Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) shut out Hillary Clinton in the first votes of the first-in-the-nation primary as Donald Trump got beaten by a governor.
Ohio’s John Kasich was the only candidate in the 2016 field who held a campaign event in tiny Dixville Notch, where the entire town shows up at midnight to cast their ballots.
Kasich also called each of the town’s nine residents personally to ask for their support.
At the conclusion of the late-night vote, Kasich had three votes. Trump had two.
“It is an honor to earn the support of people who celebrate democracy as faithfully and famously as the voters in Dixville Notch,” Kasich quickly said in a statement. “New Hampshire rewards hard work and a positive campaign and that defines what our team has done here. We’re going to work hard until all the polls close to continue our success throughout New Hampshire and then take the campaign to South Carolina and beyond.”
On the Democratic side, Sanders got four votes. There were no votes for Clinton.
“Honored to have the unanimous support of the people of Dixville Notch,” Sanders tweeted.
Dixville Notch picked Obama in 2008 even though Hillary won the state. The town picked George W. Bush in 2000 even though Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) won the state.
Two other towns decided to notch their own post-midnight votes.
In nearby Millsfield, Clinton fared a bit better — getting two votes to Sanders’ single vote.
On the Republican side, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) had nine votes, Trump had three, and Kasich, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) each earned a vote.
Two hours to the south of Dixville Notch in Hart’s Location, Sanders got 12 votes to top Hillary’s seven votes. Mark Stewart Greenstein, a Connecticut attorney who calls himself “an increasingly embarrassed Democrat” and was the first Dem to file his New Hampshire paperwork, got two votes.
Kasich top the GOP list with five votes here, as Trump came in second place with four votes. Christie got two votes as Rubio, Bush, and Ben Carson picked up a vote apiece.
That puts Kasich, Trump and Cruz in a three-way tie heading toward the 7 p.m. closing of the polls.
Thanks to everyone who braved the snowstorm to make it to @JohnKasich‘s Dixville Notch Town Hall meeting! #FITN pic.twitter.com/1ABSGxjqmH
— John Kasich (@JohnKasich) January 16, 2016
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