The Amy Klochubar Surge Is Real As Late Deciders Break Her Way In New Hampshire

The results of the New Hampshire primary are just starting to come in, but one thing is already clear: Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar is surging into the top three on a wave of support from late deciders.

As Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report said on Tuesday night, “[T]he Amy Klobuchar surge real.”

On MSNBC, Steve Kornacki said the initial results show that Klobuchar got a boost from those who decided in the final days of the campaign.

“Amy Klobuchar is real right now,” he said.

Since Iowa, polling in New Hampshire has shown a close race between Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg, with Sanders clinging to a small lead.

But after Friday’s Democratic debate in which Klobuchar turned in her strongest performance yet, her numbers have been rising in New Hampshire in a way that polling might not have fully captured in the final couple of days.

As Wasserman also pointed out on Tuesday, it’s clear that Sanders, Buttigieg and Klobuchar are likely to finish in the top three. Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden are jockeying for fourth and fifth place.

A second or third place finish would give Klobuchar a boost

A second place finish would immediately boost Klobuchar’s campaign and give her campaign a jolt of momentum as the primary moves forward.

Even a strong third place finish behind Buttigieg would give the Minnesota senator a boost. After all, Klobuchar’s hasn’t even been part of the discussion throughout much of the primary season.

Though Sanders is the favorite in New Hampshire and Pete Buttigieg is vying for second place, Amy Klobuchar’s performance on Tuesday night will give her much-needed momentum as the primary map expands.

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Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.