TRUMP WINS NEW HAMPSHIRE

AP Photo/David Goldman

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump just scored his first victory of the 2016 election season, winning the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, CNN, Associated Press, and other outlets reported.

Trump was declared the winner shortly after New Hampshire polls closed at 8 p.m. ET. 

Most polls had given Trump a big edge heading into the primary. The CNN/WMUR poll from Monday gave Trump a more than 14-point lead.

Trump was upset by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in last week's Iowa caucuses, even though polls leading up to the vote had given him a lead there. Trump later claimed that he would have actually won that contest if Cruz didn't cheat.

But New Hampshire was long considered a friendlier electorate for him, with its more moderate electorate. To be sure, Trump barnstormed through the state over the past week, holding both large rallies — which have become a campaign staple — but also more traditional, retail-style campaign events that have not been hallmarks of his campaign.

Behind Trump, the early results showed a clump of candidates battling for second place — Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida). Those canidates (aside from Cruz) four candidates, all of whom align more with the Republican establishment, were vying to gain momentum as possible alternatives to Trump and Cruz.

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