CONCORD N.H. (Jan. 8) —Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York staged a comeback in New Hampshire by defeating Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in a tight race Tuesday night.
“I felt like we all spoke from our hearts and I am so gratified that you responded. Now together, let’s give America the kind of comeback that New Hampshire has given me,” Clinton told a raucously cheering crowd of supporters shortly after Obama conceded defeat at about 11 p.m.
“We are in it for the long run. And that is because we are in it for the American people,” Clinton told her crowd of tearful, smiling and jubilant fans. “It’s time we have a president who stands up for all of you. I intend to be that president. I believe deeply in America.”
In the Democratic primary, with 66 percent of the vote counted, Clinton finished with 39 percent of the vote. Obama finished with 37 percent of the vote. Former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., placed a distant third in the primary with 17 percent of the vote. Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., placed an even more distant fourth place with 5 percent. Richardson is expected to return to New Mexico to reconsider his presidential campaign.
Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, finished last in the Democrats with 2 percent of the vote.
In the Republican race, the other New York candidate, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani finished fourth. With 65 percent of the precincts reporting, Giuliani had received 9 percent of the vote. He narrowly defeated Republican Sen. Ron Paul of Texas who had 8 percent.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., won the Republican primary early over Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass. With 63 percent of the votes tallied, McCain had 37 percent to Romney’s 31 percent. Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee placed a distant third with 11 percent.
At the polls on Tuesday, interviews with voters gave hints about the outcome for Clinton and Giuliani.
At the University of New Hampshire, Joey Smith, a first-time voter who registered as a Democrat voted, for Clinton. “I thought that Hillary was much stronger over the others, and I felt that she was more honest with her opinions and didn’t try to avoid any situation that might have been too difficult,” said Smith.
Barry Albert, a school principle, liked Clinton’s stance on education and her experience. “Obama’s a close second, but I like Hillary. She’s got the experience and I think she can pull us through,” said Albert. “We have to give Obama another few years.”
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