Klobuchar surge in New Hampshire could reshuffle Democratic White House race

[webfact]

Klobuchar surge in New Hampshire could reshuffle Democratic White House race

By John Whitesides

 

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar speaks during a campaign event at the town hall in Exeter, NH, U.S., February 10, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

 

NASHUA, N.H. (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar's poll numbers are rising, her crowds are building and she says it is finally her time.

 

Voters in New Hampshire will decide on Tuesday if she is right.

 

Klobuchar, a moderate U.S. senator from Minnesota who has been stuck in the middle of the crowded Democratic presidential pack, rose to third place in New Hampshire in a pair of opinion polls released on Monday, the day before the state's vital primary.

 

A Klobuchar surge would reshape the race. With the campaigns of moderate Joe Biden and progressive Elizabeth Warren struggling, it would put her in line to battle rival Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana - and eventually billionaire former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg - for leadership of the party's centrists in their fight against progressive standard-bearer Bernie Sanders.

 

"Amy is a candidate who can win big, and we are the ones who are going to launch her," New Hampshire state Senator Jeanne Dietsch told supporters at a get-out-the-vote rally on Monday in Keene.

 

Klobuchar, 59, has drawn bigger crowds and more campaign cash after a strong performance in last week's New Hampshire debate, where she attacked the 38-year-old Buttigieg for his lack of political experience and his criticism of Washington insiders. She also detailed her history of winning races in conservative or battleground areas, and showed her flair for making her point with humor.

 

But Klobuchar said the roots of the renaissance were in her work in the state. She has visited New Hampshire 23 times since she jumped in the race a year ago and has been endorsed by leading state papers including the Manchester Union Leader and Keene Sentinel.

 

"We feel the surge. For me, it's been a long time coming," Klobuchar said in Keene.

 

Beyond New Hampshire, she faces significant challenges in a party uncertain about what kind of candidate it wants to face Republican President Donald Trump in November - a moderate who can appeal to the middle or a progressive who excites the party's base.

 

In a Reuters/Ipsos national poll released on Monday, Klobuchar garnered only 3% support - well behind Sanders at 20%, Biden at 17%, Bloomberg at 15% and several others.

 

Klobuchar said her message about her appeal to moderates, independents and disaffected Republicans was beginning to sink in. At each campaign stop, she promised to win back Midwestern and rural voters, implying the party's progressives like Sanders and Warren could not.

 

GROWING CROWDS

After pulling in her biggest crowd of 1,100 on Sunday in the state, Klobuchar told reporters she was "doing well because the people of New Hampshire watched that debate."

 

Her campaign said she had raised more than $3 million online since the televised event.

 

Klobuchar told Reuters in an interview last month in Iowa that she planned to use her quick wit to respond to Trump in debates.

 

"You have to have that ability to make a joke or poke at him or just show how absurd he is. Because he does use humor. A lot of people, including myself, just don't always think it's funny," she said.

 

In the two new state polls on Monday, Klobuchar moved ahead of Biden, the former U.S. vice president, and Warren, a senator from neighboring Massachusetts who was once considered a front-runner in New Hampshire.

 

A Boston Globe poll, conducted with Suffolk University and WBZ-TV, showed Klobuchar with 14% support, just 5 percentage points behind Buttigieg at 19%. Sanders led with 27%.

 

Ira Adler, 58, a FedEx courier who lives in Nashua, said he was leaning toward Buttigieg before the debate but was now leaning toward Klobuchar.

 

"She is strong and tough," Adler said. "I think she could stand up to Trump."

 

Klobuchar rarely mentions her Democratic rivals on the campaign trail, sticking to a folksy stump speech filled with wisecracks, biography and pledges to lower pharmaceutical costs, improve infrastructure and increase funding for treatment of drug addiction and mental health.

 

At a lunch in Nashua, however, Klobuchar reminded the crowd she was the only one to raise her hand in Friday night's debate when moderators asked if the candidates were concerned about a democratic socialist - Sanders - leading the ticket.

 

Liz Racioppi, 66, a small-business owner in Nashua, said the significant number of undecided voters in New Hampshire - some polls put it at more than one-third - gave Klobuchar a chance for a good showing.

 

"She's been doing a slow rise, but a lot more people are starting to listen to her now," she said.

 

(Reporting by John Whitesides; Additional reporting by Sharon Bernstein in California; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Peter Cooney and Bernadette Baum)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-02-12

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[Cryingdick]

They need to forget the nation wide polls. How does she do in the battleground states? They all take NY and Cali. The dems just can't seem to get it in their heads that is the deplorable, miners, blue collar union workers that are going to decide this one. 

 

I am becoming sure the reason they ignore this fact is they don't "have a plan" for that.

[Puchaiyank]

Anyone have some cheese to go with my Biden toast and Warren whine...☺

[keith101]

Trump wont win the popular vote again but more than likely win again through the college electoral vote same as 2016 .

[Jingthing]

She's been my top choice all along. She performs beautifully in the senate so has credible experience. She has strong African American support in her state. She wins bigly in precincts in her state that went for 45. She's Midwestern. She's a woman. She's likeable and tough at the same time. She's a high energy tireless campaigner. She is middle aged. Not too young or old. Biden hopefully is badly fading. Her lane is Buttigeig. She is obviously a much stronger choice than him. 

[bristolboy]

1 hour ago, Cryingdick said:

They need to forget the nation wide polls. How does she do in the battleground states? They all take NY and Cali. The dems just can't seem to get it in their heads that is the deplorable, miners, blue collar union workers that are going to decide this one. 

 

I am becoming sure the reason they ignore this fact is they don't "have a plan" for that.

And I am sure that the polls showing a massive dropoff in support for Trump in the suburbs throughout America seems to have escaped your notice. To remind yourself, you could do worse than consult the 2018 midterms.

 

[Chomper Higgot]

34 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

She's been my top choice all along. She performs beautifully in the senate so has credible experience. She has strong African American support in her state. She wins bigly in precincts in her state that went for 45. She's Midwestern. She's a woman. She's likeable and tough at the same time. She's a high energy tireless campaigner. She is middle aged. Not too young or old. Biden hopefully is badly fading. Her lane is Buttigeig. She is obviously a much stronger choice than him. 

I agree, solid performance throughout and a razor sharp intellect.

[winslowsjardine]

2 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

And I am sure that the polls showing a massive dropoff in support for Trump in the suburbs throughout America seems to have escaped your notice. To remind yourself, you could do worse than consult the 2018 midterms.

 

Yes. I believe his support by white women has dropped a lot.

[Cryingdick]

Buttigieg beginning to pull away from Klobuchar a little bit.

[webfact]

Sanders leads in early New Hampshire results, Biden lags badly

By John Whitesides and Amanda Becker

 

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders speaks to the media at a polling station at the McDonough School on Election Day in the New Hampshire presidential primary election in Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S., February 11, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Segar

 

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Progressive U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders took an early lead in New Hampshire's Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday, and former front-runner Joe Biden trailed badly in fifth place in the second contest to find a nominee to face President Donald Trump in November.

 

With 14 percent of precincts reporting in New Hampshire, Sanders led with 28.4% and Pete Buttigieg, the moderate former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, had 22.2%. U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, looking for a breakthrough after a strong debate performance on Friday, was in third with 20.5%.

 

Biden, the former vice president, was a distant fifth in the early results with 8.5%, behind U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren with 9.4%.

The Democrats seeking the right to challenge Trump in the Nov. 3 election have raced through the small New England state for a week, making their case for why they would be the best choice to beat Trump.

 

Results began rolling in quickly after polls closed, and Democrats in New Hampshire were confident they would have smoother sailing than in Iowa, where embarrassing technical problems delayed vote-counting and the release of results for days.

 

Buttigieg narrowly beat Sanders in Iowa, but both campaigns have asked for a partial recanvass of the results.

 

Voters in New Hampshire chose a candidate from a ballot with 33 names, including candidates who dropped out weeks ago. But it did not include former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire who is not competing in any states before the 14 Super Tuesday primaries on March 3.

 

Sanders had taken a lead in recent opinion polls in New Hampshire despite a barrage of criticism from rivals who warned his far-left views would lead the party to defeat against Trump.

 

Buttigieg also has gotten a bump in polls after his narrow disputed win in Iowa. Supporters of Buttigieg greeted him at a Manchester polling place before dawn, waving blue and yellow "Pete 2020" campaign signs and chanting "President Pete."

 

'IT FEELS GOOD'

"It feels good out here," Buttigieg said, smiling as reporters asked how he thought he would fare.

 

Sanders, 78, who represents neighboring Vermont in the Senate, won New Hampshire easily over rival Hillary Clinton with 60% of the vote in his unsuccessful bid for the party's nomination four years ago. The self-described democratic socialist drew a young crowd of more than 7,500 people on Monday night at the University of New Hampshire's campus at Durham.

 

"This turnout tells me why we're going to win here in New Hampshire, why we're going to win the Democratic nomination and why we are going to defeat the most dangerous president in the history of America, Donald Trump," Sanders said.

 

Democrats in New Hampshire and in the other states that will vote in the state-by-state battle for the Democratic nomination are trying to decide whether they want to pick a moderate like Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Bloomberg and Biden, or progressive leaders like Sanders and Warren, who represents neighboring Massachusetts.

 

After Iowa and New Hampshire, small and rural states with predominantly white populations, the race will move on to more diverse battlegrounds that pose new tests.

 

Up next will be the Feb. 22 caucuses in Nevada, which has a large Latino population, and the Feb. 29 primary in South Carolina, which has a large African-American population.

 

Biden in particular is banking on South Carolina, where he has enjoyed strong support among African-American voters. He served as vice president for eight years under Barack Obama, the first black U.S. president.

 

Support for Biden has tumbled nationally since his poor performance in Iowa. He had said he might suffer another weak finish in New Hampshire.

 

Klobuchar, who arrived at a polling location in Manchester on Tuesday morning, noted her gradual rise in the polls and said she was prepared to keep fighting. "I'm a different kind of candidate," Klobuchar told CNN, adding: "I have also been able to bring people with me."

 

In Manchester, voter Sara Lutat said she cast her ballot for Buttigieg.

 

"I think he's the one who can beat Trump," she said.

 

Fellow Manchester voter Rebecca Balzano called Buttigieg "too new, too young" and said she voted for Sanders.

 

For a graphic on Calendar of each state’s Democratic nominating contest and its allocated delegates:

 

https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-ELECTION-CALENDAR/0100B31F26V/index.html

 

(Reporting by John Whitesides, James Oliphant, Simon Lewis, Michael Martina and Amanda Becker in New Hampshire; Writing by John Whitesides and Scott Malone; Editing by Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-02-12

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[Cryingdick]

Bennet drops out. Who is that? LOL

[Cryingdick]

4 minutes ago, samran said:

That’s a shame. He was extremely Innovative which stacked the chances against him. Hopefully he one day gets another go. 

 

I admire him for being so restrained after being treated so terribly by the DNC at the debates. He might have some good to do later in 2024. Maybe he could run for senate and pick off some liberal wack job somewhere out on the west coast.

[sucit]

A centrist, woman democrat running against Trump, who has much less funding and political leverage than the last one, who lost. 

 

Voter turnout will be low with her too. People have tried to point out her strengths in this thread and even then it is absolute yawn-ville.

[Cryingdick]

24 minutes ago, sucit said:

A centrist, woman democrat running against Trump, who has much less funding and political leverage than the last one, who lost. 

 

Voter turnout will be low with her too. People have tried to point out her strengths in this thread and even then it is absolute yawn-ville.

 

Bloomberg will jump in on super Tuesday. One way or another that will change the entire thing. NH and IA have so few delegates this really doesn't matter. Ding dong the witch is dead, what old witch? The wicked witch! @ Warren

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, Cryingdick said:

Bennet drops out. Who is that? LOL

You do realize the process it to select only one candidate and not the alternative personality cult you adhere to.

[Cryingdick]

2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

You do realize the process it to select only one candidate and not the alternative personality cult you adhere to.

 

I just couldn't remember the guy until I saw him and realized he occupied the far end of the stage at the debates. If I had to pick who could beat Trump I would say go Bernie.

 

It doesn't matter who I want to win I am free to comment on the ridiculous process. Why not use the popular vote? So the dems say. Then you look how they run their own party and see what a convoluted process which lends itself to divisiveness. 

 

It's a popularity contest for the person that will lose to Trump by the least.

 

 

[Jingthing]

49 minutes ago, Sujo said:

Dont like Joe or warren. Dont think buttigieg can get in as hes gay and too many neanderthals in the US wont vote for him.

 

Klobuchar is brilliant. Maybe a sanders/klobuchar ticket. Would like to see yang given a prominent position.

A Sanders Klobuchar ticket doesn't make any sense. Amy stood alone recently saying she is not comfortable with the democratic party being identified with socialism. 

 

Of course I'm also in the camp that thinks nominating Sanders is political suicide. The interesting take from New Hampshire is that Warren looks bumped out in the more leftist lane but when you add up all the support for the more center left lane (Bloomberg, Klobuchar, Buttigeig, and fading Biden) that blows away Sander's support. But if the center left lane people continue to split the opposition to far left Bernie, then yes, Bernie gets nominated.

 

I wonder if Bloomberg reconsiders his run if Klobuchar emerges as a strong choice in that lane because if not, he may be helping Sanders.

 

Note I refuse to use the word moderate about these democrats to degrade them as credible democrats. That's a game from Sanders. They are center left, not moderate.

[samran]

If Biden struggles then the non sandernistas will flood to Pete. 

[JHolmesJr]

On 2/12/2020 at 7:45 AM, Jingthing said:

She's been my top choice all along. She performs beautifully in the senate so has credible experience. She has strong African American support in her state. She wins bigly in precincts in her state that went for 45. She's Midwestern. She's a woman. She's likeable and tough at the same time. She's a high energy tireless campaigner. She is middle aged. Not too young or old. Biden hopefully is badly fading. Her lane is Buttigeig. She is obviously a much stronger choice than him. 

 

She is reportedly one of the nastiest people you can work for.

At least Trump will just say, <deleted> you're fired.

She publicly humiliates staffers: from NYT:

 

"In private, she could deliver slashing remarks without particular provocation. Parched one day in the Capitol, she turned to a member of her team and said, “I would trade three of you for a bottle of water,” according to a person who witnessed it."

 

 

[Chomper Higgot]

On 2/12/2020 at 10:18 AM, JHolmesJr said:

 

She is reportedly one of the nastiest people you can work for.

At least Trump will just say, <deleted> you're fired.

She publicly humiliates staffers: from NYT:

 

"In private, she could deliver slashing remarks without particular provocation. Parched one day in the Capitol, she turned to a member of her team and said, “I would trade three of you for a bottle of water,” according to a person who witnessed it."

 

 

Laughable given what you defend in the current incumbent.

[Cryingdick]

It looks like Buttgieg is a threat. As a gay man myself I can only wonder if he is Booty-licious enough to win. Right now I think he is the best chance.

[bendejo]

Personally, I think these teasers (Iowa, NH) are just sort of drama build up and are more entertainment than anything else.  Iowa is joke (not a comment on this year's fubar) as it isn't even a primary.  The first Super Tuesday is when the tea leaves are read.  Remember 4 years ago when heir-apparent Jeb! got 8% in SC? 

( I think Joe is headed for the same fate). 

 

I would hope the rise of DT will somehow make people realize that turning politics into entertainment is a bad idea, the best show wins.  This past 6+ months of debates are about advertising and giving the networks something to cover in the summer.

 

I think Warren went a little too far, trying to please everybody on the left. 

Pete?  A gay man carrying the general election?  But hey, look what won the last one!  And you know what DT will say about Klobuchar: "look at that face!"

 

DT is going to start saying "Commie Bernie" and it's going to have an effect.  He'll stir up a level of ethnic hatred that I don't want to think about.

 

I'm not sure but I think choosing a running mate from the pack of candidates isn't so popular anymore -- maybe being one heartbeat away from the Oval is considered too big a temptation ????  But as for jockeying for cabinet positions, put Yang in as Treasury Sec and let him start sending out the checks!

 

[bendejo]

On 2/12/2020 at 10:18 AM, JHolmesJr said:

At least Trump will just say, <deleted> you're fired.

 

If you say this in earnest than it is really important for you to start getting your news from other sources.  There is a lot Fox will not show.  Youtube would help, look up his name and sc_m, put a U in the blank.  And that's just a start.
 

 

[Chomper Higgot]

6 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

It looks like Buttgieg is a threat. As a gay man myself I can only wonder if he is Booty-licious enough to win. Right now I think he is the best chance.

Perhaps you’d like to correct the spelling.

 

I’m not sure what ‘threat’ Buttigieg is but the prospect of a gay candidate kicking Trump out of the WH is rather pleasing.

[Jingthing]

On 2/12/2020 at 10:18 AM, JHolmesJr said:

 

She is reportedly one of the nastiest people you can work for.

At least Trump will just say, <deleted> you're fired.

She publicly humiliates staffers: from NYT:

 

"In private, she could deliver slashing remarks without particular provocation. Parched one day in the Capitol, she turned to a member of her team and said, “I would trade three of you for a bottle of water,” according to a person who witnessed it."

 

 

Old news and also a sexist attack.

Nobody would bat an eye at a male politician being an A-hole to his staff on occasion. 

They would say he's demanding. 

This is typical of the challenges women face. They're either too weak or if they show strength they're B words.

In any case I don't think that old news matters.

It's how she presents to the public and the public is beginning to fall in love with her.

Also all candidates have some negatives. You could fill several books with 45s. If all the opposition has on Klobuchar is that she's an A-hole boss to her inner circle, well, in the sum of things, that almost nothing. 

[Jingthing]

34 minutes ago, samran said:

If Biden struggles then the non sandernistas will flood to Pete. 

Some will. But some will also flood to Klobuchar because Klobuchar is a much more credible candidate to take on 45. Mayor of a small city? Gimme a break. 

[JHolmesJr]

15 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Some will. But some will also flood to Klobuchar because Klobuchar is a much more credible candidate to take on 45. Mayor of a small city? Gimme a break. 

I dont know what you're getting so excited....she's getting trounced in NH.

Guess no one likes a nasty woman who's only pitch is orange man bad.

 

Guess the Dem voters like radical free stuff Bernie more.

who would have thought? ????

[Jingthing]

11 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

I dont know what you're getting so excited....she's getting trounced in NH.

Guess no one likes a nasty woman who's only pitch is orange man bad.

 

Guess the Dem voters like radical free stuff Bernie more.

who would have thought? ????

She's not getting trounced. She has emerged now from a 2nd or 3rd tier contender for the democratic nomination into the TOP tier. 

 

Also you misrepresent her message. Perhaps a sign the 45 cult of personality followers might be seeing the emergence of someone that can beat 45 soundly by "stealing" a lot of his previous voters, as she has already proven she can do and do massively in her home state.

 

Anyway, it's early and Amy is definitely in it, among others of course.

 

 

[samran]

42 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Some will. But some will also flood to Klobuchar because Klobuchar is a much more credible candidate to take on 45. Mayor of a small city? Gimme a break. 

Stranger things have happened, like your President.

 

The only person that can beat him is someone who is not of the ‘swamp’. It is that simple and visceral.   Trump will pull the rest to pieces - and it pains me to say that. 

[webfact]

Sanders narrowly wins New Hampshire Democratic primary, Biden lags badly

By John Whitesides and Amanda Becker

 

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders is accompanied by his wife Jane O’Meara Sanders as he arrives to speak at his New Hampshire primary night rally in Manchester, N.H., U.S., February 11, 2020. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

 

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Bernie Sanders narrowly won New Hampshire's Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday, solidifying his front-runner status in the nominating race and dealing a setback to moderate rival Joe Biden, who appeared likely to finish a disappointing fifth.

 

Sanders, a progressive senator from neighbouring Vermont, fended off attacks from rivals who warned his far-left views would lead the party to defeat in the Nov. 3 election against Republican President Donald Trump.

 

“Let me take this opportunity to thank the people of New Hampshire for a great victory tonight,” Sanders told supporters in Manchester, New Hampshire.

 

Moderate Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, was in second place after edging out Sanders in last week's chaotic and disputed first nominating contest in Iowa. Both campaigns have asked for a partial recanvass of Iowa results.

 

It was also a good night for Senator Amy Klobuchar, who rode a wave of momentum from a strong debate on Friday into an apparent third-place finish.

 

Biden, the former vice president who was once the front-runner in the Democratic race, limped to his second consecutive poor finish after placing fourth in Iowa. He is certain to face growing questions about his campaign's viability and his ability to consolidate moderate support against a surging Buttigieg and Klobuchar.

 

Biden fared poorly in two previous runs for president before winning election in 2008 as President Barack Obama's No. 2. He hopes to stay afloat this time until the Feb. 29 contest in South Carolina and a series of contests in other Southern states on Super Tuesday on March 3, where his support among African Americans will be a strength.

 

Without strong showings there, his race could be over.

 

"It ain't over, man. It's just getting started," Biden told supporters in South Carolina.

 

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a progressive ally of Sanders who was considered a favourite in New Hampshire three months ago, also had a bad night. She finished fourth, and also will face questions about her continued viability.

 

The results began to thin the field of Democrats seeking the right to take on Trump in the Nov. 3 election, with businessman Andrew Yang and Senator Michael Bennet dropping out after it became clear they would finish well out of the running. CBS News reported that Deval Patrick, the former Massachusetts governor, would drop out on Wednesday.

 

(Reporting by John Whitesides, James Oliphant, Simon Lewis, Michael Martina and Amanda Becker in New Hampshire, and Doina Chiacu and Ginger Gibson in Washington; Writing by John Whitesides; Editing by Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-02-12

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