Clinton wins New Hampshire
Hillary Clinton pulls off a shock win in the New Hampshire presidential primary while John McCain wins the Republican race
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Wednesday, 09, Jan 2008 06:05
Hillary Clinton has pulled off a shock win in the New Hampshire presidential primary after Democrat rival Barack Obama conceded defeat.
The Republican race for the United States presidency had been resurrected earlier in the evening with Vietnam veteran John McCain reviving his faltering campaign with 37 per cent of the vote, with nearest rival Mitt Romney garnering 32 per cent, according to ABC.
In what is believed to have been a record turnout in the New England state, Illinois senator Mr Obama conceded victory to Ms Clinton after votes from 96 per cent of the precincts had been counted, indicating a 39 per cent to 36 per cent victory for Ms Clinton, according to the Associated Press news agency.
The former first lady's presidential campaign appears to now be back on track after a week in which the possibility of a defeat in New Hampshire had been viewed as disastrous for the New York senator.
Mr Obama had built up a 13 per cent lead in the opinion polls following his win in the Iowa caucus last Thursday and historical precedents pointed to the likelihood of a White House incumbency for the candidate who wins both Iowa and New Hampshire.
But after her emotional victory last night, Senator Clinton told the New Hampshire audience: "I come tonight with a very, very full heart.
"Over the last week I listened to you and in the process I found my own voice," she added. "I felt like we all spoke from our hearts and I am so gratified that you responded.
"In the future we will build together - there will be no more invisible Americans."
Mr Obama congratulated Ms Clinton on a "hard-fought" win but said he is still "fired up and ready to go".
Meanwhile the Republican battle for the party nomination is back on with Iowa winner Mike Huckabee only managing to pull in 11 per cent of the New Hampshire vote.
Celebrating his win, 71-year-old Mr McCain said: "I hate to use the word 'kid' - but I think we showed the people of this country what a real comeback looks like."
He added: "I'm committed to keeping this country safe, and we're going to move on to Michigan and South Carolina and win the nomination."
The Michigan primary takes place on Tuesday before the Nevada caucus occurs on January 19th.
The Republican party holds it primary in South Carolina on January 18th with the Democrat primary following on January 26th.