Clinton and McCain Win in New Hampshire

While the projections of John McCain’s victory came early in the evening, the vote on the Democratic side was too close to call well into the night. It also appeared that voter turnout was large. Some polling places in New Hampshire ran out of ballots.

Photo: Clinton and McCain Win in New Hampshire

Eventually, in a finish unpredicted by recent pollsters, Hillary Clinton received 39 percent of the vote to Barak Obama’s 37 percent. John Edwards ended up with 17 percent.

Hillary managed to principally succeed with older women, getting 57 percent of their votes. Reports indicate that the youthful core largely supporting Obama failed to turn out in significant numbers. However, independents largely cast their ballots for Obama.

McCain won 39 percent of the Republican vote, Romney had 32 and Huckabee 11. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani had 9 percent, and Texas Representative Ron Paul 8.

Both winners seemed to do well after making the basest of appeals to voters during the campaign. "This is the President that looked into the soul of Putin," Mrs. Clinton said of Bush at a campaign rally. "I could have told him, he was a KGB agent, by definition he doesn't have a soul, I mean this is a waste of time, right, this is nonsense."

Mrs. Clinton's remarks were a barely revised version of an utterance frequently used by John McCain who has attacked Russia several times in campaign speeches. "I looked into Putin's eyes, and I saw three things, a 'K' a 'G' and a 'B,'" drawing sniggers from his audiences.

Clinton’s aides had considered conceding the next two contests, caucuses in Nevada on Jan. 19 and a South Carolina primary a week later, and instead try to regroup in time for a 22-state Super Tuesday of Democratic contests on Feb. 5 after polls showed a large lead for Obama in New Hampshire. The Republican race turns next to Michigan, where McCain and Romney are already running television ads, and where both men planned appearances this week. Huckabee also was expected to campaign in the state.

Lisa KARPOVA

PRAVDA.Ru

USA/CANADA