WASHINGTON (AP) – New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary left some GOP candidates with a hard-knocks hangover and others just happy to still be alive.
Here’s what to watch for Wednesday, as the race heads south and west – perhaps with a smaller cast of characters.
WHERE TO? Most Republican candidates are making a beeline for South Carolina, which holds its GOP primary Feb. 20. The Democrats hold caucuses in Nevada that same day. The two states offer candidates their first opportunities to compete for a large and diverse electorate. The Democrats’ New Hampshire victor, Bernie Sanders, is off to New York on Wednesday for breakfast with the Rev. Al Sharpton, hoping to boost his appeal with minorities. How does Hillary Clinton, also headed to New York, respond to her New Hampshire thumping amid talk of a campaign shake-up. “We’re going to take stock, but it’s going to be the campaign that I’ve got,” Clinton told MSNBC ahead of the vote.
DEPARTURE LOUNGE: Iowa was the end of the line for four candidates. More candidates could well head for the exits after New Hampshire. Chris Christie, who put huge effort into New Hampshire and came up lagging, headed home to New Jersey to “take a deep breath” and decide what to do about his presidential campaign.
CHA-CHING: Look for a surge in campaign cash for those with strong finishes, as happened to Sanders and Ted Cruz after Iowa. John Kasich, who pulled out second in New Hampshire, is counting on it. “We have a lot of people who have been promising money if we perform,” said Kasich senior adviser Tom Rath. “Tonight, we performed.”