New Hampshire Voters Brave Snow To Cast Ballots
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MANCHESTER, N.H. (CBSDFW.COM) - The nation's first presidential primary of the 2016 election season started early Tuesday morning in New Hampshire, and it seems as though a lot of people are showing up to perform their civic duty. There has been a steady stream of voters in the Granite State, and headlines are saying that these voters could reshape the field.
This comes despite heavy snow on Monday. The sun has finally come out, so weather should no longer be an issue.
CBS 11 News was inside of an elementary school near downtown Manchester, one of many polling places across the northeast state. Voters there said that they were happy to see the snow finally end, even though they are used to dealing with such nasty weather.
Republican voter Melanie Latulippe stated that she cast her ballot for billionaire Donald Trump. "I think we've had, you know, some Democrats in there for quite some time, and I think it's time for a change," she added Tuesday. "I was impressed that he funded it himself and yeah -- I liked him. I liked what he had to say."
Trump leads the final average of polls in New Hampshire, maintaining a 17 point lead over his rivals. After him, it is a fight for second place in this race. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush are all within two and a half points of each other.
Cruz can afford a misstep in New Hampshire after placing first in Iowa. However, both Bush and Kasich need to perform well here if they want to gain some type of momentum going forward.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina and Dr. Ben Carson all scored below 10 percent in the final polling data.