UNITED States (Reuters) — Billionaire businessman Donald Trump is projected to win New Hampshire’s Republican presidential nominating contest on Tuesday, 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 projected 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.
Sanders, who describes himself as a democratic socialist, was the underdog in the race against former Secretary of State Clinton. He had 51 percent of the vote in early returns, ahead of former Secretary of State Clinton, the perceived front-runner nationally, who had 40 percent, according to NBC.
“We are projecting that when all the votes are counted Bernie Sanders will, as expected, win the New Hampshire primary over Hillary Clinton. Right now 51-40. You see the raw vote only amounts to eight percent but these numbers will start piling up as we go on. In the republican race Donald Trump is the projected winner of the New Hampshire primary, the first in the nation carrying with it 23 delegates,” said NBC anchor Brian Williams announcing the early projection.
A logjam of Republican candidates were in a dead heat for second place, networks said, with Ohio Governor John Kasich, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Texas Senator Ted Cruz hoping to secure the second place spot and justify continuing in the race.
New Hampshire is the second state in the process of picking party nominees for the Nov. 8 election to replace President Barack Obama.
