Clinton, McCain win in Granite State

Nashua, N.H. – In an unexpected comeback from her third-place finish in the Iowa Caucuses, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) defeated Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) last night in New Hampshire's Democratic primary, breathing new life into her campaign. With more than 95 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton had captured 39 percent of votes to Obama's 36 percent. In all, more than 100,000 voted for Clinton, compared to about 95,000 for Obama.

Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) campaign was also revived last night with a victory in his party's primary. He won 37 percent of Republican votes in the state, compared to 32 percent that went for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who garnered 80,000 votes.

"We came back tonight because you spoke loudly and clearly," Clinton told an ecstatic crowd at her victory celebration in Manchester. "I want to thank the young people across New Hampshire who came out. They asked the hard questions, and they voted their hearts and their minds."

Clinton's victory in the first-in-the-nation primary marked an impressive comeback following her disappointing third-place finish in the Iowa Caucuses on Jan. 3. The race for the Democratic nomination is now a tight two-way contest between the former first lady and the freshman Illinois senator.

"I am still fired up and ready to go," Obama declared to his supporters gathered in Nashua, repeating the line that has become standard at his campaign events.

McCain's victory on the Republican side left the future of the GOP race uncertain, as well. "I'm past the age where I can use the word 'kid,' " the 71-year-old McCain told supporters, referencing the phrase "comeback kid" made popular by Bill Clinton in 1992. "But tonight, we sure showed them what a real comeback looks like. We have taken a step, but only a first step, toward repairing the broken politics of the past and restoring the trust of the American people in their government."

Romney's second-place finish marked the first time a current or former Massachusetts governor or senator did not win the primary in the neighboring Granite State. The evening set up a rematch between McCain and Romney in the Michigan primary just one week away.

"There have been three races so far, and I've gotten two silvers and one gold," Romney said, referring to his victory in the Wyoming Caucuses on Saturday night. "On to Michigan and South Carolina and Florida and Nevada. I'll fight to be back here in November and in those states and others."

On a day with unusually warm temperatures, New Hampshire voters went to their polling places in record numbers. New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner predicted last week that voters could cast more than 500,000 ballots, shattering the previous record of 396,000 ballots cast in 2000.

Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) finished a distant third at 17 percent. On the Republican side, former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.), the victor in the Iowa Caucuses last Thursday, finished third with 11 percent.

McCain volunteers from Princeton described themselves as ecstatic at their candidate's triumph.

"It's just incredible," Bryan Gergen '08 said from McCain's headquarters. "For the race to be called that early was just great." Gergen said campaign officials expected a close race, and volunteers logged more than 35,000 phone calls yesterday alone.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Chris Nenno '08 said he and Gergen played a part in the McCain victory. "It's very satisfying to know that Bryan and I did contribute to it," he said. "It really did pay off."

Volunteers for Hillary Clinton's campaign were equally excited after her unexpected win. Julia Kaplan '11 said she felt "elated" celebrating Clinton's win in the overflow room at the New York senator's victory party. Princeton students canvassed for Clinton's campaign from 5 a.m. until the polls closed at 8 p.m., Kaplan said. "All of our hard work paid off," she added. "I have to admit I'm a bit surprised. There's still a long way to go."

Shocked supporters of Barack Obama couldn't believe the numbers coming in to news agencies. "There was a lot of disbelief when the results started coming out," Melody Chan GS said. "Now we're all talking about what we can do to help in South Carolina, what we can do to help in New Jersey. Everyone is looking forward."