Turnout for voters supporting President Trump in New Hampshire surpassed the state record for that of any incumbent president over the last 40 years. Trump earned more than 110,000 votes in the state's Republican primary on Tuesday, more than double the previous record set by former President Barack Obama, who received just over 49,000 votes in 2012. The last Republican presidential incumbent, George W. Bush, got 52,962 votes in the New Hampshire primary in 2004.
Overall, voter turnout has been steadily rising for both parties for years.
Trump, who has no serious primary challenger in 2020, celebrated the news in a late-night tweet on Tuesday. Thank you Brad! https://t.co/qv4qcj704y
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2020
His share of the vote also approached the record set for incumbent presidents by former President Ronald Reagan in 1984. With 98% of precincts reporting, the president has 85% of the vote, just below Reagan's 86.43% record.
New Hampshire's Republican governor predicts that Trump will cruise to victory in his state's general election this fall, after narrowly losing it to Hillary Clinton in 2016.
“When [voters] go into that ballot box, that’s why they are going to be pulling the lever, and Donald Trump is going to win New Hampshire — because we kind of match our pro-business message with his economic success,” Gov. Chris Sununu said. "The [Democrats] that are clearly phonies."
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was declared the winner of the Democratic presidential primary in New Hampshire.
