Clinton, McCain Win In New Hampshire

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won New Hampshire's Democratic primary Tuesday night in a startling upset, defeating Sen. Barack Obama and resurrecting her bid for the White House. Sen. John McCain powered past his Republican rivals and back into contention for the GOP nomination.

"I felt like we all spoke from our hearts and I am so gratified that you responded," Clinton said in victory remarks before cheering supporters. "Now together, let's give America the kind of comeback that New Hampshire has just given me." (

Her victory capped a revival from last week's third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses. It also raised the possibility of a long battle for the party nomination between the most viable black candidate in history and the former first lady, who is seeking to become the first woman to occupy the Oval Office. (Read CBSNews.com's analysis of the Democratic race.)

"I am still fired up and ready to go," a defeated Obama told his own backers, repeating the line that forms a part of virtually every campaign appearance he makes. (

"We showed this country what a real comeback looks like," the Arizona senator told The Associated Press in an interview as he savored his triumph. "We're going to move on to Michigan and South Carolina and win the nomination."

Later, he told cheering supporters that together, "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." (

CBS News exit polls show Clinton pulled together a traditional coalition of Democratic voters for this victory - labor households, voters with low incomes and less education, and, of course, women. (Read more about why Clinton won)

McCain won New Hampshire by a late surge in support, according to a CBS News exit poll. A majority of his support came from voters who decided whom to support in the past week. (Read more about why McCain won.)

McCain rode a wave of support from independent voters to defeat former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, a showing that reprised his victory in the traditional first-in-the-nation primary in 2000.

"McCain needed this primary victory and got it, enabling him to take his campaign forward into contests in Michigan and, more importantly, South Carolina," CBSNews.com senior political editor Vaughn Ververs said. "It sets him up for a tough battle with Mike Huckabee in the south, with Mitt Romney hanging on for dear life." (Read Ververs' analysis of the GOP race)

It was a bitter blow for Romney, who spent millions of dollars of his own money in hopes of winning the kickoff Iowa caucuses and the first primary - and finished second in both. Even so, the businessman-turned politician said he would meet McCain next week in the Michigan primary, and he cast himself as just what the country needed to fix Washington.

"I don't care who gets the credit, Republican or Democrat. I've got no scores to settle," he told supporters. (

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won the leadoff Iowa GOP caucuses last week, was running third in New Hampshire. (

With votes counted from almost all of the state's precincts, McCain was winning 37 percent of the vote, Romney had 32 and Huckabee 11. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani had 9 percent, Texas Rep. Ron Paul 8.

After Iowa, Clinton and her aides seemed resigned to a second straight setback. But polling place interviews showed that female voters - who deserted her last week - returned to her column in New Hampshire.

She also was winning handily among registered Democrats. Obama led her by an even larger margin among independents, but he suffered from a falloff in turnout among young voters compared with Iowa.

Word of Clinton's triumph set off a raucous celebration among supporters at a hotel in Nashua - gathered there to celebrate a first-in-the-nation primary every bit as surprising as the one 16 years ago that allowed a young Bill Clinton to proclaim himself "the comeback kid."

Clinton was winning 39 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary to 36 percent for Obama, With almost all precincts reporting. Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina trailed with 17 percent. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was fourth, polling less than 5 percent of the vote.

"The Clinton campaign said they had built a fire wall in New Hampshire and it came through a blazing Obama inferno still standing," Ververs said. "She accomplished a somewhat stunning comeback and the two major Democratic candidates have now fought to a draw through the first two contests with several more to come before the crucial February 5th races that could well decide the nomination."

Despite running a distant third to his better-funded rivals, Edwards had no plans to step aside. He pointed toward the South Carolina primary on Jan. 26, hoping to prevail in the state where he was born - and where he claimed his only victory in the presidential primaries four years ago. (

Obama, who won the leadoff Iowa caucuses last week, looked for an endorsement from the powerful Culinary Workers union in Nevada in the days ahead. South Carolina's Democratic electorate is heavily black and likely to go for the most viable black presidential candidate in history.

The Republican race turns next to Michigan, where McCain and Romney already are advertising on television, and where both men planned appearances on Wednesday. Huckabee also was expected to campaign in the state.

By tradition, the first primary held the power to propel winners into the rush of primaries that follow - and to send the also-rans home for good.

And by registration, New Hampshire's balance of power rested with its independent voters, more than 40 percent of the electorate, neither reliably Democratic nor Republican, with the power to settle either race, or both.

McCain, an Arizona senator, in particular, appealed for their support in the run-up to the primary. He battled Romney, the former governor of next-door Massachusetts, and to a lesser extent Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor who won last week's Iowa caucuses.

Obama drew huge crowds as he swept into New Hampshire after winning Iowa, and as the front-runner drew plenty of criticism from Clinton and her husband. Asked if he expected more, Obama said, "Oh, I don't think it will be just in the next few days. I think it'll be, you know, until I'm the nominee or until I quit." He said he understood their frustration.

Clinton, for her part, retooled her appeal to voters on the run. She lessened her emphasis on experience, and sought instead to raise questions about Obama's ability to bring about the change he promised.

Voters excited about competitive races in both parties set a record for turnout in New Hampshire's primary Tuesday.

With ballots from 12 percent of voting precincts still to be counted, about 453,000 residents had cast votes, breaking the previous primary turnout record of 396,385 ballots cast in 2000.

State officials predicted that when all ballots were counted, the total would surpass 500,000.

"Turnout is high, very high," Secretary of State William Gardner said earlier Tuesday as the polls were closing.

Gardner said he hadn't seen complete vote tallies, but noted that 2,300 people had voted by 2 p.m. in Bow. The town's previous record at that hour was 1,600 votes.

He also predicted a record for voters registering at the polls, which has been allowed in New Hampshire for the last three primaries.