On the same night Hillary Clinton lost by 20 points in New Hampshire, Donald Trump overwhelmed his Republican Party opposition, which included former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, with a sizeable win in the nation’s first primary Tuesday.
The political establishment: Take note.
As of late Tuesday evening, Trump led Ohio Gov. John Kasich by a 34-16 margin in New Hampshire's GOP primary. Trump had a simple message during his victory speech Tuesday night.
“We're going to start winning again,” Trump said.
Trump’s win was largely expected as he was leading in the polls by double figures leading into Tuesday’s primary, despite a disappointing second-place finish in Iowa eight days prior.
Trump was roundly criticized for not mobilizing voters in Iowa. It appears Trump learned from his missteps in Iowa.
"We learned a lot about ground games in a week, I'll tell you that,” Trump said to his supporters.
Trump took the stage moments after Sanders’ lengthy victory speech in New Hampshire.
“Congratulate Bernie, but he wants to give away the country,” Trump said. “But we wish him a lot of luck. We’re going to make America great again. We’re going to beat (other) countries. We have the greatest business people in the world.”
Trump, considered on the far right, much like how Sanders is part of the far left, took a line out of Sanders’ playbook.
“Money is just pouring into these commercials,” Trump said. “The lobbyists are paying lots of money into this election. We have to stop it.”
Kasich had a campaign-saving night by topping the rest of the field. Kasich, running to the center of Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz, the champion of the Iowa caucuses, Kasich said his positive message is what led to votes in New Hampshire.
“The light overcame the darkness of negative campaigning, because you made it happen,” Kasich said. “We’re going to solve problems in America, not by extreme, not being Republican or Democrat, but by fixing our problems.”
Kasich spent much of his time and focus on a strong finish in New Hampshire. But Kasich might run into a roadblock in 11 days in South Carolina. In recent polls, Kasich is polling at just 2 percent; well behind Trump, Cruz and several other candidates.
Trump won with a wide coalition, according to multiple exit polls. He beat every candidate among all age groups, educational attainment and income levels.
Justin Boggs is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @jjboggs.
