John Ashcroft
01-27-2004, 10:06 PM
PLYMOUTH, N.H. — John Kerry (search) is the projected winner of the New Hampshire primary.
The Massachusetts senator won 38 percent of the vote with 75 percent of precincts reporting as of 9:58 p.m. EST, according to Fox News projections.
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (search) took second place in the nation's first primary with 26 percent of the vote, while retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark (search) took third place with 13 percent, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards (search) had 12 percent and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman (search) had 9 percent of the vote.
"I love New Hampshire … and I love Iowa too," Kerry said when he addressed supporters after he was declared the winner. "Thank you, New Hampshire, for lifting up this campaign and the cause for an American that belongs not to the privileged, not to a few, but belongs to all Americans. "This victory belongs to all of you."
Dean's campaign manager, Joe Trippi, earlier told Fox News that the Dean camp would be "ecstatic" if its candidate took second. But considering Dean had fallen from a double-digit lead in a matter of weeks, some disappointment seemed inevitable.
"Fifteen points can be seen as a blowout ... if [the margin with Kerry] stays in double digits, I think the Dean camp is going to have a hard time making the case that Dean is the comeback kid," said political analyst and Fox News contributor Susan Estrich. "I don't think the Dean people want to see a double-digit margin, not at all."
The winner of the primary will receive the state's 22 national convention delegates, as well as incalculable political momentum in the contest to pick a Democratic challenger to President Bush.
Kerry's New Hampshire win is his second in the Democratic race; he pulled off a huge victory last week in Iowa's caucuses.
For more on the campaign, click to view Foxnews.com's You Decide 2004 page.
At an earlier visit to a polling place in Manchester, Kerry said: "Just to win would be great. It would be the biggest turnaround in American politics in a long time."
Dean earlier talked to Fox News' Alan Colmes about how tough the race for the Democratic nomination had been so far.
"It has been a rough campaign," said the doctor turned politician. "I think in the end, the party come together because we all want to beat George Bush, and that's the important part."
Campaign manager Trippi told Fox News that Dean's camp would be pleased with second place in New Hampshire since it would mean he launched a somewhat successful comeback from the disappointing third-place finish in Iowa last week and the memorable primal scream that followed.
Dean aides said their boss would not only start looking at how far he was trailing Kerry, but how far Edwards and Clark were behind them. The Dean camp planned to argue, however, that the race beyond New Hampshire would be between Kerry and Dean, regardless of Tuesday's results.
Edwards earlier noted that Clark had been in New Hampshire nonstop — he opted out of last week's Iowa caucuses — and spent considerably more money than the Southern senator. "If I'm in third" it's still a major win for his campaign, Edwards said.
"What I wanted to do was come from the low- to mid-single digits, which is where I was 10 days ago, up to the teens," Edwards told reporters in Merrimack as he monitored the returns. He was joined by his wife and several close friends.
According to exit polls conducted for Fox News by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International, Kerry had broad-based support among women and men of all age groups. His support was slightly higher among those whose financial situations have gotten worse in the last four years.
Kerry dominated among voters who decided whom they would back in the last week, getting about half their support. By a 2-to-1 margin, voters said they backed Kerry because they think he can defeat Bush.
"After tonight, this is a national campaign for delegates and that's why we're going to be competing everywhere," said Mark Mellman, one of Kerry's pollsters.
Dean ran strongly among liberals, war opponents, those angry at Bush and those who thought the most important candidate quality was standing up for what they believe. He trailed Kerry, however, among voters who most wanted an electable candidate with the most experience who had the best chance to beat Bush.
Link: here (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,109676,00.html)
The Massachusetts senator won 38 percent of the vote with 75 percent of precincts reporting as of 9:58 p.m. EST, according to Fox News projections.
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (search) took second place in the nation's first primary with 26 percent of the vote, while retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark (search) took third place with 13 percent, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards (search) had 12 percent and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman (search) had 9 percent of the vote.
"I love New Hampshire … and I love Iowa too," Kerry said when he addressed supporters after he was declared the winner. "Thank you, New Hampshire, for lifting up this campaign and the cause for an American that belongs not to the privileged, not to a few, but belongs to all Americans. "This victory belongs to all of you."
Dean's campaign manager, Joe Trippi, earlier told Fox News that the Dean camp would be "ecstatic" if its candidate took second. But considering Dean had fallen from a double-digit lead in a matter of weeks, some disappointment seemed inevitable.
"Fifteen points can be seen as a blowout ... if [the margin with Kerry] stays in double digits, I think the Dean camp is going to have a hard time making the case that Dean is the comeback kid," said political analyst and Fox News contributor Susan Estrich. "I don't think the Dean people want to see a double-digit margin, not at all."
The winner of the primary will receive the state's 22 national convention delegates, as well as incalculable political momentum in the contest to pick a Democratic challenger to President Bush.
Kerry's New Hampshire win is his second in the Democratic race; he pulled off a huge victory last week in Iowa's caucuses.
For more on the campaign, click to view Foxnews.com's You Decide 2004 page.
At an earlier visit to a polling place in Manchester, Kerry said: "Just to win would be great. It would be the biggest turnaround in American politics in a long time."
Dean earlier talked to Fox News' Alan Colmes about how tough the race for the Democratic nomination had been so far.
"It has been a rough campaign," said the doctor turned politician. "I think in the end, the party come together because we all want to beat George Bush, and that's the important part."
Campaign manager Trippi told Fox News that Dean's camp would be pleased with second place in New Hampshire since it would mean he launched a somewhat successful comeback from the disappointing third-place finish in Iowa last week and the memorable primal scream that followed.
Dean aides said their boss would not only start looking at how far he was trailing Kerry, but how far Edwards and Clark were behind them. The Dean camp planned to argue, however, that the race beyond New Hampshire would be between Kerry and Dean, regardless of Tuesday's results.
Edwards earlier noted that Clark had been in New Hampshire nonstop — he opted out of last week's Iowa caucuses — and spent considerably more money than the Southern senator. "If I'm in third" it's still a major win for his campaign, Edwards said.
"What I wanted to do was come from the low- to mid-single digits, which is where I was 10 days ago, up to the teens," Edwards told reporters in Merrimack as he monitored the returns. He was joined by his wife and several close friends.
According to exit polls conducted for Fox News by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International, Kerry had broad-based support among women and men of all age groups. His support was slightly higher among those whose financial situations have gotten worse in the last four years.
Kerry dominated among voters who decided whom they would back in the last week, getting about half their support. By a 2-to-1 margin, voters said they backed Kerry because they think he can defeat Bush.
"After tonight, this is a national campaign for delegates and that's why we're going to be competing everywhere," said Mark Mellman, one of Kerry's pollsters.
Dean ran strongly among liberals, war opponents, those angry at Bush and those who thought the most important candidate quality was standing up for what they believe. He trailed Kerry, however, among voters who most wanted an electable candidate with the most experience who had the best chance to beat Bush.
Link: here (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,109676,00.html)