New Hampshire primary: Six things to watch for as voters head to the polls in the Granite State

As Sanders surges and Buttigieg seems strong, candidates seek good showings in a make or break state for Democrats

(REUTERS)

All eyes are on the voters in New Hampshire as they cast their ballots to clarify who is in front, who is behind and who will have momentum heading into the next couple of states for the Democratic primary.

Voters are heading to the polls just over a week after the Iowa caucuses meltdown, which sowed considerable confusion among Democratic voters and candidates who hoped for a clean set of results and the momentum that comes with it for the top vote getters.

But the Granite State celebrates its independence, and the irregularities out of the midwest have only reaffirmed that belief in their importance. Now, candidates are jostling for a top-three placement that will signal to voters, donors and, yes, the media that these are the folks to pay attention to going forward.

So, here’s what to watch once polls begin to close at 7pm EST.

How big is the win? Out of Iowa, it was Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg who declared victory, but the Vermont senator has pulled away in polls of Granite State voters.

It’s not necessarily surprising, given Mr Sanders’s massive victory in the state just four years ago against Hillary Clinton. Still, should he expand on the 7-8 per cent lead he has over Mr Buttigueg (a final CNN tracking poll gave him 29 per cent support to Mr Buttigieg’s 22 per cent), that could signal some very worrying momentum for other candidates in the race.

Can Buttigieg live up to the hype? He’s a top poller in the state lately, fuelled in part by that good showing in Iowa. But, speaking to voters here in the state it is hard to ignore that some have some very real concerns about his relative lack of experience, and whether that could be a major liability against Donald Trump — especially since the other leading candidates all can claim relationships and track records in Washington already.

Joe Biden has already said he’s going to lose. Mr Biden took a beating in Iowa, and has already signalled he expects to lose in the state this year. His campaign has promised that they plan on vigorously contesting the next couple of states — New Hampshire and Nevada — which are more diverse and have populations that are seen as strong for the former vice president.

That said, Mr Biden has to be hoping for a better result here than expected. In that CNN poll, he ranks third, but others show him a bit further back. And, that third place is a drop from his previous first-place status earlier in the race, when he was widely expected to glide into the nomination.

Klobu-charge? Klobu-mentum? Amy Klobuchar may very well end up being the dark horse of the 2020 primary season. As those questions have swirled around Mr Buttigieg’s experience and Mr Biden’s apparent collapse, many voters have expressed some interest in the Minnesota senator.

She has seen some signs that her approach — focusing on her tough character, and her common-sense moderate approach to policy — is working: in at least two polls just a day before the primaries began, she surged to third place in the race.

Where does Warren end up? After peaking in polls this past fall, things have steadily dropped for the Massachusetts senator. Still, she has vigorously campaigned in Iowa and now New Hampshire, and her campaign operation in the Granite State is considered quite robust.

While she has dropped in the polls, her campaign was still announcing endorsements as late as the morning of the vote. Like Mr Biden, a less than stellar performance in New Hampshire won’t necessarily mean she drops out, but her pathway to the nomination would narrow significantly.

And then, the rest of them. Those are the top candidates in this race, but several others have been putting in some significant time to try and attract voters. For them, New Hampshire could be their last vote in this race, given the quickly narrowing path to victory and the importance of winning for money flow into campaigns. Among those are Tulsi Gabbard, Andrew Yang, Deval Patrick and Michael Bennet. We'll see if any of them pull off a surprise in the Granite State.