AP News Guide: A big validation for Sanders, Trump

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — It's getting harder to shake off Donald Trump as just a hot-air balloon and Bernie Sanders as a pie-in-the-sky political revolutionary.

The Florida senator was an up-and-comer until that happened —regarded even as being on the cusp of consolidating mainstream support and driving rivals from the race.

John Kasich, the Ohio governor who ran an upbeat campaign, finished second, yet faces doubts about whether he has the ability to run a national campaign, which the 2016 race now becomes.

Sanders, the independent socialist senator, and Trump, the political neophyte and provocateur, tapped New Hampshire's occasional taste for political insurgencies to prevail in the nation's second contest for the nomination, after they lost in Iowa.

[...] Trump put beef behind his braggadocio, celebrating his solid victory by vowing anew that "I'm going to be the greatest jobs president" and "beat all of these countries that are taking so much of our money away from us."

[...] Sanders was as fiery as ever, declaring: "We have sent the message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California, and that is that the government of our great country belongs to all of the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their super PACs."

Sanders attracted a broad coalition of New Hampshire voters, gathering a majority of votes from men, independents and voters under 45, as well as a slim majority of women, according to early exit polls conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and TV networks

Trump capitalized on disaffection and outright anger with Washington, which was more pronounced in the Republican race, the exit polls found.