4 parties and a funeral: A day on the trail with Sanders and Biden

Politico

A close-up view of why Bernie is on the brink of victory in New Hampshire — and Biden has all but conceded defeat.

By MARC CAPUTO, CHARLIE MAHTESIAN and HOLLY OTTERBEIN

02/10/2020 11:38 AM EST

HAMPTON, N.H. — The former Democratic front-runner, Joe Biden, gave two public speeches Sunday, and at both events he told the moving story of a supporter, Gene, who’s dying of Stage 4 prostate cancer. He also spoke lovingly about his son, Beau, who died of brain cancer, and gave a hint of the pain surrounding the deaths of his wife and daughter in a 1972 car crash.

At one point, before a hushed crowd that consisted largely of older voters, the former vice president nearly cried into the microphone recalling his son’s diagnosis.

The current front-runner, Bernie Sanders, had a very different day.

He held twice as many events, before energized crowds of mostly younger voters. At an evening rally at Keene State College, nearly 2,000 people attended, with lines snaking around the campus. Students danced as they awaited the event speakers. Even prior to Sanders’ appearance, his supporters stamped their feet so hard it thundered throughout the gym.

The split screen offered a revealing look at the on-the-ground dynamics that have brought Biden to the brink of defeat here in New Hampshire — where he has practically conceded he won’t win — and Sanders to the brink of victory.

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