Amy Klobuchar is giving Pete Buttigieg a surprising run for his money in New Hampshire, setting up a critical rivalry for the rest of the race
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg jockeyed for second place in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday night.
- Both candidates cut into former Vice President Joe Biden's moderate voter base.
- Klobuchar exceeded expectations in New Hampshire, over-performing her recent polling and earning delegates when higher-polling rivals may move on to the Nevada primary empty-handed.
- The two candidates will likely continue to fight each other for dominance in the moderate lane of the primary.
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Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg jockeyed for second place in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday night with about half of the state reporting and over 150,000 votes.
Both candidates cut into former Vice President Joe Biden's moderate voter base as he plummeted into fifth place in the state.
This comes after Buttigieg essentially tied Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Iowa caucus, where results still aren't final following major inconsistencies and delays in reporting.
Klobuchar exceeded expectations in New Hampshire, over-performing her recent polling and, if current results hold, earning delegates when higher-polling rivals may move on to the Nevada primary empty-handed.
With 44% of the precincts reporting at 8:55 p.m. E.T., Klobuchar had earned 19.6% of the vote compared to 9.6% for Sen. Elizabeth Warren and 8.5% for former Vice President Joe Biden.
On the day of the primary, Klobuchar polled at 11% on average in Real Clear Politics' aggregator of New Hampshire polls in a tie with Biden and Warren.
During the Democratic debate in Manchester, NH last Friday, Klobuchar repeatedly went after Buttigieg, attacking him over his relative inexperience and mocking his political "outsider" status.
"It is easy to go after Washington, because that's a popular thing to do," she said. "It is much harder to lead and much harder to take those difficult positions, because I think going after every single thing that people do because it's popular to say and makes you look like a cool newcomer, I don't think that's what people want right now."
Overall, 73% of Klobuchar's supporters would also back Joe Biden or Elizabeth Warren, each of whom struggled mightily in the Granite State.
The interesting statistic that sets the stage for this rivalry is that 71% of Klobuchar supporters are also satisfied with Pete Buttigieg.
As for the Mayor, lots of his supporters - about 45% - see potential in Amy Klobuchar as well, even as she has struggled in the polls. It's entirely possible that in the coming weeks, as the Minnesota Senator sees a bump in the polls, this could go higher as well.
Kloubuchar repeatedly made the case for her more moderate brand of politics, mentioning bipartisan legislation she's pushed through on Capitol Hill and Republican congressional districts she's won over at home in Minnesota.
After delivering what many viewed as the strongest performance of the debate, Klobuchar raised more than $2 million in the days after.
Both Klobuchar and Buttigieg are polling in the single digits in the next two contests - Nevada and South Carolina - and are similarly struggling to gain traction with black voters.
The mayor's strong showing in the first two states will likely give him significant momentum, and Klobuchar will look to capitalize on her strong New Hampshire results.
Going forward, the two candidates will probably continue to battle each other for dominance in the moderate lane of the primary.
Grace Panetta contributed reporting.