Buttigieg congratulates Sanders on ‘strong showing’ in New Hampshire

NASHUA, N.H. — Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg congratulated Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on his performance in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday as Sanders was declared the victor in the nation’s first primary. 

“I admired Sen. Sanders when I was a high school student,” Buttigieg said to an enthusiastic crowd of 1,200 supporters at Nashua Community College. “I respect him greatly to this day, and I congratulate him on his strong showing tonight.”

NBC News and ABC News called the tight race as Buttigieg delivered his remarks. Sanders garnered 25.9 percent support and Buttigieg took 24.1 percent with 83 percent of the precincts reporting.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D), who has struggled to break into the race’s top tier, came in third place with 19.8 percent. 

Despite the loss in New Hampshire, Buttigieg was awarded the most delegates in Iowa after a recanvass of 55 precincts was completed on Sunday following reporting errors and irregularities that delayed the release of the initial results by more than a day.

Buttigieg also came within 2 points of tying Sanders in the Granite State, ensuring that this was not a shoo-in for the Vermont senator. 

The results from both races illustrate how far Buttigieg, who was virtually unknown nationally a year ago, has come in the race. 

“Thanks to you, a campaign that some said shouldn’t be here at all has shown that we are here to stay,” Buttigieg told his supporters. 

The candidates have already set their sites on the Nevada caucuses, which are set to take place on Feb. 22. 

Buttigieg will head to Nevada on Thursday to attend the League of United Latin American Citizens Presidential Town Hall.

He will likely face different challenges in Nevada, given the state’s more diverse racial makeup. Buttigieg has struggled to appeal to voters of color — in particular black voters — because of his record as mayor of South Bend, Ind.

The RealClearPolitics polling average shows Buttigieg only garnering an average of seven percent support in Nevada.