Careening to the Finish in New Hampshire

Unlike in Iowa, Donald Trump is the runaway poll leader going into tonight’s contest. Bill Clinton in a speech railed against Sanders’ supporters running a “sexist” and “profane” campaign against Hillary Clinton on the Internet.

“We will do well here in New Hampshire and move on to South Carolina”, Rubio said on CBS. Those candidates who fare poorly could see donations dry up and face pressure to withdraw from the race.

In the final poll, Florida Senator Marco Rubio had 17 percent support, just three points ahead of Iowa caucus victor Texas Senator Ted Cruz at 14 percent.

But Rubio may also be hurt by the debate. Marco Rubio and Cruz are bunched up in third through fifth. “Shout it out because I don’t want to say”, Trump continued as the woman appeared to loudly shout the vulgar word again.

The enmity was mutual.

Bush fired back on twitter later Monday morning, writing, “you aren’t just a loser, you are a liar and a whiner”.

“She called him a pussy”, Trump gloated to claps and groans.

The New Hampshire race promises to be dramatic on the Democratic side as well.

Asked if voters were treating him differently since Saturday’s debate, Christie told Newsday, “oh, much differently”. Some crowds were made up in large part by “political tourists” from other states who came to take advantage of the chance to meet presidential candidates. About 60 percent of Democrats said they were already decided.

Sensing Rubio’s vulnerability, almost everyone seemed to be on the attack. Christie and Bush both piled on Rubio, claiming he hadn’t been tested the way that governors have.

Cruz won by more than 3 points and Clinton by a razor-thin margin in Iowa.

If she can close the gap in New Hampshire – even by a little – and hold Sanders’ lead to single digits, she will be able to boast that she pulled off a little bit of yet another Clinton comeback.

Clinton was shouldering renewed troubles amid talk of a possible campaign reshuffling. His chief adversaries are trying to leverage his miscues – he repeatedly relied on the same scripted talking points when challenged by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie – to say he isn’t ready for primetime.

The former first lady insisted it was all overblown. They blame journalists for confusing the term “independent” with “undeclared”, a status many voters take either to avoid being identified publicly as a partisan or so they can vote in whichever party’s primary is most competitive. “We are people who aren’t going to be angry for long”, he said.

The Democratic race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders swerved in a new direction after a pair of prominent Clinton supporters criticised female voters who support Sanders despite the prospect of electing the first female president.

Video: Could Sanders Beat Clinton in NH?