Party front-runners emerge in New Hampshire

MANCHESTER, N.H. - January 7, 2008 John McCain rolled into western New Hampshire for a mid-morning rally in Keene's town square. The crowd was small but enthused. The latest polls say McCain has a small lead in the GOP race. His closest rival, Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, has deep pockets and has far outspent the cash-strapped McCain.

"No body can buy and election in the state of New Hampshire. I don't care how many attack ads you buy on television," McCain told a crowd of supporters.

Romney criss-crossed New Hampshire once again today knowing he desperately needs a win to offset his Iowa loss and remain viable.

Romney says, "Senator McCain was in a strong lead when I got going. I have closed that gap with him. There's been times when I've been ahead and he's dropped off, then come back. It's a very turbulent process here. There's a lot of ups and downs, but right now it's a neck and neck race."

Hillary Clinton has lost her footing in Iowa as well, and is struggling to stay afloat. On the campaign trail today she choked up with emotion.

Barack Obama is the man who has Hillary so upset. His bounce from Iowa now has him showing at least a 10 point lead in the latest polling. Obama addressed his supporters on Monday saying, "Our theme was constant throughout this campaign. For the last year we've been talking about change. We talked about change when we were up; we talked about change when we were down."

New Hampshire voters are fiercely independent. They can vote for who they like on Tuesday no matter their registration.

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