Trump’s Numbers Are the Big New Hampshire Story [OPINION]

There are a lot of stories to emerge from Tuesday's New Hampshire primaries but perhaps the biggest story that is being overlooked is the huge showing for incumbent President Donald J. Trump.

The news media was so focused on the tight race between Democrats Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg – and the absolutely dreadful performance of Liz Warren and Joe Biden – that it failed to notice the huge turnout for Trump. Or at least, it failed to draw attention to Trump's numbers.

Trump was facing minimal competition from former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld for the Republican nomination in New Hampshire so there wasn't much excitement about the race. Trump was expected to win and win he did. Bigly. No one could have predicted the numbers Trump would pull down.

With 86 percent of the vote tabulated, Trump had collected 117,462 votes. That's more than double what Barack Obama got as an incumbent while seeking renomination in New Hampshire in 2012. In fact, Trump's vote may be record-setting in the modern era. Obama won 49,080 votes in 2012. George W. Bush garnered 52,962 votes in 2004. And Bill Clinton collected 76,979 votes in 1996. More than 117,000 voters went out in the New Hampshire cold to show support for Trump's renomination.

When the results are certified, Trump’s vote share is expected to far surpass the modern historical high for an incumbent president, 86.43 percent set by Ronald Reagan in 1984. That's a lot of winning.

What the huge Trump turnout underscores is the level of excitement surrounding the Trump presidency and his renomination effort. For that many people to turn out when they really didn't have to is impressive. Its a statement. It is a movement. It bodes well for Trump in November.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.