John McCain Wins New Hampshire Primary!

CNN has called the New Hampshire Republican primary for John McCain:

Sen. John McCain will win the New Hampshire GOP primary, CNN projects....

With 9 percent of Republican precincts reporting, McCain had 37 percent of the vote. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was second with 28 percent, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, the winner of last week's Iowa GOP caucuses followed with 12 percent.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani had 9 percent and Texas Rep. Ron Paul had 8 percent.

Voters turned out in higher-than-expected numbers Tuesday, with a sizable chunk making decisions on who to support at the last minute, according to early exit polls.

Eighteen percent of Republicans and 15 percent of Democrats said they picked their candidate on Election Day.

But the fate of the candidates could rest in the hands of New Hampshire independent voters, who make up about 40 percent of the electorate. A CNN-WMUR poll Sunday found independent voters split almost evenly between the parties this year.

The state's governor predicted a record turnout for the first-in-the-nation presidential primary as candidates zigzagged across the New England state trying to influence undecided voters.

Gov. John Lynch said he expects half a million people to vote.

The governor's prediction followed record-breaking numbers in last week's Iowa Democratic and Republican caucuses.

See also the New York Times, "McCain Leads Romney in Early Returns."

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UPDATE: The New York Times has the report on the McCain win.

The caption to the photo below reads, "John and Cindy McCain after television networks called the Republican primary in Mr. McCain's favor."

I'll post the text of McCain's victory speech when I find it, but I loved his conclusion: "Tomorrow, we being again!"

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UPDATE: Here's the text of McCain's victory speech in New Hampshire:

...I learned long ago that serving only oneself is a petty and unsatisfying ambition. But serve a cause greater than self-interest and you will know a happiness far more sublime than the fleeting pleasure of fame and fortune. For me that greater cause has always been my country, which I have served imperfectly for many years, but have loved without any reservation every day of my life. And however this campaign turns out - and I am more confident tonight that it will turn out much better than once expected - I am grateful beyond expression for the prospect that I might serve her a little while longer. That gratitude imposes on me the responsibility to do nothing in this campaign that would make our country's problems harder to solve or that would cause Americans to despair that a candidate for the highest office in the land would think so little of the honor that he would put his own interests before theirs. I take that responsibility as my most solemn trust...