Bernie Sanders celebrates early Iowa results in New Hampshire

MILFORD, N.H. — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders took a victory lap of sorts Tuesday in New Hampshire, celebrating what looked to be a strong finish in Iowa a day late after technical issues marred the first-in-the-nation caucuses and left no immediate winner.

“Last night in Iowa we received more votes in the first and second round than any other candidate,” Sanders crowed to a packed house at a sports complex in Milford, N.H., to cheers.

“For some reason in Iowa they’re having a little bit of trouble counting votes,” he quipped, referencing issues with a mobile app by software firm Shadow that led to a massive breakdown in reporting the results of the Iowa caucuses Monday night.

“But I am confident that here in New Hampshire, I know you’ll be able to count your votes on Election Night,” Sanders continued. “And when you count those votes, I look forward to winning here in New Hampshire.”

Sanders remains locked in a tight race with former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg for the most delegates in the Hawkeye State, according to results from 62% of precincts the Iowa Democratic Party released late Tuesday afternoon.

While Buttigieg appeared to have the edge in the partial tally, Sanders’ camp was quick to claim the Vermont senator was leading in the popular vote.

“We are gratified that in the partial data released so far it’s clear that in the first and second round more people voted for Bernie than any other candidate in the field,” Sanders’ senior adviser Jeff Weaver said.

The sometimes ornery Sanders appeared downright chipper in his return to New Hampshire, the state he won handily in 2016 and where he has consistently led recent polls by a sizable margin over former Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren. The latest Franklin Pierce University-Boston Herald-NBC10Boston poll of likely New Hampshire Democratic primary voters showed Sanders with 31% support to Biden’s 24% and Warren’s 17%.

Sanders delivered an upbeat stump speech Tuesday evening to a boisterous crowd in Milford — plowing through even as he was interrupted multiple times by protesters who claimed he couldn’t beat President Trump.

The Vermont senator told his supporters, “With your help next Tuesday, we begin and continue the process of winning here in New Hampshire and going on to Nevada, going on to South Carolina, going on to California — to win those states and become the Democratic nominee and have the privilege to win and defeat the most dangerous president in the history of the United States.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/36XI6V2