UPDATE 2-Polls begin to close in New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary

New Hampshire polls began closing on Tuesday in the second Democratic presidential nominating contest, as U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, fight to top a crowded field of contenders after strong performances last week in Iowa. The Democrats seeking the right to challenge Republican President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election have raced through the small New England state for a week, making their case for why they would be the best choice to beat Trump.

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar is looking for a breakthrough after jumping to third place in opinion polls in New Hampshire after a strong debate performance on Friday. Former Vice President Joe Biden was hoping to avoid another disappointment after a fourth-place showing in Iowa, but left New Hampshire before the results were even announced.

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who finished third in Iowa, has lagged in recent opinion polls in New Hampshire after leading in the state three months ago. Democrats in New Hampshire were confident they would have smoother sailing than in Iowa, where embarrassing technical problems delayed vote-counting and the release of results for days. Buttigieg narrowly beat Sanders in Iowa, but both campaigns have asked for a partial recanvass of the results.

Voters in New Hampshire will choose a candidate from a ballot with 33 names, including candidates who dropped out weeks ago. But it will not include former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire who is not competing in any states before the 14 Super Tuesday primaries on March 3. Sanders has taken a lead in recent opinion polls in New Hampshire despite a barrage of criticism from rivals who warned the progressive senator's far-left views would lead the party to defeat against Trump.

Buttigieg also has gotten a bump in polls after his narrow disputed win in Iowa. Supporters of Buttigieg greeted him at a Manchester polling place before dawn, waving blue and yellow "Pete 2020" campaign signs and chanting "President Pete." 'IT FEELS GOOD'

"It feels good out here," Buttigieg said, smiling as reporters asked how he thought he would fare. Sanders, 78, who represents neighboring Vermont in the Senate, won New Hampshire easily over rival Hillary Clinton with 60% of the vote in his unsuccessful bid for the party's nomination four years ago. The self-described democratic socialist drew a young crowd of more than 7,500 people on Monday night at the University of New Hampshire's campus at Durham.

"This turnout tells me why we're going to win here in New Hampshire, why we're going to win the Democratic nomination and why we are going to defeat the most dangerous president in the history of America, Donald Trump," Sanders said. Democrats in New Hampshire and in the other states that will vote in the state-by-state battle for the Democratic nomination are trying to decide whether they want to pick a moderate like Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Bloomberg, and Biden, or progressive leaders like Sanders and Warren, who represents neighboring Massachusetts.

After Iowa and New Hampshire, small and rural states with predominantly white populations, the race will move on to more diverse battlegrounds that pose new tests. Up next will be Feb. 22 caucuses in Nevada, which has a large Latino population, and the Feb. 29 primary in South Carolina, which has a large African-American population.

Biden, in particular, is banking on South Carolina, where he has enjoyed strong support among African-American voters. He served as vice president for eight years under Barack Obama, the first black U.S. president. Support for Biden, the former front-runner in the race, has tumbled nationally since his poor performance in Iowa. He has said he might suffer another weak finish in New Hampshire.

Klobuchar, who arrived at a polling location in Manchester on Tuesday morning, noted her gradual rise in the polls and said she was prepared to keep fighting. "I'm a different kind of candidate," Klobuchar told CNN, adding: "I have also been able to bring people with me." In Manchester, voter Sara Lutat said she cast her ballot for Buttigieg.

"I think he's the one who can beat Trump," she said. Fellow Manchester voter Rebecca Balzano called Buttigieg "too new, too young" and said she voted for Sanders.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)