MANCHESTER, United States, Feb 10, (APP/AFP): Last-minute voters
cast ballots Tuesday in the small US state of New Hampshire in the second key test of the White House race, with Donald Trump chasing victory and Hillary Clinton looking to reel in local hero Bernie Sanders.
Nearly all voting stations closed, or stopped allowing voters to get
in line, at 7:00 pm (0000 GMT), with a handful of locations open until 8:00 pm.
Officials were predicting a record turnout, and results were expected
within a few hours.
Once every four years, the nation’s eyes focus like laser beams on New Hampshire, which holds the first state primaries after the Iowa caucuses kick off the US presidential nomination process.
The proud northeastern state, home to just 1.3 million people, sets the tone for the primaries — and could whittle down a crowded Republican field as the arch-conservative Senator Ted Cruz and more mainstream candidates led by Senator Marco Rubio battle for second place behind frontrunner Trump.
But New Hampshire’s primaries are known for their surprises, leaving
several candidates hopeful that they can outperform the narrative established by months of polling.
In the picturesque town of Canterbury, population 2,000-3,000, sub-freezing temperatures and a thick coat of snow on the ground greeted early-risers who stopped by the town hall to vote before heading to work.
David Emerson, a wood worker set up outside with a Sanders poster, said he planned to stay all day.
“He’s the only one that’s worth supporting. Hillary makes it clear it’s the same old, same old” with her, Emerson said.
“Bernie talks about all the things that need to be done. Hopefully he’s really creating a movement.”
For the past 60 years or so, most of the candidates who ended up winning the White House won their party’s primary in the so-called Granite State.
But tellingly, the last three presidents — Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton — were all elected despite losing the New Hampshire primary.