Obama 'wave' sweeps New Hampshire as Clinton sees support ebb

Published on Tuesday 8 January 2008 21:17

HILLARY Clinton, facing defeat last night in the New Hampshire primary, vowed to fight on against Barack Obama.

The Obama "wave" continued from Iowa yesterday with record numbers of voters forming long queues in polling stations, some of whom ran short of Democratic ballot papers. Final results were delayed by the decision of the authorities to let many polling stations remain open long into the night to make sure everyone had a chance to vote.

Early exit polls showed Mr Obama had 74 per cent of the independent vote, together with more women voters than Mrs Clinton, with a predicted 13 per cent lead.

John Edwards, the former North Carolina Senator is also expected to stay in the Democrat race, although he is the least-well funded of the favourites.

Independents make up a large share of the primary voters in New Hampshire, and by definition are not loyal to either party – but are allowed to vote for their preferred single candidate.

New Hampshire famously made Bill Clinton the "Comeback Kid" in 1992, giving him a strong second-place finish after his candidacy was nearly derailed by allegations of womanising and efforts to evade the draft. The state has offered no such solace to his wife.

But as the Clinton camp braced itself for a second successive defeat, staff vowed that the fight will go on, as the primary season widens across the United States.

"We are going all the way to the convention," said Howard Wolfson, a Clinton campaign spokesman referring to the Democratic National Convention in August. However, Mrs Clinton is now facing trouble on a new front, as powerful political allies begin to desert her.

The Wall Street Journal reported that in the next state due to hold a primary, Nevada on 19 January, the largest union, representing hotel workers, is considering switching to Mr Obama from Mrs Clinton.

Also considering the switch are some senators who had been keen to back Mrs Clinton in the autumn when her campaign seemed unstoppable. Now they are worried about being associated with a losing candidate.

Racking up the pressure still further, the Democrat hierarchy may call on Mrs Clinton to step down well before the August convention if defeat becomes likely, rather than see a damaging battle that could turn independent voters away from the Democrat party.

Inside the Clinton camp there are reports that key staff may be moved, with campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle expected to be an early casualty.

The beginning of a new, softer, image for Mrs Clinton was already evident on Monday when the formerly brash senator came close to tears in revealing the emotional strain of the campaign.

National polls show that the huge lead Mrs Clinton held over Mr Obama three months ago, 48 per cent to 19 per cent, has vanished. A USA Today/Gallup poll puts them both on 33 per cent, one of the most dramatic changes of fortune in modern American politics.

Two tiny hamlets reported their results within minutes of the midnight opening, both showing big wins for Mr Obama and Republican John McCain.

For the Republicans, an equally dramatic turnaround is the revival of Mr McCain. He is expected to lose New Hampshire to Mitt Romney but his rising national poll ratings of 19 per cent have put him a point behind the former front-runner Rudy Giuliani.

The Republican race is complicated by the Christian Right, accounting for as much as a third of Republican votes. This bloc has already put Mike Huckabee in front after Iowa.