Clinton revives
candidacy with win over Obama; McCain defeats Romney

Hillary Rodham Clinton stunned Barack Obama in New Hampshire's Democratic primary, defying polls and pundits to resurrect her bid for the White House.

John McCain won the Republican race, completing a remarkable comeback and climbing back into contention for the U.S. presidential nomination.

Clinton's victory Tuesday capped a comeback of her own from last week's third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses and raised the possibility of a long battle for the party nomination between Obama, the most viable black candidate in U.S. history, and Clinton, seeking to become the first woman to win the U.S. presidency.

''I felt like we all spoke from our hearts, and I am so gratified that you responded,'' Hillary 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.''

After Iowa, Clinton and her aides seemed resigned to a second consecutive setback. Polling place interviews showed, however, that wpmen voters, who deserted Clinton last week, were solidly in her New Hampshire column. The state had a record turnout for a primary election.

Word of Clinton's triumph set off a raucous celebration among supporters gathered at a hotel in Nashua to celebrate. The victory was every bit as surprising as the strong, second-place finish by her husband, Bill Clinton, in New Hampshire 16 years ago that allowed him to proclaim himself ''the comeback kid.''

The New Hampshire primary is the first on the political calendar, and a strong showing in the northeastern state has the power to propel candidates into the rush of primaries that follow.

Clinton had 39% of the vote in the Democratic primary to 36% for Obama, the first-term senator who won the Iowa caucuses. John Edwards, the 2004 vice presidential candidate, trailed with 17%. Edwards, who finished second in Iowa, said he would continue his campaign.

McCain's victory scrambled the Republican race as well. He rode a wave of support from independent voters to defeat Mitt Romney, former governor of the neighboring state of Massachusetts. The victory reprised McCain's victory in the 2000 New Hampshire primary over George W. Bush.

''We showed this country what a real comeback looks like,'' the U.S. senator from Arizona told the Associated Press.

McCain, a 71-year-old senator and former prisoner of war in Vietnam, was the long-ago front-runner. But his campaign fell apart last year when his fund-raising dried up and his support collapsed. He shed much of his staff and regrouped. An unflinching supporter of the Iraq war, he benefited when U.S. casualties declined in the wake of a controversial buildup of U.S. troops.

The primary was a bitter blow for Romney, who spent millions of dollars of his own money in hopes of winning the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary -- and finished second in both. Even so, he said he would stay in the race.

McCain was winning 37% of the Republican vote, Romney had 32%. Mike Huckabee, the Baptist preacher-turned-politician who won the Iowa caucuses, finished third in New Hampshire with 11%. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, who campaigned little in New Hampshire, had 9%.

Huckabee, Giuliani, and McCain have been leaders in rapidly changing national polls.

Clinton had long been the Democratic front-runner and, until recently, was regarded as the inevitable Democratic nominee. Still her triumph in New Hampshire was unexpected.

Obama, the son of a Kenyan man, drew huge crowds as he swept into New Hampshire after winning Iowa. Confident of victory, he stuck to his pledge to deliver ''change we can believe in,'' while Clinton was forced to retool 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.

Clinton's performance came as a surprise even to her own inner circle. In the hours leading up to the poll closing, her closest advisers had appeared to be bracing for a second defeat at the hands of Obama.

Officials said her aides were considering whether in effect to concede the next two contests -- caucuses in Nevada on January 19 and a South Carolina primary a week later -- and instead try to regroup in time for a 22-state round of Democratic contests on February 5.

Obama expects the endorsement of a major union in Nevada. 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 a leader in national polls, was expected to campaign in the state as well.

In New Hampshire, about 453,000 residents 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.

According to preliminary results of a survey of voters as they left their polling places, more independents cast ballots in the Democratic race than in the Republican contest. They accounted for four of every 10 Democratic votes and about a third of Republican ballots. The survey was conducted for the Associated Press and the television networks.

Republicans were split roughly evenly in naming the nation's top issues: the economy, Iraq, illegal immigration, and terrorism. Romney had a big lead among those naming immigration, while McCain led on the other issues.

Among Democrats, about one third each named the economy and Iraq as the top issues facing the country, followed by health care. Voters naming the economy were split about evenly between Obama and Clinton, while Obama had an advantage among those naming the other two issues. Clinton has made health care a signature issue for years. (AP)