New Hampshire Primary: Shocking Upset!

Wow! Last night's election results for the Democratic race was truly shocking. Almost all the polls had Senator Obama winning New Hampshire and yet it was not to be. Senator Hillary Clinton roared back in dramatic style and won the nation's first primary in a squeaker. I have never seen all the polls and pundits be so wrong and so last night's results were truly amazing. As I watched them come in last night, following the news with my laptop in hand and my easel board at the side, I dismissed the early results not knowing what was to come. And then the numbers continued to show Clinton leading with a small 2-3 percent margin over Obama and alas, that gap would prove to be the final result. It appears that Clinton's emotional moment the day before helped her substantially and she also benefited from big support among women, older voters, and the Democratic base in New Hampshire.

As for the Republican side, my favorite Republican, Senator John McCain, came away with a strong victory over former Governor Mitt Romney. It was only a few months ago where most people left McCain for dead and so I was happy to watch the senator make this comeback victory. Just like in 2000, the independents of New Hampshire launched McCain to victory and so this should put him in great position for next Tuesday's Michigan Primary.

The nomination battles for both parties are now wide open and it will be very exciting to see what happens next.

New Hampshire Primary Final Results

Democrats
Clinton - 39%
Obama - 37%
Edwards - 17%
Richardson - 5%
Kucinich - 1%

Republicans
McCain - 37%
Romney - 32%
Huckabee - 11%
Giuliani - 9%
Paul - 8%
Thompson - 1%