[Reporter: Paul Hunter]
[Band plays]
[Reporter] For those who somehow missed it
in politically crazed New Hampshire
right now he's the favorite:
Bernie Sanders.
[Woman] What's different about him is that he really really supports the people
that might be like tired of the status quo.
Andrew Yang! Whoo!
[Reporter] It's an election season like no other in a generation.
For so many Americans it's not about who you want to put in
but who you want to kick out.
Trump! Trump!
[Reporter] And so you know it, the other side's here too.
Health care is a right!
[Reporter] Which gets us to the big question dogging Bernie:
Is America ready for a self-described Democratic Socialist?
[Crowd cheers]
[Reporter] On this night, supporters of all the remaining Democratic candidates
have turned out for a night of pre-primary speeches
and when Sanders comes out, a key part of his appeal
is that he's bang on message.
[Sanders] Four years ago we said that health care is a human right
not a privilege.
[Reporter] Two nights earlier, democratic debate night in New Hampshire
and Sanders supporters gather for a watch party.
Their response to the "socialism will never win over America argument" --
Every poll for last year has said that he has the best chance beating Trump.
Trump calls him a communist.
Trump calls a lot of people a lot of things.
[Reporter] Amid the Bernie backers, a high-profile supporter.
Bernie is the person who's going to stop Trump.
[Reporter] Filmmaker Michael Moore
trashing Trump, talking up Sanders.
Why Bernie?
Well, no, the question is why not Bernie.
Why would we go anywhere else at this point?
In order to beat Trump, in order to have this country behave the way it should behave
so nobody has to worry about getting sick and losing their home
go down the whole list of things.
Why not Bernie?
[Reporter] It's a point Sanders underlines again that night on TV.
[Sanders] What Medicare pool all will do is save the average American substantial sums of money.
[Reporter] Emphasizing, as he does, his ideas aren't radical they're necessary.
And urgent.
As we watch we're told Michael Moore wants to tell us more.
If we just put up the same old same old
we're not going to inspire young people we're not gonna inspire people of colour
to come out there and do the job that needs to be done.
No, I'm sorry, no 29-year-old is gonna wake up on election day
and go, "I can't wait to vote for Joe Biden."
You know, it's just not gonna happen.
Hey everybody, how are you?
[Reporter] Former Vice President Joe Biden is widely seen as the safe choice.
The so-called moderate in the push to oust Trump.
Here rallying campaign volunteers before they all go door-to-door .
[Biden] Reports of our death are premature.
[Reporter] Though some wonder if troubles loom.
Then there's a new kid on the political block.
The one with the weird last name.
With buzz on Pete Buttigieg building --
check the monster lineup for a rally at a New Hampshire College Saturday.
Snaking through the lobby.
And, by the way, he's got his own star power.
[Chowd cheers]
Actor Michael J Fox.
Alberta born, now a dual citizen likes what he sees in Buttigieg
[Fox] I believe he has the ability and the intelligence to get past this current divisive, dysfunctional politics.
[Crowd cheers]
And when Buttigieg himself takes the stage the optics underlined that.
[Buttigieg] Aren't you ready to put that chaos behind us?
[Crowd cheers]
Aren't you ready to put the corruption behind us?
[Reporter] Say Buttigieg backers, what the country needs is a breather.
We go too far to the left and we go too far to the right.
At some point, somebody has to bring us back to centre.
And that's why I like Pete.
I really think he can bring the country together.
[Reporter] The knock on Bernie supporters here at a training session for volunteers has been
that if Sanders is not the nominee
than they won't vote for anyone come the presidential election.
And that indirectly helps Trump.
Not this time were told.
I would vote for anyone to get Trump out of office.
We've just got to beat the guy in the White House.
I'll -- whoever comes to the top, I'll vote for him.
There's just no alternative for me.
[Reporter] Still Bernie is their guy for now.
And so on a wintry morning in New Hampshire off they go
trying to make it happen.
But here's another thing about U.S. politics in the age of Trump
take nothing for granted.
Here at the Tumblin Diner in Claremont what matters is what you say
who you are in 2016
this part of the country backed both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders.
Don't believe it?
Yeah, I'd vote for Bernie, I like Bernie, yeah.
And you voted Trump last time?
Yeah.
[Crowd cheers]
[Reporter] And so it's into this, the leading candidate in the New Hampshire primary
sent his message.
Think about the country you could have, he urges.
Forget the fear-mongering and remember that other lesson from 2016:
Voting actually matters.
[Sanders] Now is not the time to sit on the sidelines.
Now is the time to get involved.
Please come out on Tuesday.
Let's win here.
Let's defeat Trump.
Let's transform this country.
Thank you all Claremont.
[Reporter] iIt's Bernie's unspoken mantra:
Trust him for the big job, he says.
It's time.
Paul Hunter, CBC News, Claremont New Hampshire.