Obama, McCain poised for victories in New Hampshire (Roundup)

Jan 8, 2008, 18:40 GMT

Illinois Senator and Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama during a campaign rally at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA, 08 January 2008. Voter polls show Senator Obama with a strong lead over his fellow candidate, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, as New Hampshire voters go to the polls today for first in the nation primary. EPA/CJ GUNTHER

Washington - New Hampshire voters headed to the poll booths on Tuesday to cast ballots in the state's primary and were expected to hand victories to Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain in their parties' contests for the presidential nomination.

Media surveys showed Obama, 46, and McCain, 71, were well ahead of the other candidates in the state viewed as crucial for gaining momentum in the state-by-state nomination process, and that former frontrunner Hillary Clinton was facing a second disappointing defeat.

Obama got off to a strong start, nabbing seven of the 17 votes cast in the tiny northern town of Dixville Notch shortly after midnight. The community has a long standing tradition of voting early, and political analysts closely watch the outcome as an indicator of what the rest of New Hampshire may decide.

Obama, an Illinois senator seeking to become the first African American in the White House, took seven of the 10 Democratic votes, leaving his chief rival Clinton, 60, empty-handed. Former senator John Edwards, 54, received two votes, and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, 60, received one vote.

On the Republican side, McCain, 71, a senator from Arizona, took four votes, leaving two for former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, and one vote for former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani. Romney, 60, and Giuliani, 63, have been seen as co-frontrunners in national polls.

The slate of candidates rushed to begin campaigning in New Hampshire after the Iowa caucuses on Thursday. Obama prevailed in that voting on the Democratic side, while former Arkansas governor and Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee, 52, took the Republican contest.

Clinton finished in third place in Iowa behind Edwards, and a defeat in New Hampshire will leave the former first lady scrambling to salvage a campaign that only weeks ago appeared to be cruising to the Democratic nomination.

Polls opened at 7 am in New Hampshire and many of the candidates were banking on winning the support of the state's large bloc of independent voters. Under New Hampshire rules, residents unaffiliated with a party can choose between a Republican or Democratic ballot when they show up to vote.

Only days ago, New Hampshire appeared to be in Clinton's corner. Polls showed her with a double digit lead. But Obama capitalized on his momentum after Iowa and quickly overtook Clinton in the polls.

Candidates had only five days after the opening Iowa caucuses to reshape their strategies and launch a massive final campaign blitz in New Hampshire as they seek to represent their parties in November 4 general elections.

Clinton grew emotional during last minute exhaustive campaigning on Monday, in response to a question about how she kept up the gruelling pace on the campaign trail.

'Some people think elections are a game. They think it's like who's up or who's down,' she said, speaking softly as her voice began to crack. 'It's about our country, it's about our kids' futures, and it's really about all of us together.'

McCain, who had a weak showing in Iowa, could fare well among independent voters. The Arizona senator who was a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War has strongly backed the US mission in Iraq, and called for sending more troops to the country well before President George W Bush announced the troops surge a year ago.

McCain defeated Bush in the 2000 presidential primary in New Hampshire but was unable to sustain the momentum in other states.

The next major votes in the series state contests to choose the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates are in South Carolina on January 26 and Florida on January 29. Nearly two dozen states, including heavyweights California and New York, hold primaries on February 5. Known as 'Mega Tuesday,' the voting will likely determine the outcome of the nomination campaigns.