New Hampshire’s presidential primary is the second key event in the 2016 Presidential Election. The importance of the New Hampshire primary is directly associated with the fact that it is so early in the timeline and is the first chance for the candidates to test their standing with a broader audience.

It will effectively provide momentum to those performing well and being embraced by the people, and will just as effectively extinguish the campaigns and hopes of those candidates who are unable to reach the level of momentum they were working for.

It is the first ‘primary’ of the election and second event that reflects the will of the people. It will secure additional support for the high performers and will further narrow the field on the republican side of the race.

The NH primary is an open primary for independents, which means they can vote for either the republican or democrat candidate. Republicans and democrats have to vote for their party in this primary. This makes the New Hampshire event both an open and a closed primary.  You can check out our page on “Odds to win the New Hampshire Primary“.

The Iowa Caucus did not disappoint when it comes to scandal, conflict and unexpected results. Will New Hampshire do the same? Possibly, but likely not on the same scale that Iowa did. The three frontrunners for the GOP include Donald Trump in first place, Senator Marco Rubio in second place, and Senator Ted Cruz in third place.

New Hampshire is a chance for Trump to re-solidify his position as the frontrunner while Cruz struggles with accusations hurled at him from Trump and Carson.

However he has the funds and the support to come out well here and in South Carolina. Rubio’s objectives are largely centered on being the leading GOP establishment candidate ahead of Bush, Christie and Kasich.

Rubio is considered to have lost the republican debate that took place this past weekend, clearly not prepared for Christie’s vicious criticisms, while Cruz was considered the winner of the debate by most, performing extremely well under fire.

On the Democrat side, Sanders continues to hold a double-digit lead over Clinton, who he has attacked quite strongly, accusing her of taking money for her support on issues. In fact, Sanders comments have elicited the involvement of former President Bill Clinton in defense of his wife.

President Clinton, who has been out of the picture for the most part until now, viciously attacked Sanders and called some of his supporters sexist in their attacks on his wife.

Clinton also accused Sanders of selling ‘pipe dreams’, pointing out that the Senator offers ‘too good to be true’ proposals without any explanation of how he will achieve them. Sanders is expected to do well in New Hampshire since it is his own back yard, ho,wever Clinton passionately wants to put a dent in his results. Check out the latest odds to win the Democratic nomination.

Sanders is not just beating Clinton in the polls in New Hampshire, he is also overtaking her in some national polls. He has become a legitimate force within the democratic party that nobody expected to see achieve this type of momentum. Much like the Trump phenomenon, the people are responding to messages that are outside of the normal dialogue and narrative of establishment candidates.

Cruz is also an outsider so to speak due to his consistent far right stance and his willingness to buck his party to remain loyal to his convictions and conservative constituents. He is hated in Washington, and this has worked in his favor. Two other Washington outsiders who are not performing quite as well are Dr. Ben Carson and Carley Fiorina, though their messages are quite in line with the conservative movement.

All eyes will be on New Hampshire primary on Tuesday night, which will further narrow the field of candidates still in the race. It may allow Trump the chance to solidify his spot as the leader of the pack, and provide Sanders a chance to push ahead of Clinton even further.

Like, Iowa, the New Hampshire primary is critical to the momentum of the campaigns of the candidates, however does not ensure a ticket to the White House. McCain unexpectedly took New Hampshire when he ran for president, despite the fact that his campaign was doing very poorly just a few months prior. It can be a powerful moment for any of the presidential hopefuls.

Also keep in mind that after the results are announced for New Hampshire, the odds for winning the 2016 Presidential election will always change.

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