Polls closing in New Hampshire

Jan 11, 2012, 0:38 GMT

Manchester, New Hampshire - Polls began closing in the north-eastern state of New Hampshire Tuesday evening as voters in the first-in-the-nation primary had their say over which Republican candidate should face Barack Obama in November general elections.

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney was the clear favourite, but all the major candidates have been traveling the state in recent days to rally support.

Supporters of Romney had begun to fill a gymnasium and the cafeteria at Southern New Hampshire University, where the candidate hoped to later celebrate a victory.

Earlier in the day, there had been a steady stream of voters into polling stations, and many were enthusiastic about their role in picking the Republican nominee. According to broadcast reports, a record turnout was expected.

Each town sets its own polling hours and results were expected only after the final voting stations had closed after 8 pm (0100 GMT Wednesday). In New Hampshire, independent voters are allowed to cast ballots in the party primary, and they were expected to make up 50 per cent of the turnout, CNN reported.

Romney voters described him as best positioned to go up against Obama and pointed to his business experience and family life as positives.

Political analysts said the main race is for second place. Ron Paul has been in second in opinion surveys, and has strong appeal to the state's independent streak with his stances on free markets, smaller government and opposition to US foreign intervention.

Other players who could make a strong showing include Jon Huntsman, a former Utah governor and ambassador to China, who has staked his entire campaign on success in New Hampshire after skipping the Iowa inner-party caucuses.

Rick Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, has gained ground after coming within eight votes of Romney in Iowa; while former speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich has also sought to present himself as a conservative alternative to Romney.