DAVID GREENE, HOST:
Today brings a new reality for Hillary Clinton. If she's going to win the Democratic nomination, it is going to take a long, hard fight. Yesterday, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders defeated her handily in the New Hampshire primary, winning by more than 20 points. NPR's Tamara Keith could tell the Clinton campaign was ready for this.
TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: The setup at Clinton's election night party said everything you needed to know about the expected outcome. There were no TVs showing election returns, just the regular Clinton soundtrack bouncing off the gym walls - anthems about getting knocked down but fighting on and the Taylor Swift song "Shake It Off."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SHAKE IT OFF")
TAYLOR SWIFT: (Singing) Shake it off, shake it off.
KEITH: Clinton's supporters cheered and chanted like they either didn't know or didn't care about the outcome.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
HILLARY CLINTON: Thank you all very very, very much. My goodness, I don't know what we'd have done tonight if we'd actually won.
KEITH: But there was really no way for Clinton to spin this one as a win. Aside from the double-digit loss, there were red flags for Clinton in the exit polls as well. Among Democrats who cared most about their candidate being honest and trustworthy, Sanders won overwhelmingly. So in her concession speech, Clinton acknowledged.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
CLINTON: I know I have some work to do, particularly with young people. But I will repeat again what I have said this week...
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: ...Even if they are not supporting me now, I support them.
KEITH: She talked at length about wanting to get the influence of big money out of politics, something many Sanders supporters say they like about him and dislike about her. And Clinton said she was prepared to take her campaign all over the country, fighting for every vote. In the states that vote next, the electorate will be considerably more diverse, and Clinton was clearly speaking to that audience.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
CLINTON: African-American parents shouldn't have to worry that their children will be harassed, humiliated, even shot because of the color of their skin.
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Immigrant families shouldn't have to lie awake at night, listening for a knock on the door.
KEITH: For months, Laurie Robinson had spent her Sundays knocking on doors for Clinton. As she and her husband left the election night party, she was undeterred.
LAURIE ROBINSON: Listen, this was only a little battle. The war is not over, and Hillary's not done. The rest of the United States is going to wake up and realize she's the one.
KEITH: Clinton has strong support from African-Americans and Latinos in Nevada, South Carolina and the Super Tuesday states. But Sanders has momentum. The question is whether Clinton will be able to shake off his dominant performance, or whether he'll erode her lead with voters who have gravitated to her in the past. Tamara Keith, NPR News, Manchester, N.H. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
