Clinton Defies Polls and Wins in New Hampsire

MANCHESTER, N.H. — New York Sen. Hillary Clinton scored a narrow but stunning victory over Illinois Sen. Barack Obama in Tuesday's first-in-the-nation primary, donning the "comeback" mantle that New Hampshire bestowed on her husband in his successful bid for the White House in 1992.

"I come tonight with a very, very full heart, and I want especially to thank New Hampshire," she said at a victory celebration. "Over the last week, I listened to you and in the process I found my own voice."

And in a scene reminiscent of Bill Clinton's "comeback kid" finish in the 1992 primary, she added: "I felt like we all spoke from our hearts and I'm gratified that you responded. Now together let's give America the kind of comeback that New Hampshire has just given me."

Clinton's dramatic victory reshuffles a Democratic contest that Obama, with his promises to restore hope and change American politics, had threatened to take complete control of after his Iowa caucus victory just five days earlier.

Her win stunned the Obama camp, which expected his post-Iowa momentum to carry him to victory here en route to favorable political ground in South Carolina before the big national showdown in 22 states Feb. 5.

With 91 percent of precincts reporting amid record Democratic turnout, Clinton had 39 percent of the vote and Obama had 37 percent.

"This was a clear victory for work over rhetoric," said Kathleen Strand, a spokeswoman for the Clinton campaign. Asked whether the victory resets the campaign ahead, Strand said, "We've been a national campaign since day one."

Obama congratulated Clinton, but insisted, "I'm still fired up and ready to go." He said "we always knew that our climb would be steep." But he continued to insist that "there's something happening in America" that heralds a profound change in American politics.

Clinton's show of strength over Obama was surprising because in the polls leading up to the voting Tuesday, she trailed Obama by as many as 13 percentage points.

The early returns showing Clinton leading Obama appeared to surprise even Clinton's closest advisers, who reportedly have plans to retool the campaign for the weeks ahead.

Obama, the 46-year-old freshman senator from Illinois, appeared to surge ahead of Clinton in the five days since his commanding victory in the Iowa caucus last week.

The final survey by pollster John Zogby before the New Hampshire polls closed Tuesday showed Obama leading 42-29 percent over Clinton. In the days before the Iowa caucus, however, Clinton led Obama, 31-30 percent.

Even before she pulled ahead of Obama in the balloting, she vowed to stay in the race, win or lose.

Likewise, former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, who polled only 17 percent to finish a distant third in Tuesday's primary, said he would continue battling for nominating delegates until the national convention is held next summer.

"Two races down, 48 states left to go," Edwards told his supporters after offering congratulations to Clinton and Obama. "Up until now about half of one percent of Americans have voted. Ninety-nine percent plus have not voted, and those 99 percent deserve to have their voices heard because we have had too much in America of people's voices not being heard."

Throughout the campaign here, Obama drew huge enthusiastic crowds and favorable media coverage, even as Clinton aimed biting criticism at him, specifically, his lack of experience in Washington, just four years removed from the Illinois state Senate.

Even former President Clinton, on the eve of the primary, was unusually harsh in criticizing the media for favorable coverage of Obama and accusing Obama of shifting his position on full funding for the Iraq war to reflect changing public attitudes on the war.

"It is wrong that Senator Obama got to go through 15 debates trumpeting his superior judgment and how he had been against the war in every year, enumerating the years, and never got asked once time, not once, "Well, how could you say that when you said in 2004 you didn't know how you would have voted on the resolution? You said in 2004 there was no difference between you and George Bush on the war," Clinton said at a campaign stop Monday.

"And you took that speech you're now running on off your Web site in 2004. And there's no difference in your voting record and Hillary's ever since," he added. "Give me a break. This whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen."

Asked if he expected more criticism from the Clintons, 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."

For Edwards, the stakes in New Hampshire were especially high after having finished a distant second to Obama in Iowa. Edwards lacks the financial resources and organization of Obama in the upcoming primaries and caucuses.

More than 500,000 voters, nearly half of New Hampshire's total population, were expected to cast their ballots, essentially sending their recommendation to the rest of the country on who should be the next president.

In some precincts, more than 87 percent of registered voters showed up at the polls, a remarkable turnout, even for New Hampshire, which takes pride in its role as the first state to hold a presidential primary.