While Iowa’s caucus results are still up in the air, New Hampshire has locked in results from their primary which was held Friday, Feb. 14. 

Bernie Sanders won New Hampshire with 25.6 percent, according to CNN. Pete Buttigieg came in a close second with 24.3 percent and was followed by Amy Klobuchar with 19.7 percent, Elizabeth Warren with 9.2 percent and Joe Biden with 8.4 percent. 

These numbers could be devastating for Warren and Biden, especially as they were the front runners in early polls.

The rise in Sander’s support had left some democrats worried, according to The New York Times. People are worried he will ruin the economy or even cost democrats their seat in the House of Representatives. 

These concerns stem from the more extreme plans Sanders has in mind, like his plan for Medicare for all, free public colleges and the increase of taxes for corporations and the wealthy to pay for these plans, according to The New York Times.

While there are clearly plenty of people who love Sanders and his plans, there is still the question of whether or not he could get enough support to win in the end. There are a lot of other candidates for people to look at right now, so it is a matter of whether or not those people are willing to shift their view to Sanders if their top choice does not make it through. 

“[W]hile he is far and away the most popular candidate among Democrats under 50, he has the support of only about one-tenth of those 50 and over, according to the most recent Quinnipiac poll,” according to The New York Times.  

Since Sanders calls himself a democratic socialist and socialism is highly feared by more conservative folks, his rise in the polls could also be detrimental to Democrats running for House or Senate seats. 

“Donald Trump will paint every Democrat — whether they’re running for U.S. Senate or county sheriff — as a socialist, as a ‘Bernie Sanders socialist’ and that’s a tough deal in a lot of these districts,” Steve Israel, a former chairman of the party’s House campaign, told The Times.

These are things I never considered when I was thinking about which candidate I want to vote for. It is difficult to see these bigger picture realities when it seems as though all we are supposed to focus on is the role of president. However, the government is highly intertwined and putting a specific person in one role can easily affect who gets voted into other roles. 

This is a lot to think about and there is definitely a chance these concerns will not actually come into play. But I think it is important for us to be vigilant and pay attention to all aspects of the race, so stay alert out there Blugolds. 

Kuchta can be reached at [email protected].