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01-08-2008, 09:38 AM
By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent
MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (Reuters) - Voters in New Hampshire choose candidates for president on Tuesday, with Hillary Clinton at risk of seeing her once high-flying Democratic campaign buried under rival Barack Obama's surge.
http://www.vtc.vn/newsimage/original/vtc_162915_a.jpg
Five days after finishing a disappointing third in Iowa, the former first lady trails Obama by double digits in many New Hampshire polls and had to reassure supporters on Monday that she was staying in the race.
For Obama, a senator from Illinois bidding to be the first black U.S. president, a win in New Hampshire would solidify his hold on the top spot in the Democratic nominating campaign and deal a second consecutive humiliating loss to Clinton, the former front-runner.
In a hard-fought Republican battle, Sen. John McCain of Arizona holds a narrow lead over Mitt Romney, the former governor of neighboring Massachusetts who poured tens of millions of his personal wealth into the race.
Clinton, a senator from New York, and Romney are both under heavy pressure to revive their campaigns after disappointing showings in Iowa. Until recently Romney led polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, but he finished second in Iowa to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
New Hampshire's primary is the next battleground in the state-by-state process of choosing Republican and Democratic candidates for November's election to replace President George W. Bush.
Polls close in New Hampshire at 8 p.m. EST on Tuesday, with results expected to begin rolling in quickly.
State election officials have predicted a record turnout in New Hampshire during the most wide open presidential race in more than 50 years, with no sitting president or vice president seeking the nominations.
The tiny mountain hamlet of Dixville Notch opened the state's voting shortly after midnight, as it has for every election since 1960, in a balloting display more media circus than civic event.
OBAMA WINS DIXVILLE NOTCH
With a room full of cameras recording their every move, the town's handful of residents cast votes. Obama won 7 of the 10 Democratic ballots, with former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards getting two and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson getting one.
McCain won four of the seven Republican votes, with Romney winning two and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani getting one.
In the final hours on Monday, the candidates focused on driving home their message and firing up supporters to turn out. Clinton closed the day with a final rally in Manchester with her husband, former President Bill Clinton.
Earlier, she became emotional at a stop in Portsmouth, her eyes welling up with tears and voice choking as she discussed why she was seeking the presidency. But she still managed to take a shot at Obama.
"Some of us put ourselves out there and do this," she said, her voice breaking and her eyes glistening with tears, "against some pretty difficult odds and we do it, each one of us, because we care about our country."
"But some of us are right and some of us are wrong," she said in a quaking voice. "Some of us are ready and some of us are not."
She told CBS she would stay in the race at least until "Super Tuesday" on February 5, when 22 states hold nominating contests.
At a rally in Salem, she sounded frustrated by the success of Obama, a freshman senator, with his call for change in Washington.
"I'm running for president because I believe that there is not a contradiction between experience and change. I don't know since when experience became some kind of liability in running for the highest office in our land, but that's up to the voters to decide," she said.
At a rally of about 400 people in Bedford, Romney also took a shot at Obama's campaign theme.
"Barack, name something you have changed. Name a business you have changed ... name something in Washington you have changed," he said. "You think we ought to change but you've never done it."
(Additional reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst and Jason Szep; Editing by Philip Barbara)
Source: Reuters
MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (Reuters) - Voters in New Hampshire choose candidates for president on Tuesday, with Hillary Clinton at risk of seeing her once high-flying Democratic campaign buried under rival Barack Obama's surge.
http://www.vtc.vn/newsimage/original/vtc_162915_a.jpg
Five days after finishing a disappointing third in Iowa, the former first lady trails Obama by double digits in many New Hampshire polls and had to reassure supporters on Monday that she was staying in the race.
For Obama, a senator from Illinois bidding to be the first black U.S. president, a win in New Hampshire would solidify his hold on the top spot in the Democratic nominating campaign and deal a second consecutive humiliating loss to Clinton, the former front-runner.
In a hard-fought Republican battle, Sen. John McCain of Arizona holds a narrow lead over Mitt Romney, the former governor of neighboring Massachusetts who poured tens of millions of his personal wealth into the race.
Clinton, a senator from New York, and Romney are both under heavy pressure to revive their campaigns after disappointing showings in Iowa. Until recently Romney led polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, but he finished second in Iowa to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
New Hampshire's primary is the next battleground in the state-by-state process of choosing Republican and Democratic candidates for November's election to replace President George W. Bush.
Polls close in New Hampshire at 8 p.m. EST on Tuesday, with results expected to begin rolling in quickly.
State election officials have predicted a record turnout in New Hampshire during the most wide open presidential race in more than 50 years, with no sitting president or vice president seeking the nominations.
The tiny mountain hamlet of Dixville Notch opened the state's voting shortly after midnight, as it has for every election since 1960, in a balloting display more media circus than civic event.
OBAMA WINS DIXVILLE NOTCH
With a room full of cameras recording their every move, the town's handful of residents cast votes. Obama won 7 of the 10 Democratic ballots, with former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards getting two and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson getting one.
McCain won four of the seven Republican votes, with Romney winning two and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani getting one.
In the final hours on Monday, the candidates focused on driving home their message and firing up supporters to turn out. Clinton closed the day with a final rally in Manchester with her husband, former President Bill Clinton.
Earlier, she became emotional at a stop in Portsmouth, her eyes welling up with tears and voice choking as she discussed why she was seeking the presidency. But she still managed to take a shot at Obama.
"Some of us put ourselves out there and do this," she said, her voice breaking and her eyes glistening with tears, "against some pretty difficult odds and we do it, each one of us, because we care about our country."
"But some of us are right and some of us are wrong," she said in a quaking voice. "Some of us are ready and some of us are not."
She told CBS she would stay in the race at least until "Super Tuesday" on February 5, when 22 states hold nominating contests.
At a rally in Salem, she sounded frustrated by the success of Obama, a freshman senator, with his call for change in Washington.
"I'm running for president because I believe that there is not a contradiction between experience and change. I don't know since when experience became some kind of liability in running for the highest office in our land, but that's up to the voters to decide," she said.
At a rally of about 400 people in Bedford, Romney also took a shot at Obama's campaign theme.
"Barack, name something you have changed. Name a business you have changed ... name something in Washington you have changed," he said. "You think we ought to change but you've never done it."
(Additional reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst and Jason Szep; Editing by Philip Barbara)
Source: Reuters