Amid chants of "Mac is back!" and "John Mc Cain!" and "U-S-A!" John McCain spoke to supporters after winning the New Hampshire Republican Primary by an estimated 37% - 29% for Mitt Romney. McCain won among Republicans and independents by similar margins.
His speech sounded, at times, more like an Inaugural Address than a primary victory speech. McCain struck grander themes, professed his devotion to duty and country, and reached out with an olive branch to supporters of other candidates in both parties. If pundits had postulated previously that a victory would signal he had returned as frontrunner, McCain seemed determined to fill the part.
Both Romney and Huckabee had already delivered gracious concessions, but both also used the occasion to reach out to voters in states yet to come with a healthy dose of campaign stop. They both did a great job, yet McCain appeared statesmanlike. Presidential.
Alert readers will question the results as contradicting our man on the scene, who undoubtedly divined his projections from the careful study of the entrails of a Vermont-raised goat . . .
The Democratic race remains too close to call, but some exit poll analysts report their calculations show a narrow victory for Hillary Clinton, although within the poll's supposedly tightened-up margin of error, so no one is calling it yet.
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Filed under:
2008 Presidential Race, Elections, John McCain, Politics, Republicans
Tags: McCain, New Hampshire, Presidential campaign, primary, Republican
Comments (10)
You ever get the feeling it... (Below threshold)1. Posted by JLawson | January 8, 2008 10:15 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
You ever get the feeling it's all, um, about as unscripted and spontaneous as pro wrestling?
1. Posted by JLawson | January 8, 2008 10:15 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on January 8, 2008 22:15
2. Posted by mikem![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://wizbangblog.com/nav-commenters.gif)
| January 8, 2008 10:27 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
I'm surprised he won, but then New Hampshire is an open primary state, correct?
Regardless, no way I'm supporting McCain. It's a promise I made when he attacked the SBVT group as smear merchants for reminding voters of Kerry's anti-veteran wartime activities. I thought it was a breathtakingly cowardly act of political whoring, especially considering that he attacked the very people (anti-Kerry) who had defended him against the Kerry/Fonda crowd who called him a liar for saying that he had been tortured by Kerry's biggest fans, the North Vietnamese.
And yes, he was a true war hero which makes his betrayal of Vietnam veterans all the more despicable. Poltical whore, nothing more.
2. Posted by mikem![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://wizbangblog.com/nav-commenters.gif)
| January 8, 2008 10:27 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on January 8, 2008 22:27
3. Posted by HughS | January 8, 2008 10:28 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
His speech sounded, at times, more like an Inaugural Address than a primary victory speech.
My thoughts exactly. I had to turn it off. He set a new standard for unctuousness (Is that a word?....Hmmm? Now it is).
3. Posted by HughS | January 8, 2008 10:28 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on January 8, 2008 22:28
4. Posted by Richie Rich | January 8, 2008 10:33 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
I thought Mccain's speech was so bland and uninspiring - and completely disagree that it was "presidential." Plus, I think you got your margin of victory wrong - more likely to be 5-6 points. This was indeed a perfect state for Mac - plenty of Indies - but not sure he can replicate it anywhere else.
4. Posted by Richie Rich | January 8, 2008 10:33 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on January 8, 2008 22:33
5. Posted by Alan Orfi | January 8, 2008 10:48 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
This is slowly becoming the Huckabee-McCain race I was hoping for... because there is no way this party is nominating John McCain and Rudy is not holding up in Florida like he expected. Huckabee is up in SC and Florida and leads in 12 of the 19 Super Tuesday states. He desperately needed to get Romney out of the way and I think that happened tonight.
5. Posted by Alan Orfi | January 8, 2008 10:48 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on January 8, 2008 22:48
6. Posted by John S | January 8, 2008 11:00 PM | Score: -1 (1 votes cast)
The bitter disappointment is not knocking Bill Clinton out of the race (yeh, I know he's running his "wife" but that's just an inconvenience to skirt the 22nd amendment). And if the Republicans are stupid enough to run Huckleberry we're stuck with another 8 years of Clinton.
6. Posted by John S | January 8, 2008 11:00 PM |
Score: -1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on January 8, 2008 23:00
7. Posted by Dave W | January 8, 2008 11:32 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
My point all along has been "who cares who wins New Hampshire?"
If Ron Paul can take 8% of the vote, the winner is irrelevant.
7. Posted by Dave W | January 8, 2008 11:32 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on January 8, 2008 23:32
8. Posted by Jim Addison | January 9, 2008 12:58 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
The final tally will end up with McCain winning by a smaller margin, probably 37-32%. The only difference it makes is allowing Romney to spin it as less of a defeat. Romney outspent all the other Republicans COMBINED - including Rudy's $2.5 million wasted before he gave up on it.
McCain won among registered Republicans by the same margin he won independents. No one has to like him, and certainly not agree with him on many things. But you must admit he kicked butt in New Hampshire after nearly everyone (including me) had him out of the running a few months ago.
8. Posted by Jim Addison | January 9, 2008 12:58 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on January 9, 2008 00:58
9. Posted by Baggi | January 9, 2008 2:02 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
McCain is clearly once again the, "Comeback Kid".
Only, this time he won't do as well as he did against George W. Bush.
Hopefully McCain will enjoy the media attention while it lasts. The only thing we Republicans have to be thankful for is that while he's riding high he won't be putting any legislation forward. The bad news is, this probably makes him un-beatable in his next run for re-election to the senate.
9. Posted by Baggi | January 9, 2008 2:02 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on January 9, 2008 02:02
10. Posted by Baggi | January 9, 2008 2:04 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Jim wrote;
McCain won among registered Republicans by the same margin he won independents.
Do you have any facts to support this?
10. Posted by Baggi | January 9, 2008 2:04 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on January 9, 2008 02:04