NASHUA, N.H. (Jan. 8) — John McCain blew away his competitors Tuesday night as he won the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary.
“Tonight we sure showed them what a comeback looks like,” McCain, a senator from Arizona, said.
In the Republican race, McCain received 37 percent of the vote, leaving Mitt Romney as the runner-up with 31 percent and Mike Huckabee lagging far behind in third place with 11 percent.
In the Democratic race, Hillary Clinton squeaked into the lead with 39 percent of the Democratic votes, while Barack Obama received 36 percent and John Edwards placed third with 17 percent.
An ecstatic room full of supporters cheered loudly “Mac is back!” while waving small American flags. The crowd continued shouting during McCain’s speech, sometimes overpowering the senator as he spoke.
The next stop presidential primary is Jan. 15 in Michigan. The candidates then move onto Nevada, South Carolina and Florida. February 5 is Super Tuesday with primaries and caucuses for 19 other states.
At the polls on Tuesday, voters enjoyed a break from the chilly weather, often stopping to talk with volunteers outside.
Outside of the polls, Bob Laney declared that he voted for John McCain. Laney recalled casting his first vote in 1940. He’s since voted in every single presidential primary and election, he said. In 1944, when he was stationed in the South Pacific during World War II, he voted through an absentee ballot, he said.
McCain’s military record and public image are two factors that earned Laney’s vote. “He’s an old Navy man and he lives the way I think a candidate should live his life,” Laney said.
Like Laney, many other voters cast ballots for McCain because of his public image, which seems to outweigh his stance on issues like the war in Iraq, immigration, healthcare and stopping global warming. “I like what he stands for. I think he’s done a good job,” said Cheryl White. “I voted for him last time and I continued to support him.”
Tom Grilli, a computer consultant, voted for John Edwards as part of a strategy to get a Democrat into the White House. Weighing the pros and cons of the Democratic candidates, Grilli said, he thought Edwards was the least controversial.
He doubted Hillary Clinton is popular enough to win in the general election in November. And, he said, he fears Republicans would harshly attack Barack Obama. Citing unfounded rumors linking Obama to terrorists because of his name, Grilli said, “All you need is five percent of the electoral college to think he’s a terrorist.”
Beth Croughan contributed to this story.
(Laura Van Wert is a newspaper major covering the New Hampshire presidential primary for the Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Mass.)
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