UNITED States (Reuters) — Billionaire businessman Donald Trump is projected to win New Hampshire’s Republican presidential nominating contest on Tuesday (February 9), while U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is projected to win the Democratic primary over Hillary Clinton, U.S. television networks said after early results.
Trump’s win solidifies his front-runner status in the race to be the party’s White House nominee in 2016. The reality television star’s untraditional campaign has been marked by calls for the deportation of illegal immigrants and temporarily banning Muslims from entering the United States.
At Trump’s campaign headquarters in Manchester, New Hampshire, the crowd erupted in cheers as the early results were announced.
A logjam of Republican candidates were in a dead heat for second place, networks said. The election is on Nov. 8.