Sanders: 'Tonight We Served Notice to the Political and Economic Establishment'

Update (9:54 PM):A 'Huuuge' victory in New Hampshire, fueled by record-breaking and enthusiastic turnout, is just a taste of things to come, says Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders took the stage in New Hampshire on Tuesday night after claiming victory, by what appears to be a substantial margin, over Hillary Clinton.

"Together we have sent the message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California," Sanders told the crowd. "And that is: that the government of our great country belongs to all of the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their super PACs."

"Tonight, with what appears to be a record-breaking voter turnout--and I say 'HUUUGE' voter turnout--we won, because we harnessed the energy and the excitement that the Democratic Party will need to succeed in November." --Bernie Sanders"Nine months ago," he continued, "we began our campaign here in New Hampshire. We had no campaign organization. We had no money. And we were taking on the most powerful political organization in the United States of America. And tonight, with what appears to be a record-breaking voter turnout--and I say 'HUUUGE' voter turnout--we won, because we harnessed the energy and the excitement that the Democratic Party will need to succeed in November."

"What happened here in New Hampshire in terms of an enthusiastic and aroused electorate--people who came out in large numbers--that is what will happen all over this country!" he declared as the crowd roared in approval.

"Let us never forget," he went on, "Democrats and progressives win when voter turnout is high. Republicans win when people are demoralized and voter turnout is low. Tonight we served notice to the political and economic establishment of this country that the American people will not continue to accept a corrupt campaign finance system that is undermining American democracy. And we will not accept a rigged economy in which ordinary Americans work longer hours for lower wages while almost all the new income and wealth goes to the top one percent."

As of this writing, with nearly 35 percent of the vote in, Sanders was enjoying a 20-point lead, beating Clinton 59 percent to 38 percent in the Granite State.

Watch Sanders' victory speech in its entirety:

Earlier (8:55 PM EST):

Bernie Sanders was declared by major networks as the projected winner of the New Hampshire Democratic primary, just over an hour after polls closed in the Granite State on Tuesday evening.

NBC News, CNN and other outlets said enough information was available just after 8 pm EST to safely report that Sanders will secure the majority. It has been reported that Clinton had already called Sanders to concede and offer her congratulations.

Subsequently, an email signed by out in which Bernie Sanders told his supporters:

We just won the New Hampshire primary.

I am about to head downstairs to address an enthusiastic group of supporters and volunteers. But what I am about to tell you is important:

There are 14 primaries and caucuses over the next three weeks, and you can be certain that our victory tonight will prompt a desperate response from the nation's financial elite and the political establishment who want to stop our campaign to transform America.

Who knows what they're going to throw at us next. All I know is we must be ready to respond, organize, and win.

Nine months ago, if you told somebody that we would win the New Hampshire primary, they would not have believed you. Not at all. Too bold, they would have said. Not enough money to compete against the billionaires.

You showed them tonight.

And the campaign tweeted this message:

Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, responded to the projections by claiming victory for the ascendent progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

"Bernie Sanders is tapping into a rising economic populist tide that spans Democratic, Republican, and Independent voters," declared Taylor, "and his strong performance in New Hampshire reflects that."

Given the surging national popularity of Sanders, and citing the growing influence of Sen. Elizabeth Warren on the party in recent years, Taylor said that the "big message" from New Hampshire "is that the Warren wing of American politics" is on the rise. "The future of the Democratic Party," she said, "lies with the message of tackling inequality and pushing for bold systemic change."

A similar sentiment was shared by politics professor Harvey J. Kaye, who teaches at the University of Wisconsin Green Bay, who tweeted:

As NBCreports:

Clinton's defeat in the state, while widely expected, comes with a personal pang for a candidate whose presidential ambitions were revived in New Hampshire in 2008. That year, Clinton's surprise victory over then-Sen. Barack Obama earned her the label of "comeback kid" -- the same moniker used for her husband after his come-from-behind performance here in 1992.

Doing its best to immediately shift gears and reframe the loss as just a hiccup in a grand game, Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook blasted out a memo to supporters and donors that aimed to explain what her team would be doing next to counter the rise of Sanders. Titled "March Matters," the memo says that campaign is now looking beyond the first four contests of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina and argues the multi-state Super Tuesday on March 1st and later primaries are now the focus.

"The reason is simple," the memo states: "while important, the first four states represent just 4% of the delegates needed to secure the nomination; the 28 states that vote (or caucus) in March will award 56% of the delegates needed to win."

The race, as they say, is on.