Kerry wins New Hampshire primary in Democrats race

2.55pm


MANCHESTER - John Kerry won the New Hampshire Democratic primary over Howard Dean today, seizing control of the Democratic presidential race with what appeared to be a close win.

Kerry, the Massachusetts senator whose come-from-behind win in Iowa last week turned the 2004 presidential race upside down, scored his second consecutive victory in the race to pick a Democratic challenger to President George W Bush.

But Dean, the one-time front-runner who had fallen well behind in polls after his dismal third-place showing in Iowa and his widely ridiculed concession speech, appeared to have made the race close in the final days.

With about 17 per cent of precincts reporting, Kerry had a 38 per cent to 24 per cent lead over Dean. North Carolina Senator John Edwards and retired General Wesley Clark were tied for third with 13 per cent each, with Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman at 10 per cent.

More than 180,000 registered voters were expected to turn out to vote in the primary in New Hampshire, the tiny state famous for surprise finishes and a fondness for political underdogs.

Dean said earlier in the day he was "closing the gap" and visited polling places in Manchester and Concord. He trailed Kerry by double digits in many polls heading into the primary, and aides said they would be thrilled with a close second.

The outcome of the first-in-the-nation primary also was crucial for the other three major candidates. Edwards, Clark and Lieberman hoped a strong third-place showing would propel them on to breakthrough wins in later contests.

Most of the candidates had relatively light days, visiting polling places in the morning and rallying volunteers to help get out the vote before the last of the state's polls close.

"We've had huge crowds, lots of excitement and we feel good," Edwards said during a visit to a polling place to thank campaign volunteers standing outside.

Kerry greeted voters at a local school in Manchester, telling reporters "it's a great feeling" and reminding passersby, "I hope I've got your vote."

A win for Kerry would tag him as the Democratic front-runner, a title he has resisted since Iowa and one that would likely make him the target of fresh attacks from his rivals in the race and Bush's Republican supporters.

A big loss would be devastating for Dean, the former governor of neighbouring Vermont who led New Hampshire polls by more than 20 points little more than a month ago.

New Hampshire's first primary has traditionally been unpredictable, knocking front-runners off stride and some losers out of the race. Independents, the state's largest voting bloc, can participate in either party primary, adding an air of uncertainty to the outcome.

The voting in New Hampshire, coming one week after Iowa's kick-off caucuses, ends the first phase of intensive, person-to-person campaigning before the race spreads out across the country next Tuesday with contests in seven states, where candidates switch their emphasis from building momentum to rounding up the delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination.

New Hampshire will send 22 pledged delegates to the Democratic convention this summer, fewer than all but one of the seven states with contests on February 3.

Edwards, Clark and Lieberman have aimed for a strong enough showing in New Hampshire to propel them to wins next week, but the fifth-place finisher might find both money and enthusiasm running dry.

Most of the candidates will pull out of New Hampshire for the next round of states on Tuesday night or early Wednesday.

Kerry will head to Missouri on Wednesday, the biggest prize next Tuesday with 74 pledged delegates. Dean will return to his home in Burlington, Vermont, for a day before heading to South Carolina on Thursday to campaign and participate in a debate.

Edwards will hit South Carolina, the first primary in the South and a must-win state for him, then Oklahoma and Missouri on Wednesday. Clark travels to South Carolina and Lieberman to Delaware, the smallest of the February 3 states with 15 pledged delegates.

Bush is also on the ballot in New Hampshire in a Republican primary in which he faces no major opposition.

- REUTERS