JUDY WOODRUFF: But, first, the race for the White House.
This evening, the head of the Iowa Democratic Party resigned, following the confusion over
that state's caucuses last week.
Meanwhile, last night's New Hampshire Democratic primary results are offering some clarity
to the presidential field, Senator Bernie Sanders finishing first with 25.7 percent
of the vote, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg just 1.3 points behind, with
24.4 percent, and Senator Amy Klobuchar with 19.8 percent of the vote.
But, as Amna Nawaz reports, the battle for the nomination is far from over.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), Presidential Candidate: Thank you, New Hampshire.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
AMNA NAWAZ: With a strong finish in Iowa and a narrow win in New Hampshire under his belt,
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders says he's just getting started.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: We're going to Nevada, we're going to South Carolina, and we're going
to win those states as well!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
AMNA NAWAZ: The New Hampshire primary also gave former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg
another big night, coming in a close second.
PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), Presidential Candidate: A campaign that some said shouldn't be here
at all has shown that we are here to stay.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
AMNA NAWAZ: And Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar in a surprise third.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN), Presidential Candidate: We have beaten the odds every step of the
way.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
AMNA NAWAZ: The Democratic field further winnowed, losing entrepreneur Andrew Yang and Colorado
Senator Michael Bennet, and, this morning, former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick
announced he too would suspend his campaign, something he hinted at last night.
DEVAL PATRICK (D), Presidential Candidate: We needed this win to carry us forward.
AMNA NAWAZ: But the road to the Democratic Convention is long, and eight candidates are
still vying for the nomination.
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who finished fourth last night, put the early
state results in perspective for her supporters.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), Presidential Candidate: We're two states in, with 55 states
and territories to go.
AMNA NAWAZ: Coming up on the primary calendar, bigger, more diverse states that could radically
reshape the race in the weeks ahead, on Saturday, February 22, the caucuses in Nevada, on February
29, the South Carolina primary
And on March 3, 14 states hit the polls on Super Tuesday, where a whopping 33 percent
of all total delegates are up for grabs.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, after weak finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, is banking
on strong support from African-American voters in those upcoming states. Biden left the Granite
State before polls even closed, and headed to South Carolina, where he spoke to supporters
on friendlier ground.
JOSEPH BIDEN (D), Presidential Candidate: Ninety-nine-point-nine percent, that's the
percentage of African-American voters who have not yet had a chance to vote in America.
AMNA NAWAZ: Other candidates are also hoping a more diverse electorate will offer them
a boost.
TOM STEYER (D), Presidential Candidate: It is so good to be in Nevada.
AMNA NAWAZ: Billionaire Tom Steyer echoed Biden, speaking last night in Reno, Nevada.
TOM STEYER: We have a gloriously diverse country and a gloriously diverse party. And we need
to make sure that every part of that country and that party is part of our coalition that
shows up in November.
AMNA NAWAZ: And New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has already poured more than $300
million of his own money into Super Tuesday and beyond, even as he faces renewed questions
for his support of racially discriminatory policing tactics known as stop and frisk,
those after a years-old audio clip of him discussing the practice went viral on social
media.
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, Presidential Candidate: Ninety-five percent of your murders and murderers
and murder victims fit one M.O.
You can just take the description, Xerox it, and pass it out to all the cops. They are
male minorities 15 to 25.
AMNA NAWAZ: In Chattanooga, Tennessee, today, Bloomberg was asked if the recording would
hurt his support from African-American voters.
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG: I do not think so. I think people look at it and they say that those
words don't reflect Michael Bloomberg's -- the way he governed in New York City, the way
he runs his company, the way his philanthropy works.
I think we are going to do very well in the African-American community.
AMNA NAWAZ: The former mayor could be the newest face on the DNC stage next week, when
the candidates gather in Las Vegas for the ninth Democratic debate.
For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Amna Nawaz.