Breaking News: McCain, Obama ahead so far in N.H.

Well, it's still just a little early, but the first votes are in for the New Hampshire presidential primary --all 17 of them -- and so far John McCain and Barack Obama have surged to the front.

Turnout in Dixville Notch, a tiny hamlet in northern New Hampshire that might as well be in Canada, was 100% this year. Everybody had their own voting booth, except four people sent in absentee ballots.

Registration there is two Democrats, three Republicans and 12 independents.

McCain captured four votes, Mitt Romney got two and Rudy Giuliani got but one. Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson got skunked as did, Ron Paul, despite his appearance on Jay Leno Monday night.

On the Democratic side, Obama won a landslide seven votes, John Edwards won two, Bill Richardson got one and Hillary Clinton, the recent national front-runner, got none, along with Dennis Kucinich.

Eighty-five percent of the time in the past 56 years, the new president is a winner of the New Hampshire primary (Paul Tsongas in 92 and McCain in 00 are the exceptions). Judging from tonight's vote totals and the historical pattern in Dixville Notch, no one should read anything at all into the numbers.

But it is fun.

--Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[Dave]

Has John McCain finally lost his marbles??? I can't believe I supported this guy in 1992. John McCain’s recent comments about staying in Iraq for 100 or more years and bombing Iran are reckless and put all Americans at risk by radical Islamists. John McCain’s statement and video will serve as a powerful recruiting tool for Bin Laden’s Al Qaeda and other radical Islamic Jihadists, who appeal to other radicals to incite violence against Americans by claiming that the USA desires to kill Muslims and occupy Muslim lands in the Middle East indefinitely. I wonder how many brave American soldiers will now be killed in Iraq and Americans elsewhere in the world due to his radical warmonger statements. The blood of these soldiers and civilians will be on his hands alone. God help our country if this bozo ever becomes President. He's now trying to start a war with Iran and they are 3 times as large as Iraq and won’t be a pushover like Iraq. John McCain can send his sons and daughters to die in Iran and Iraq, just don't try to send my children you chicken hawk fear monger. This country is already bankrupt financially and morally over the war with Iraq that had nothing to do with 911, nor fighting terrorism and finding Bin Laden. Tell me John McCain how is the middle class in America better off today with a dollar worth nothing on the international markets, $3.25 per gallon at the pump, taxes and deficits soaring, our borders being overrun by illegals, and the middle class shrinking? Wake up America and vote against the Neoconmen who have hijacked the Republican Party and this formerly great country of ours. This statement solidified why I am voting for Ron Paul in this election and I urge you to do the same.

[Brooke Heppinstall]

Omigod. Do these people think they're living in the Alaskan bush? Sounds like a turnout in Tuntutuliak. In my neighborhood we usually have at least 4 booths, no line, and if you forget your wallet it's ok, Agnes will just wave you through and ask about your latest garden column.

[sam]

remember everyone that this doesn't represent the whole of NH. but i predict (and i am impartial to the candidates mostly) for republicans: mccain, romney, huckabee, paul, guiliani, thompson. depending on how much romney loses by, he could be finished. if paul totally crushes guliani then the race will be between mcain and huckabee because they will have too much momentum for guliani to take florida. then we will find out if it will be huckabee/mccain 08 or mccain/huckabee 08.
but we'll see.
may the best candidate win!

[sam]

well everyone remember that this first poll is no real representation of who New Hampshire will finally choose, but it remains interesting.
here are my predictions based not on bias but purely on the polls and trends and (hopefully) a tad bit of logic: mccain, romney, huckabee, paul, guliani, hunter. if mccain pulls a big win then mitt is pretty much finnished. if huckabee gets a big enough showing and paul beats guliani by a large enough margin then the race will end up between huckabee and mccain, because their momentum will help them win michigan and south carolina, and then kill guliani in florida. no qouting me on this though! it will be interesting to see if it will be Huck/Mac 08 or the opposite. i personally, as you all know, would prefer the former, but i think they would make a strong team, as mccain would assure voters that are concerned with huckabee's "lack" of experience with foreign policy, and huckabee would get the religious right's vote.
we will see, though. i could be wrong.
may the best man win! (i repeat; MAN).
sorry hillary:)

[Marc]

Possibly it is in the stars, but Hillary my guess will win Super Tuesday and the super-delegates. Obama winning Iowa and NH won't necessarily lead him to being the Dem nominee. However Obama's showing would almost certainly mean he would be offered the Vice-Presidency and he would be persuaded to accept on the tacit understanding that Clinton would be in for one-term and he would be unchallenged next time round.

So who would Clinton-Obama face?

Likely McCain or Giuliani. Probably McCain. Will McCain chose Giuliani or another nominee for his ticket? Unlikely. He would pick Liebermann or someone else.

And who would win? Clinton-Obama, unless some how sub-prime crisis is avoided, oil price sinks, recession is averted in 2008, half the troops are withrawn from Iraq in Bush's last year. Will never happen.

Would Obama-Edwards or Obama-someone else beat a Republican? Maybe next time round. Unlikely this time. Hillary might pave his way. Dem voters are just too keen to have him. Much like they were keen to have Carter or Dean. GOP voters obviously not keen except think he can be beaten but Hillary can't be stopped.

Obama: claims to be anti-Washington? What is he proposing to do? Get rid of Congress? Dems have to get real and settle for Clinton-Obama ticket.

[America the Beautiful]

John McCain believes it may be necessary to stay 100 years on Iraqi soil with our weapons raised. Strangely, borrowing a trillion dollars from China does not appear to be a concern of his. When does it become a concern I wonder? Ron Paul, a respected veteran in his own right, has a decidedly different view. I am voting Ron Paul, a man who will fight for us. Dr. Ron Paul is a man of honor who served as a flight surgeon during the Vietnam War. He risked life and limb and his quick thinking and bravery saved countless lives in the heat of battle. We should all thank him for that regardless of our politics. God Bless You Dr. Paul.

On the GOP side, only Dr. Ron Paul had the courage to speak out against the illegal, unnecessary Iraqi war that has devastated the citizenry (According to Lancet Medical Journal 500,000+ innocent Iraqi civilians have been killed; half of Iraq is under 15 years old) and is playing a big part in destroying our economy and currency. He supported hunting Bin Laden down and going into Afghanistan to bring his carcass to justice but not the bombing and rebuilding of Iraqi bridges to protect our oil. The Iraqis did not attack us on that horrific day. The attackers were mostly Saudi nationals. More troops support Ron Paul than any other candidate. Does it matter what they think or are Iraqis more important?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qVmVJJaLkM

[Paddy]

Please, don't let Hillary win. Imagine the President crying through State of the Nation addresses. We'll be the laughing stock of the globe.

[Liv Manto]

Hmmm.. let me see..

In one corner, there is Oprah with Obama, dancing.

In another corner, there is Hillary with an ex-president who is probably the best president ever - No debts, no war, everyone can buy a house during his time.

Get a grip democrats, those who speak for Obama are probably republicans who know Obama is easy to beat.

Dont be swayed by the clones of Ann Coulter and O'Reilly. The republican party pays for these campaigners by the extra dollars you pay for your gas.

Dont be tricked again.