacks on Sanders and Buttigieg for another day. His campaign also came out with scathing web ad that compared his record to Buttigieg’s – saying that while Biden was saving the auto industry and helping millions of Americans get healthcare, Buttigieg was busying himself with decorative sidewalks and bridges.
On Sunday, Biden stopped the attacks – instead arguing at a campaign stop in Hampton that any Democratic candidate could ‘restore America’s character.’ At his next event, he even floated Buttigieg would be a good vice president.
In Hampton, Biden called a voter a ‘lying dog-faced pony soldier,’ which eclipsed anything else the vice president did that day.
More drama followed when Jill Biden, the ex-veep’s wife, pushed a protester out of her husband’s final New Hampshire event. ‘I’m a good Philly girl,’ she said. The Bidens later went on a bar crawl in downtown Manchester, even though the 2020 hopeful doesn’t drink alcohol.
By Monday, the Biden campaign announced a South Carolina kick-off event in Columbia, featuring Rep. Cedric Richmond, a congressman from the state and a Biden surrogate.
Then, by Tuesday, the Biden campaign made official that the candidate was packing it in and leaving early. He’d address supporters ‘by livestream’ from his South Carolina event instead. Biden stopped by New Hampshire polling places on his way out of state and touched down in Columbia before voting in the Granite State ended.
But, on the other end of this round of contests, Michael Bloomberg and his billions are waiting for which ever Democratic contender emerges from Nevada and South Carolina.
The former New York City mayor skipped the four early contests to focus his time and money on the Super Tuesday states, where a third of delegates needed for the nomination will be awarded.
Bloomberg has run a rather unconventional campaign, which in national polls and in Dixville Notch has proven to be effective.
Klobuchar won both Millsville and Hart’s Locations, which have a population of 21 and 41 respectively
Tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang is out in Keene, New Hampshire talking to voters as they head to the polls. Yang came in third in Hart’s Location with three votes of the 15 people who voted in the Democratic primary
Joe Biden also jumped on the idea of bringing Dukin’ Donuts to a polling location – but the former vice president is leaving New Hampshire before the votes even come in as polls show him slipping in the Granite state
Joe Biden signs in the snow
In an average of the national polls, Bloomberg is shown in fourth place with a mean of 12.7 per cent support from Democratic primary voters.
He falls behind Biden, Sanders and Warren, in that order.
Bloomberg entered the race in November – almost a year later than some of his competitors – and has invested much of his attention on winning Super Tuesday, almost entirely ignoring the first four primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.
He is also running a very ad-focused campaign and has spent more than $200 million on advertisements to increase name recognition and portray his message.
The former Republican New York City mayor has outspent every other candidate running in the primary – and his campaign said he is open to spending $1 billion of his own money on running for president, even if he doesn’t win the Democratic Party’s nomination.
He has come under fire from his primary competitors and the Republican Party for trying to buy his way to the nomination and the White House.
Winning a tiny precinct where his name isn’t even on the ballot, and the fact that he hasn’t stepped foot on a debate stage, could attest to the power of money in a presidential campaign.
While Klobuchar has been successfully climbing in the New Hampshire polls, it appears her support doesn’t translate on a nation-wide scale.
Democrats are hoping New Hampshire can help clear up lingering confusion after the Iowa caucus fiasco, where Pete Buttigieg (left) and Bernie Sanders (right) came within just .1 percentage point of each other
Buttigieg emerged with 26.2 per cent in Iowa while Sanders came out with 26.1 per cent. They results were delayed for days after a reporting app malfunctioned and caused caucuses to resort to manual reporting and tabulations
In two separate polls released Monday, Klobuchar came in third place behind Buttigieg and Sanders, who virtually tied for first in the Iowa caucuses.
But a national poll released Monday shows the Minnesota senator in sixth place with only 4 per cent support from Democratic voters.
Democrats are hoping the New Hampshire primary will help clear up some lingering confusion over the chaotic Iowa caucuses.
The first-in-the-nation caucuses were held last Monday, but official results were delayed by nearly a week after the app intended to report precinct results malfunctioned.
Instead, the Iowa Democratic Party had to result to paper and call-in reporting and manual tabulations – which can under scrutiny for potentially included human error.
Buttigieg emerged in first place with 26.2 per cent and Sanders came only .1 per cent behind with 26.1 per cent. His campaign is now demanding a recanvass.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, who topped the polls for most of the campaign until shortly before the primary competitions, surprisingly came in fourth in Iowa – behind Buttigieg, Sanders and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.
In four New Hampshire Democratic primary polls released Monday, Biden came in fifth place, indicating he could slip even further away from his front-runner status by the end of Tuesday night.
Donald Trump held a reelection campaign rally Monday in Manchester, on the eve of the primaries, and he bragged Tuesday morning that he hosted the ‘biggest political rally in New Hampshire history’
The 77-year-old candidate’s campaign announced Tuesday that he would be leaving the Granite state before the primary results were in and would head to the second primary state of South Carolina.
The announcement was made minutes after the release of another national poll that showed Sanders had pulled ahead, now leading the Democratic pack by 10 points.
On the other hand, Biden was shown in second place, with his support practically cut in half.
Last month he was receiving support from 30 per cent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents and on Tuesday he held on 16 per cent.
Biden has made it clear he feels he will have a better turnout in South Carolina, where there is a much larger portion of minority voters than in Iowa and New Hampshire. Specifically, black voters make up the majority of Democratic primary voters in the state.
Buttigieg, Sanders and Klobuchar’s campaigns have all been bragging about record crowd size in the state.
At Buttigieg’s town hall in Nashua, 1,800 people turned out, and 1,113 were in Dover. Sanders’ campaign announced that they had 1,981 attendees at a Keene rally. And 1,100 attended Klobuchar’s Sunday rally.
Donald Trump held a reelection campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire on Monday, the night before the primary elections in the state – and he saw a turnout of upwards of 11,000 people.
He’s mocked the Democrats for their problems in Iowa – where an app developed by the party failed to count votes as planned. Trump called the caucuses ‘fried’ and said if Democrats can’t count votes, then they shouldn’t be able to handle healthcare policy.
And he boasted about his own support in New Hampshire.
‘Great being in New Hampshire last night. I would say that was the biggest political Rally in New Hampshire history. Incredible evening!’ he boasted on Twitter Tuesday morning.
WHO ARE THE 8 DEMOCRATS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN 2020?
JOE BIDEN
Age on Inauguration Day 2021: 78
Entered race: April 25, 2019
Career: No current role. A University of Delaware and Syracuse Law graduate, he was first elected to Newcastle City Council in 1969, then won upset election to Senate in 1972, aged 29. Was talked out of quitting before being sworn in when his wife and daughter died in a car crash and served total of six terms. Chaired Judiciary Committee’s notorious Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings. Ran for president in 1988, pulled out after plagiarism scandal, ran again in 2008, withdrew after placing fifth in the Iowa Caucuses. Tapped by Obama as his running mate and served two terms as vice president. Contemplated third run in 2016 but decided against it after his son died of brain cancer.
Family: Eldest of four siblings born to Joe Biden Sr. and Catherine Finnegan. First wife Neilia Hunter and their one-year-old daughter Naomi died in car crash which their two sons, Joseph ‘Beau’ and Robert Hunter survived. Married Jill Jacobs in 1976, with whom he has daughter Ashley. Beau died of brain cancer in 2015. Hunter’s marriage to Kathleen Buhle, with whom he has three children, ended in 2016 when it emerged Hunter was in a relationship with Beau’s widow Hallie, mother of their two children. Hunter admitted cocaine use; his estranged wife accused him of blowing their savings on drugs and prostitutes
Religion: Catholic
Views on key issues: Ultra-moderate who will emphasize bipartisan record. Will come under fire over record, having voted: to stop desegregation bussing in 1975; to overturn Roe v Wade in 1981; for now controversial 1994 Violent Crime Act; for 2003 Iraq War; and for banking deregulation. Says he is ‘most progressive’ Democrat. New positions include free college, tax reform, $15 minimum wage. No public position yet on Green New Deal and healthcare. Pro-gun control. Has already apologized to women who say he touched them inappropriately
Would make history as: Oldest person elected president
Slogan: Our Best Days Still Lie Ahead
MIKE BLOOMBERG
Age on Inauguration Day: 78
Entered race: November 24, 2019
Career: Currently multi-billionaire CEO of Bloomberg PL, the financial information firm he founded in 1981 and which remains a private company. Educated at Johns Hopkins and Harvard, he became a Wall Street trader at investment bank Salomon Brothers and was laid off in 1981, walking away with $10m in stock which he used to set up his own financial information firm, now one of the world’s largest. Three times mayor of New York 2002 to 2013, running first as Republican then as independent; had to get term limits suspended for final term. Once flirted with running for mayor of London where he has a home; holds an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth. Has spent large amounts on philanthropy in line with his political views as well as on political campaigns
Family: Born in Brookline, MA, to first-generation Jewish immigrant parents whose own parents had fled Russia. Divorced wife of 18 years, Susan Brown-Meyer, in 1993; former couple have daughters Emma, who has a son with her former boyfriend, and Georgina, who has daughter Zelda with her husband Chris Fissora. The child has a portmanteau surname, Frissberg. Partner since 2000 is Diana Taylor, former New York state banking commissioner, 13 years his junior
Religion: Jewish
Views on key issues: Self-professed fiscal conservative, although painted as a Democratic moderate by other conservative groups. Opposed to Medicare for all. Social progressive who backed gay marriage early, but has flip-flopped on marijuana legalization, most recently opposing it.. Wants firm action on climate change. Fiercely in favor of gun control. As New York mayor banned smoking in public places and tried to outlaw large sugary drinks. Backs increased immigration. Apologized for his stop-and-frisk policing strategy as mayor
Would make history as: Oldest person elected president; first Jewish president; richest president ever; first New York mayor to become president
Slogan: Fighting For Our Future
PETE BUTTIGIEG
Age on Inauguration Day: 39
Entered race: Announced formation of exploratory committee January 23, 2019. Formally entered race April 14, 2019
Career: Currently mayor of Sound Bend, Indiana. Harvard grad and Rhodes scholar who got a second degree from Oxford before working as a McKinsey management consultant and being commissioned as a Navy Reserve intelligence officer. Elected South Bend mayor in 2011 and served in combat in 2013, won re-election in 2015
Family: Came out as gay during second mayoral run and married husband Chasten Glezman, a middle school teacher in 2018. Parents were University of Notre Dame academics; his father was Maltese-American. Surname is pronounced BOOT-edge-edge
Religion: Raised as a Catholic, now Episcopalian
Views on key issues: Has said Democratic party needs a ‘fresh start’; wrote an essay in praise of Bernie Sanders aged 17; backed paid parental leave for city employees; other policies unknown
Would make history as: First openly gay and youngest-ever president. First veteran of post-World War II conflict
Slogan: A Fresh Start For America
TULSI GABBARD
Age on Inauguration Day: 39
Entered race: Still to formally file any papers but said she would run on January 11 2019
Career: Currently Hawaii congresswoman. Born on American Samoa, a territory. Raised largely in Hawaii, she co-founded an environmental non-profit with her father as a teenager and was elected to the State Legislature aged 21, its youngest member in history. Enlisted in the National Guard and served two tours, one in Iraq 2004-2006, then as an officer in Kuwait in 2009. Ran for Honolulu City Council in 2011, and House of Representatives in 2012
Family: Married to her second husband, Abraham Williams, a cinematographer since 2015. First marriage to childhood sweetheart Eduardo Tamayo in 2002 ended in 2006. Father Mike Gabbard is a Democratic Hawaii state senator, mother Carol Porter runs a non-profit.
Religion: Hindu
Views on key issues: Has apologized for anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage views; wants marijuana federally legalized; opposed to most U.S. foreign interventions; backs $15 minimum wage and universal health care; was the second elected Democrat to meet Trump after his 2016 victory
Would make history as: First female, Hindu and Samoan-American president; youngest president ever
Slogan: Lead with Love
AMY KLOBUCHAR
Age on Inauguration Day: 60
Entered race: Announced candidacy February 10, 2019 at snow-drenched rally in her native Minneapolis
Career: Currently Minnesota senator. Yale and University of Chicago law graduate who became a corporate lawyer. First ran unsuccessfully for office in 1994 as Hennepin, MI, county attorney, and won same race in 1998, then in 2002, without opposition. Ran for Senate in 2006 and won 58-38; re-elected in 2012 and 2018
Family: Married to John Bessler, law professor at University of Baltimore and expert on capital punishment. Daughter Abigail Bessler, 23, works fora Democratic member of New York City council. Father Jim, 90, was a veteran newspaper columnist who has written a memoir of how his alcoholism hurt his family; mom Rose is a retired grade school teacher
Religion: Congregationalist (United Church of Christ)
Views on key issues: Seen as a mainstream liberal: says she wants ‘universal health care’ but has not spelled out how; pro-gun control; pro-choice; backs $15 minimum wage; no public statements on federal marijuana legalization; has backed pro-Israel law banning the ‘boycott, divestment and sanctions’ movement; spoke out against abolishing ICE
Would make history as: First female president
Slogan: Let’s Get To Work
BERNIE SANDERS
Age on Inauguration Day: 79
Entered race: Sources said on January 25, 2019, that he would form exploratory committee. Officially announced February 19
Career: Currently Vermont senator. Student civil rights and anti-Vietnam activist who moved to Vermont and worked as a carpenter and radical film-maker. Serial failed political candidate in the 1970s, he ran as a socialist for mayor of Burlington in 1980 and served two terms ending in 1989, and win a seat in Congress as an independent in 1990. Ran for Senate in 2006 elections as an independent with Democratic endorsement and won third term in 2018. Challenged Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination in 2016 but lost. Campaign has since been hit by allegations of sexual harassment – for which he has apologized – and criticized for its ‘Bernie bro’ culture
Family: Born to a Jewish immigrant father and the daughter of Jewish immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York. First marriage to college sweetheart Deborah Shiling Messing in 1964 ended in divorce in 1966; had son Levi in 1969 with then girlfriend Susan Cambell Mott. Married Jone O’Meara in 1988 and considers her three children, all adults, his own. The couple have seven grandchildren. His older brother Larry is a former Green Party councilor in Oxfordshire, England.
Religion: Secular Jewish
Views on key issues: Openly socialist and standard bearer for the Democratic party’s left-turn. Wants federal $15 minimum wage; banks broken up; union membership encouraged; free college tuition; universal health care; re-distributive taxation; he opposed Iraq War and also U.S. leading the fight against ISIS and wants troops largely out of Afghanistan and the Middle East
Would make history as: Oldest person elected president; first Jewish president
Slogan: Not me. Us.
TOM STEYER
Age on Inauguration Day 2021: 63
Entered race: July 9, 2019
Career: Currently retired. New York-born to wealthy family, he was educated at elite Phillips Exeter Academy, and Yale, then Stanford Business School. Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs banker who founded his own hedge fund in 1986 and made himself a billionaire; investments included subprime lenders, private prisons and coal mines. Stepped down in 2012 to focus on advocating for alternative energy. Longtime Democratic activist and donor who started campaign to impeach Trump in October 2017. Net worth of $1.6 billion has made him one of the Democrats’ biggest single donors
Family: Married Kathryn Taylor in 1986; they have four adult children who have been told they will not inherit the bulk of his fortune. Announced last November he and his wife would live apart. Father Roy was a Nuremberg trials prosecutor
Religion: Episcopalian
Views on key issues: On the left of the field despite being a hedge fund tycoon. Backs single-payer health care, minimum wage rises and free public college. Previously spoke in favor of Bernie Sanders’ agenda. Aggressive backer of climate change action, including ditching fossil fuels
Would make history as: Richest Democratic president ever
Slogan: Actions Speak Louder Than Words
ELIZABETH WARREN
Age on Inauguration Day: 71
Entered race: Set up exploratory committee December 31, 2018
Career: Currently Massachusetts senator. Law lecturer and academic who became an expert on bankruptcy law and tenured Harvard professor. Ran for Senate and won in 2012, defeating sitting Republican Scott Brown, held it in 2018 60% to 36%. Was short-listed to be Hillary’s running mate and campaigned hard for her in 2016
Family: Twice-married mother of two and grandmother of three. First husband and father of her children was her high-school sweetheart. Second husband Bruce Mann is Harvard law professor. Daughter Amelia Tyagi and son Alex Warren have both been involved in her campaigns. Has controversially claimed Native American roots; DNA test suggested she is as little as 1,064th Native American
Religion: Raised Methodist, now described as Christian with no fixed church
Views on key issues: Was a registered Republican who voted for the party but registered as a Democrat in 1996. Pro: higher taxes on rich; banking regulation; Dream Act path to citizenship for ‘dreamers’; abortion and gay rights; campaign finance restrictions; and expansion of public provision of healthcare – although still to spell out exactly how that would happen. Against: U.S. presence in Afghanistan and Syria; liberalization of gambling
Would make history as: First female president
Slogan: Warren Has A Plan For That
AND THE 21 WHO HAVE WITHDRAWN
MICHEL BENET, Colorado senator
- Entered race: May 2, 2019
- Quit: February 2, 2019, evening of New Hampshire primary
CORY BOOKER, New Jersey Senator
- Entered race: February 1, 2019
- Quit: January 13, 2020
STEVE BULLOCK, Montana governor
- Entered race: May 14, 2019
- Quit: December 2, 2019
JULIÁN CASTRO, former Housing Secretary
- Entered race: January 18, 2019
- Quit: January 2, 2020
KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND, New York senator
- Entered race: January 16, 2019
- Quit: August 28, 2019
BILL DE BLASIO, New York City mayor
- Entered race: May 16, 2019
- Quit: September 20, 2020
JOHN DELANEY, former Maryland Congressman
- Entered race: July 8, 2017
- Quit: January 31, 2019
MIKE GRAVEL, Former Alaska governor
- Entered race: April 2,2019
- Quit: August 2, 2019
KAMALA HARRIS,California senator
- Entered race: January 21, 2019
- Quit: December 3, 2019
JOHN HICKENLOOPER, Former Colorado governor
- Entered race: March 4, 2019
- Quit: August 15, 2019
JAY INSLEE, Washington governor
- Entered race: March 1, 2019
- Quit: August 21, 2019
WAYNE MESSAM, mayor of Miramar, Florida
- Entered race: March 28, 2019
- Quit: November 20, 2019
SETH MOULTON, Massachusetts congressman
- Entered race: April 22,2019
- Quit: August 23, 2019
RICHARD OJEDA, former West Virginia state senator
- Entered race: November 12, 2018
- Quit: January 25, 2019
BETO O’ROURKE, former Texas congressman
- Entered race: March 14, 2019
- Quit: November 1, 2019
DEVAL PATRICK, former Massachusetts governor
- Entered race: November 13, 2019
- Quit: February 2, 2019, evening of New Hampshire primary
TIM RYAN, Ohio congressman
- Entered race: April 4, 2019
- Quit: October 24, 2019
JOE SESTAK, former Pennsylvania congressman
- Entered race: June 23, 2019
- Quit: December 1, 2019
ERIC SWALWELL, California congressman
- Entered race: April 8, 2019
- Quit: July 8, 2019
MARIANNE WILLIAMSON, author
- Entered race: November 15, 2018
- Quit: January 10, 2020
ANDREW YANG, entrepreneur
- Entered race: November 6, 2018
- Quit: February 2, 2019, evening of New Hampshire primary