New Hampshire primary: Bernie Sanders secures victory as Pete Buttigieg finishes second

‘We are putting together an unprecedented, multi-generational, multi-racial movement, and this is a movement from coast to coast’

Bernie Sanders has won New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary, numerous outlets have reported, further carving a potential path to victory for the Vermont senator in a crowded field of presidential hopefuls, with strong showings for Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar.

Mr Sanders was long expected to win the state, in which he defeated former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton during the 2016 primaries.

The Vermont senator declared victory in a speech to supporters on Tuesday night, saying: "We are putting together an unprecedented, multi-generational, multi-racial movement, and this is a movement from coast to coast which is demanding that we have an economy and a government that works for all of us, not just wealthy campaign contributors."

However, as is typical with New Hampshire politics, the night came with several significant surprises, including a surge of support for Ms Klobuchar, who placed in third.

Elizabeth Warren also suffered a surprisingly weak showing in the primary, placing in fourth behind Ms Klobuchar.

The progressive Massachusetts senator shares a border with the state, like Mr Sanders, and was seen as a potential frontrunner in New Hampshire just months ago.

Voters largely said they were seeking a candidate to take on Donald Trump in the general election, according to polling data.

A reported 62 per cent of respondents in an NBC News exit poll saying they would rather have a Democratic nominee capable of unseating the Republican incumbent, compared to 34 per cent who would rather a candidate more in-line with their issues.

The New Hampshire voters who flocked to the polls also cited health care as one of their most important issues, according to early exit polling data.

Donald Trump Jr attacked Bernie Sanders as the Vermont senator appeared to be leading the pack of Democratic candidates in the crucial New Hampshire primary, telling The Hill in an interview on Tuesday: “Bernie’s been in [Congress] for 30 years. What has he done? There’s a difference between talking about fighting and actually fighting.”

“You saw what happened with him and Hillary. You saw what happened to him in Iowa. Is Bernie really a fighter? It’s one thing to give a stump speech and say something but he got steamrolled by the party last time and then he goes and endorses Hillary,” he said, adding: “I don’t see it being real competition.”

Two candidates also dropped out of the race on Tuesday night, after failing to have strong showings on the make-or-break night.

Andrew Yang, an entrepreneur whose campaign focused on universal campaign income, as well as Michael Bennet, a Colorado senator whose speech on the Senate floor about the partial government went viral and sparked calls for a presidential bid.