McCain Trounces Bush, Gore Edges Bradley in NH Primary

Sen. John S. McCain scored a landslide double-digit victory over Republican front runner Texas Gov. George W. Bush in yesterday's first-in-the nation New Hampshire primaries, while Vice President Al Gore '69 edged Democratic challenger Bill Bradley in a state where he had been trailing just two weeks ago.

McCain's margin of victory--49 percent of the vote to Bush's 30 percent with 94 percent of the precincts reporting--was far more sweeping than any poll had predicted.

McCain beat Bush in almost every possible demographic--among young voters and old, among black voters and white, males and females and Republicans and independents.

"We sent a powerful message to Washington that change is coming," a charged McCain told supporters in Nashua last night. "This is the beginning of the end to the truth-twisting politics of Bill Clinton and Al Gore," he said.

Bradley conceded defeat to Gore around 9 p.m. With 94 percent of the precincts reporting, Gore had about 52 percent of the vote, and Bradley had 47 percent. Not two weeks ago, Bradley was beating Gore by a comfortable margin.

Gore said his dozens of town meetings in the state had spurred him to victory.

"During the day, some people thought it was going to be like the super bowl--we'd be a yard short. But this Tennessean is in the end zone, and it feels great," Gore said.

Though he had anticipated a bump from his strong showing in the Iowa caucuses, publisher Steve Forbes received only 14 percent of the vote to finish third. Alan L. Keyes '72 finished fourth, with 6 percent of the vote. Gary Bauer, the former Reagan policy aide, barely topped one percent to place fifth.

Exit polls show that McCain's large margin of victory can be attributed to a record turnout of independent voters--41 percent of those voting Republican considered themselves independent.

According to exit polls, a third of Republicans thought Bush lacked the ''knowledge to serve effectively as president.'' Three fourths of those voters picked McCain, with the remaining votes split between Forbes and Keyes.

Only 7 percent of voters considered themselves evangelical Christians.

Though there are fewer Democrats in the state than Republicans, Gore supporters credited a huge turnout for their victory.

They credited his turnaround in the polls over the past month to a less rigid campaign style which de-emphasized Gore's Washington roots.

"Al really needed to change his campaign, and he did," said Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) "He really honed his skills."

Despite the vote's narrow margin, Gore partisans at his New Hampshire victory party claimed a decisive victory.

"This is a crucial first step on the road to the presidency. Al Gore has now stepped out of the shadow of the president and can be on his own in a tough fight," said Richard Licht '68 while sipping a celebratory cocktail.

Mike Pignatelli, a Gore supporter from Nashua, said that state residents felt they are better off now than they were four years ago.

"For most people here it is the amazing recovery of the economy that is important," he says.

"The Clinton-Gore team planned to concentrate on that from the beginning," he said.

Despite his decisive victory, McCain faces an uphill battle in the coming months. Bush has over $30 million on hand for the rest of the campaign, while McCain has just under $8 million.

Some McCain supporters said their candidate's image as a Washington outsider seeking to reform the campaign finance system lent him credibility in a state traditionally suspicious of front runners.

"We always thought [McCain] had the correct vision for America, and this shows that the voters of New Hampshire agree," said campaign worker Travis F. Batty '02. "Big money always gets beaten by big ideas."

New Hampshire has a history of endorsing outsider candidates; in 1996, Patrick J. Buchanan narrowly defeated Bob Dole in the state, though Dole went on to win the Republican nomination.

In his concession speech, Bush credited his opponent for a well-oiled campaign, but played down the importance of McCain's victory.

"New Hampshire has long been known as a bump in the road for front-runners, and this year will be no exception," he said.

The candidates stumping for votes were squabbling over a relatively paltry pie--New Hampshire's primary decided only 29 of the more than 2000 delegates required for the democratic nomination and only 17 delegates for the Republican nomination.

Instead, candidates are hoping that early victories will either solidify their early leads in the polls, or legitimize their campaign in the case of challengers like Bradley and McCain.

--With reporting from Garrett M. Graff and Kirsten G. Studlien from New Hampshire.