Defying Yours, Mine, and Everyone Else's Expectations, Clinton Wins New Hampshire

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

It's been a 3-5 point battle since the polls closed, but With 73% of precincts reporting, Senator Hillary Clinton has won in New Hampshire by a 39-36 margin. While Senator Barack Obama was down 12 points in New Hampshire before the Iowa caucus, all the pundits and campaigns expected the Iowa bump to push him over the edge in the Granite State -- and they were all wrong. We have a race here folks.

One of the big stories in Iowa was Obama's surprisingly strong showing among women. But in New Hampshire, women were back in the Clinton camp, joining union voters, those making less than $50,000, those who consider the economy the most important issue, those who value experience, and those without a college degree. Obama did better among men, those making more than $50,000, independents, first time voters, and those with a post-graduate degree.

Meanwhile, former Senator John Edwards is at a disappointing third with 17% of the vote. Even though he has vowed to stay in the race, expect speculation on an Edwards withdraw in the days to come. An endorsement for Obama would unite the progressive vote and make union members more competitive for Obama. But if Edwards stays out of the endorsement fray, expect Edwards-backing union members to start trickling into the Clinton camp. And stay tuned for tomorrow's Culinary Workers Union endorsement vote tomorrow, which is significant in the upcoming union-heavy Nevada Caucus.

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