Students and Faculty Gather at IOP to Watch N.H. Primary

Under red, white, and blue streamers and semi-circular Americana buntings, Harvard students and faculty members gathered at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum to watch Donald J. Trump and Bernard “Bernie” Sanders win handily in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday.

Students gather at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum on Tuesday night to await the results of the New Hampshire primary. The primary is one of the most important events of the presidential election process. By Tim C. Devine

Both elections were called at 8:00 p.m., as soon as all of the polls had officially closed. The only tension that remained at the Institute of Politics was over the second and third place finishers in the Republican race and the final margins of victory in both the Democratic and Republican races.

Richard L. Berke, moderator of the IOP watch party and writer for the Boston Globe's Stat News, was surprised at how quickly the elections were called, saying it is “really unusual for the election to be called this early.”

“I’m used to tough, long primary nights and this was seamless and easy,” he said. “It’s almost anticlimactic.”

During the event, several political experts—including David M. Axelrod, chief strategist for Barack H. Obama’s presidential campaigns, James Pindell, political reporter for the Boston Globe, and Ana Navarro, former IOP fellow and CNN political analyst—called into the IOP to offer commentary. The IOP also hosted their own version of the primary, where attendees could drop a candy into a candidate’s jar to “vote.”

Members of Harvard Students for Bernie, including its president, He Li ’16, were excited about the election results.

Students react to the results of the New Hampshire primary at a watch party at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum on Tuesday night. The primary plays an essential role in the presidential election process. By Tim C. Devine

“I think the reason that this victory is very meaningful is that in 2008 this is the state Hillary beat the polls and beat Obama,” he said. “It’s meaningful that Bernie could win despite that history, and it speaks to the strength of his ground game in the early states and the energy and enthusiasm that his supporters are feeling for him.”

A contingent of the Harvard College Democrats also expressed excitement over the results of the Democratic primary. Member Reed T. Shafer-Ray ’18 said he was “happy to see Sanders doing so well.”

The Harvard Republican Club, for the most part, was unsurprised by Trump’s victory, but some were paying close attention to the eventual runners-up.

Aaron I. Henricks ’16, the former president of the Harvard Republican Club, said he was “just looking forward to people dropping out” so that the party could “consolidate anti-Trump support.”

Gavin S. Sullivan ’17, another member of the Harvard Republican Club, said he was more concerned with John E. “Jeb” Bush’s strong showing than with Trump’s victory.

“I’m excited to see Jeb do so well in New Hampshire, and I hope to see Kasich supporters move to his team as the election moves on,” he said.

—Staff writer Nathaniel J. Hiatt can be reached at nathaniel.hiatt@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @nathaniel_hiatt.