Kasich clinches second-place finish

UPDATE: Ohio Gov. John Kasich has guaranteed himself a few more weeks in the Republican race for president by coming in second in tonight’s New Hampshire primary. Kasich’s campaign manager said he expects to see an influx of cash following a strong victory for the candidate who has struggled so far to gain traction in the crowded race.

The three other top-tier contenders—former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida—are in a tight contest for tonight’s third-place finish. Although the final results may be close, each man needs a strong showing in New Hampshire to convince donors to continue supporting them ahead of the South Carolina and Super Tuesday primaries.

OUR EARLIER REPORT (8:35 p.m.):Just minutes after the polls closed in New Hampshire, major media outlets declared the winners: Donald Trump on the Republican side and Bernie Sanders for the Democrats.

Both candidates were predicted to win and took an early lead in the first few precincts revealing results. Although Trump easily won his contest, the rest of the Republican field remains locked in a tight race for second, third, and fourth place. Those positions could be even more important than the first-place finish for the party’s establishment base as it looks to coalesce around one candidate who can take on Trump in the rest of the primary contests.

But history doesn’t offer much hope for supporters of anyone other than Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who won last week’s Iowa caucuses. No Republican has gone on to win the party’s nomination without either winning New Hampshire or Iowa.

According to exit polls, nearly half of New Hampshire’s GOP voters said they didn’t make up their minds until the last week. About half said they felt betrayed by party officials. About two-thirds said they supported a ban on Muslims entering the country, something Trump suggested last year in the wake of a terror attack in Paris.

After casting their ballots, 3 in 10 Republican voters said the economy was the most important issue facing the country. A similar number cited government spending and terrorism as the most important issues. Less than 2 in 10 said immigration was a top issue.

A broad coalition of New Hampshire voters propelled Sanders to victory over Hillary Clinton: men, women, independents, and voters younger than 45. Most of Clinton’s votes came from people over 65 years old, with incomes over $200,000 a year. Clinton’s campaign downplayed her expected loss in the state because Sanders had the so-called home-court advantage as a U.S. senator from neighboring Vermont. Clinton’s aides maintain she’ll do much better in upcoming primaries in more racially diverse states.

“A Democrat who is unable to inspire strong levels of support in minority communities will have no credible path to winning the presidency in the general election,” Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said in a memo released as the polls closed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.