Bernie Sanders wins N.H.; Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar in top 3

Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders narrowly won the Democratic New Hampshire primary Tuesday night over Pete Buttigieg -- but the real surprises were the strong finish of Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and weak performances of former Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Sanders won 26 percent of the vote with 97 percent of votes counted. Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., earned 24 percent and Klobuchar 20 percent. Sanders and Buttigieg won nine delegates each and Klobuchar six.

Warren, who was expected by many to do well in New Hampshire, won just 9 percent of the votes and Biden 8 percent. Neither won a single state delegate.

"We just won the New Hampshire primary. What we have done together here is nothing short of the beginning of a political revolution," Sanders' campaign wrote on Twitter.

Speaking to supporters, Sanders cited his strong performance in Iowa and set his sights on upcoming primaries.

"With victories behind us, popular vote in Iowa and victory here tonight, we're going to Nevada, we're going to win those states," he said.

Buttigieg congratulated Sanders on his performance and said he has long been an admirer of the senator.

"I admired Sen. Sanders when I was a high school student. I respect him greatly to this day, and I congratulate him on his strong showing tonight," he said.

"My heart is full. We have beaten the odds every step of the way -- with our merits, ideas and hard work," Klobuchar tweeted.

"Tonight in New Hampshire, as everyone has counted us out ... I came back and we delivered," she said in a speech to supporters.

Businessman Tom Steyer won 4 percent of the vote, and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and businessman Andrew Yang each received 3 percent. Yang ended his presidential bid Tuesday night, saying he didn't anticipate receiving the necessary support to win the race.

"I am a numbers guy," he said. "In most of these states, I'm not going to be at a threshold where I get delegates, which makes sticking around not necessarily helpful or productive in terms of furthering the goals of this campaign."

Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado also dropped out of the race after poor returns in New Hampshire. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg wasn't on the ballot due to his late entry into the race.

The Democratic field stumped Monday in the key New England state following a debate there Friday and a rally by President Donald Trump, who easily carried the New Hampshire Republican primary.

The second nominating contest of the year firmly placed Sanders and Buttigieg as the clear front-runners in the Democratic race and added a boost for Klobuchar, who finished fifth in Iowa. While Biden and Warren can't be counted out, they clearly need strong performances in Nevada on Feb. 22 and South Carolina on Feb. 29 to remain serious contenders for the Democratic nomination to challenge Trump.

"We're staying in this fight for the people who are counting on us," Warren said Tuesday night. "Tomorrow morning, we'll wake up and fight twice as hard, together. ... Our campaign is built for the long haul.

"A young girl came up to me tonight and said, 'I'm a broke college student with a lot of student loan debt. I checked and I have $6 in the bank, so I just gave $3 to keep you in this fight,'" she added.

"Iowa and New Hampshire were just the beginning," Biden said. "Now, we're taking this campaign to Nevada and South Carolina, and we have to give it all we've got.

"99.9 percent -- that's the percentage of African-American voters who have not yet had a chance to vote in this nomination process. You cannot and should not win the Democratic nomination for president without the support of black and brown voters."