The student news site of Oakton High School

Oakton Outlook

The student news site of Oakton High School

Oakton Outlook

The student news site of Oakton High School

Oakton Outlook

New Hampshire Primary

New Hampshire Primary

On Tuesday, Feb. 9 2016 presidential candidates participated in the New Hampshire Primary, also known as the first-in-the-nation primary. The New Hampshire Primary is the first of many primary elections held to narrow down candidates by beginning the process of choosing delegates for the Democratic and Republican parties. In turn, these delegates will choose the nominee for each party. However the New Hampshire Primary differs from the somewhat similar Iowa caucus as it is organized by the state like a regular election unlike the caucus which is organized by political parties. Even though only a few delegates are chosen at the New Hampshire Primary, the primary has still found importance in America due to mass media coverage and it’s reputation of making or breaking candidates.

Filled with surprises, the make-or-break reputation certainly rang true at the 2016 New Hampshire Primary. For the Democrat party, Bernie Sanders comes out on top with 15 delegates, despite losing to Hillary Clinton at the Iowa caucuses. Also notable was Sanders’ achievement of getting the most votes in New Hampshire Primary history. For the Republican party, Donald Trump wins with 10 delegates, also making a comeback from second place in the Iowa caucuses. Also shocking were the losses that resulted from the primary. Two Republican candidates, Carly Fiorina and Chris Christie, have dropped out of the race after a less than stellar performance at the New Hampshire Primary.

So what does the results of this small primary mean for the rest of the election? For one, the primary showed the winning potential of Donald Trump. Winning as a Republican in a left-leaning state is no easy feat, so his landslide win is not something to be ignored. As far as Sanders’ win, some are skeptical if his victory in New Hampshire is an indicator of his ability to defeat Clinton due to his homefield advantage being from Vermont. However, his win, also being a landslide win, is still a huge victory for Sanders, who frequently trailed Clinton in the past. Overall, this small primary had a huge effect with it’s suprising wins and defeats. If you can, be sure to vote at Virginia’s Primary on March 1 so you can be a part of what has started in New Hampshire.

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New Hampshire Primary