MANCHESTER, N.H. – Bernie Sanders soundly defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary in the state of New Hampshire. CNN called the race for Sanders at approximately 8 PM Eastern Time, based on extensive exit polls and early vote returns. With 4.7 percent of the precincts reporting, Sanders had 7,548 votes (53.3 percent) to Clinton’s 6,315 (44.6 percent). Sanders’ win was fueled by a massive turnout by independent voters and non-Democrats. 41 percent of Democrat voters were independents and only 55 percent were registered Democrats, according to CNN exit polling. The line was out the door at Sanders headquarters at Concord High School in Concord, New Hampshire prior to the announcement. Massive cheers went up through Sanders headquarters when the CNN announcement was made. .@BernieSanders supporters already pumped at their HQ for the night @ Concord High School, via @jdgib pic.twitter.com/85kQg3KZS6 — Trent Spiner (@TrentSpiner) February 10, 2016 Exit polling showed that one-third of New Hampshire Democrats voted income equality as their top issue. Forty percent of New Hampshire Democrats want the next president to be more liberal than Obama. A CNN poll released Monday showed Sanders leading Clinton 87 percent to 9 percent among 18-to-34 year old