Good Morning America's Cecilia Vega had a brutal assessment Wednesday of Hillary Clinton's blowout loss to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) in the New Hampshire primary, calling it "embarrassing" and reporting the Clinton team didn't expect it would "be this bad."
Vega said the Clinton campaign was doing "serious soul-searching" after the bruising defeat.
"Bernie Sanders is certainly celebrating this morning, while Hillary Clinton is waking up to that embarrassing upset," Vega said. "Her team knew that she would lose here. They were hoping it would not be this bad."
Sanders, a self-proclaimed Democratic socialist, romped to a win by more than 20 points, cheerfully announcing a "yuge" turnout during his victory speech in his oft-imitated Brooklyn accent.
Clinton conceded quickly Tuesday night, congratulating Sanders and announcing a laundry list of progressive causes she would fight for going forward. Vega reported Clinton's team had told her the campaign would shift its focus toward Nevada and South Carolina and hope to exploit its advantage with minorities.
ABC anchor Robin Roberts asked Vega about rumors of a Clinton campaign shake-up after the loss, which were rampant even before the returns came in Tuesday.
"For now, Robin, there is adamant denial inside the Clinton team. They say that is not going to happen," Vega said. "Certainly this morning, there is some serious soul-searching happening inside Team Clinton. They know they've got to get this base in South Carolina and Nevada active and supporting her if they want this nomination to happen. They've got to do something differently."