McCain and Clinton victorious
Clinton resurrects White House bid as McCain wins for Republicans in New Hampshire.
John Edwards, a Democratic presidential hopeful and former North Carolina senator, fell behind Clinton and Obama into third place with 11 per cent
Comeback kids
New Hampshire’s voters refused to follow the lead of the Iowa primary, which last week gave Obama, 46, and Huckabee, 52, the first big wins of the US presidential race.
“I’m past the age when I can claim the noun ‘kid’ no matter what adjective precedes it. But tonight we sure showed them what a comeback looks like,” he said to his supporters who repeatedly chanted, “Mac is back!”
“Over the last week, I listened to you and in the process I found my own voice,” she told her supporters.
“Now together, let’s give America the kind of comeback that New Hampshire has just given me,” she said.
Obama, the Illinois senator bidding to be the first black president, had hoped for a second primary win that would solidify his hold on the top spot in the race.
Instead, with the final third of votes to be counted, Obama conceded defeat, but said to his supporters he was “still fired up and ready to go”.
“I want to congratulate Senator Clinton on a hard-fought victory here in New Hampshire. She did an outstanding job,” he said.
One-on-one race
Terry McAuliffe, Clinton’s adviser and former democratic national committee chairman, said: “This is a big, big win for us. It’s now a one-on-one race. It’s Hillary Clinton versus Barack Obama. We’ve got 25 more states to go.”
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Judith, Puygouzon, France |
Polls closed around the state on Tuesday after a day of frantic last-minute campaigning and heavy voter turnout, signalling that many independents had showed up to vote.
Republicans will contest their next primary in Michigan on Tuesday, where Romney faces a possible must-win and McCain and Huckabee will also contend.
Democrats vote next in Nevada on January 19 before their January 26 showdown in South Carolina.
Republican Rudy Giuliani, former New York mayor, has focused his efforts on the Florida primary, which votes on January 29, with hope that a strong showing there will propel him into the February 5 contests with momentum.