MANCHESTER, N.H.—Hillary Clinton fought to complete a dramatic comeback against Barack Obama on Tuesday, with the two Democrats running neck-and-neck in New Hampshire in a tighter presidential race than predicted by recent U.S. public opinion polls.
Republican John McCain, meanwhile, capped his rise from the political scrap heap with a big win over Mitt Romney that gave new life to his once struggling presidential campaign.
The win put McCain, an Arizona senator, in the middle of a wild scramble for the party's nomination for the November election after being written off this summer when he was low on cash and shedding campaign staff.
"Tonight, we sure showed 'em what a comeback looks like," McCain told a crowd of supporters in Nashua who repeatedly chanted "Mac is back !"
In the Democratic race, Clinton led Obama 39 percent to 37 percent with about 52 percent of precincts reporting. Recent polls had shown Obama, an Illinois senator who won Iowa's first nominating contest last week, with double-digit leads on Clinton.
Obama, bidding to be the first black president, aimed for a New Hampshire win that would solidify his hold on the top spot in the race to be the Democratic candidate and deal a second consecutive humiliating loss to Clinton, the former front-runner.
Clinton, who became emotional on Monday when talking about her quest for the presidency, could face questions about the viability of her campaign if she loses New Hampshire. Some media outlets reported she planned a staff shake-up if she lost.
New Hampshire's primary is the second high-profile battleground, following Iowa, in the state-by-state process of choosing Republican and Democratic candidates for November's election to succeed President George W. Bush.
Obama won Iowa last week, with Clinton finishing third behind second-place finisher John Edwards, the former North Carolina senator. Edwards was projected to finish third in New Hampshire.
In the Republican race, McCain overcame long odds to repeat his New Hampshire win in 2000, when he ultimately lost the nomination to George W. Bush.
McCain, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, angered the conservative base of his party with his support earlier this year for a now-dead Senate bill that would have given illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.
McCain Overhauled Campaign
But after overhauling his campaign staff and recalibrating his strategy, he largely bypassed Iowa and began to focus on New Hampshire, talking to residents in repeated town hall meetings.
"When the pundits declared us finished I told them I'm going to New Hampshire, where the voters don't let you make the decision for them," McCain said.
Romney, the former governor of neighboring Massachusetts, promised to push on despite pouring tens of millions of dollars of his personal wealth into the presidential race and not managing a breakthrough win.
He finished second to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in Iowa's kick-off contest last week. Huckabee, the Baptist minister whose Iowa rise was fueled by his support from religious conservatives, was running third in New Hampshire.
Clinton, a New York senator and former first lady, and Romney were both under intense pressure to revive their campaigns after disappointing showings in Iowa.
"It's time to send someone to Washington who will actually get the job done," Romney told supporters. "I don't think it's going to get done by Washington insiders."
With hard-fought races in both parties, officials reported large crowds at some polling stations, aided by the unseasonably balmy weather.
There were predictions of a record turnout during the most wide open U.S. presidential race in more than 50 years, with no sitting president or vice president seeking the nominations.
The presidential race now begins to branch out quickly to more states, with Michigan voting next Tuesday, Nevada and South Carolina Republicans on Jan. 19 and South Carolina Democrats on Jan. 26.
McCain, Romney and Huckabee are all looking for wins in Michigan. McCain won the state in 2000, Romney grew up there as the son of a former governor and auto executive, and Huckabee will look to make inroads with the state's evangelicals.
"We celebrate one victory tonight and leave for Michigan tomorrow to win another," McCain said.
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