Klobuchar gains ground in New Hampshire; Sanders holds lead in polls

KEENE/NASHUA, N.H. - A day before New Hampshire votes in its Democratic presidential primary, Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg sought on Monday to build on their strength as front-runners in an up-for-grabs race as an energized Senator Amy Klobuchar gained ground.

Buttigieg and Sanders, who emerged first and second in delegates in the debut nominating contest in Iowa last week, face eight rivals in Tuesday's vote. But Klobuchar pulled into third place in two opinion polls.

The man they are all seeking to take on in the November election, Republican President Donald Trump, will try to command the national spotlight with a campaign rally of his own on Monday night in Manchester, New Hampshire.

The large number of Democratic candidates and undecided voters makes the outcome of the New Hampshire contest unpredictable, said Ray Buckley, chairman of the state Democratic Party.

"This is anyone's race to win," Buckley told reporters on Tuesday. "That makes these final hours even more exciting."

One undecided voter, 65-year-old Stacy Sand, showed up to see US Senator Elizabeth Warren but remained torn between her and Klobuchar.

"I might just be deciding as I head into the polls," Sand said.

Here's a look at Monday's action on the campaign trail:

'DECISION TIME'

Sanders, 78, a progressive who represents neighboring Vermont in the US Senate, has long led in opinion polls in New Hampshire. But Buttigieg, a 38-year-old moderate and military veteran who served two terms as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has picked up ground since Iowa.

In Plymouth, Buttigieg tried to reach out to undecided voters, referring to "future former Republicans" who he said were more than welcome to back his campaign.

"It's decision time," Buttigieg said. He took a shot at Sanders, saying that the self-described democratic socialist would have a hard time pulling in moderate voters.

"Knowing how much depends on bringing Americans together, we cannot risk alienating Americans at this critical moment," he said. "And that's where I part ways with my friend Senator Sanders."

In a separate event, Sanders aimed his attacks at Trump.

"I know not everybody agrees with everything I say, but I think what we can agree about is that we cannot continue having a president who is a pathological liar," Sanders told a crowd at a sports club in Manchester.

The Sanders campaign on Monday formally requested the Iowa Democratic Party recount some of the state's results from its caucuses, citing 28 precincts where the campaign believes he was shorted delegates.