CONCORD NH – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is the winner of the New Hampshire GOP primary Tuesday, with Ohio Governor John Kasich showing well in 2nd place, Fox News called just minutes after the polls closed.
Democrat Bernie Sanders is at 56% with Hillary Clinton at 42, with 10 percent of the precincts reporting.
Statement from Kasich campaign:
Tonight in New Hampshire Governor John Kasich took a major step toward winning the Republican nomination with a strong, second place finish in the New Hampshire Republican primary.
Kasich's dominant finish came despite being outspent by millions and having more than $7 million in negative ads targeted at him by those he overcame. Ulimately what carried the day, however, was Kasich's positive, conservative vision of bringing people together to create a jobs-friendly climate, rein-in Washington and move America forward.
“Governor Kasich is now the leading governor in the race and the only one with a realistic chance at the nomination,” said Senior Strategist John Weaver. “He showed that a conservative with a positive message will succeed and, in fact, that’s the only way for Republicans to win the White House. As the governor of Ohio he knows how to do it.”
Kasich is leaving for South Carolina tonight where he will hit the ground running leading up to the state's Feb. 20 primary. He is now in a key position to accumulate delegates in the early primary calendar before winning Michigan and taking the nomination battle to the Midwest, the home turf where he will win the nomination.
John Kasich is a successful, conservative governor from a key swing state who knows how to bring people together and solve problems without leaving anyone behind. Not only did he work with Ohioans to turn around their state, cut taxes by $5 billion and create 400,000 private sector jobs, he won re-election with 64 percent of the vote. With 18 years on the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, he has more national security experience than any other candidate and is the only candidate to successfully balance budgets at both the state and federal levels.
John Kasich is a change agent with the record, experience and proven ability to bring people together that America needs. He will hit the ground running as president on Day One.
From Ben Carson campaign:
One of the most enjoyable aspects of the election process is getting to meet so many great people across the country, and New Hampshire has been no exception. I’m honored and humbled to have the generous backing of so many citizens of The Granite State, and I thank everyone for their kind hospitality and support. I commend the many staff and volunteers from New Hampshire who worked tirelessly to spread our call to return faith, integrity and common sense to American leadership. Across New Hampshire I heard from people who were sick and tired of D.C. insider political games and manipulation. Voters around the country are looking for new leadership in Washington, which is why I’m working so hard to return 'We the People' to the White House. I will carry on this fight for as long as the people stand with me. As we now move on to South Carolina, Nevada and the Super Tuesday states, I will continue to stand for integrity, accountability and honest leadership.
I think I have finally figured out the Trump phenomenon which has been lasting much longer than I thought it would. I call the success of Trump’s triumphal movement the “Vinnie Barbarino Effect”. If you can remember Vinnie (played by John Travolta) in the old “Welcome Back Kotter” television series, then you can probably see eerie similarities to Donald Trump that (up until the New Hampshire Primary) had somehow managed to elude me. Vinnie was the “class clown”, he loved to portray himself as tough, he was in love with himself, and he thrived by trying to be the center of attention among his classmates.
Vinnie (and Donald Trump)loved to quip “Up your nose with a rubber hose” to whoever he felt the urge to antagonize at that particular moment. They both strove to be oil in the presence of water or water in the presence of oil. It made no difference to them which cause or personality that they took to task “as long as it got them the attention that they so desperately craved”.
Today a large majority of Republicans, many Democrats, and huge number of Independents see themselves as having been “used and abused” by their own GOP (and Democrat) Party. Suddenly Vinnie Barbarino (The Donald) has come into Gabe Kotter’s classroom and he is saying what the rest of us are feeling and are wanting to express. Hence, the current Trump phenomenon is born thanks to the Vinnie Barbarino effect. Mr. Priebus will have to do his best Mr. Kotter impersonation between now and November 2016 in order to control his GOP Vinnie.
Yep, “Up your nose with a rubber hose” Barack and Hillary. The feckless GOP leadership in Washington over the past 4 years has once again allowed another Vinnie Barbarino to be unleashed upon the country and the world at a low point when many of us are desperate enough to tolerate and even look up to the class clown for leadership instead of ignoring him.