Election Day Update: New Hampshire

by Mara Liasson, NPR

The New Hampshire primaries are expected to take place on Jan. 8, shortly after Iowa.

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., is the favored candidate but independent voters are a wildcard that might give Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., an edge.

For the Democrats, New Hampshire is the place where frontrunner Clinton has built a firewall. Her campaign believes it's formidable enough to withstand even a loss in Iowa. She has maintained a steady 20-point lead over Obama here.

But independent voters could make up almost 40 percent of the Democratic primary vote and right now Obama is getting the lions share of their support.

For Republicans, the race is much more fluid. No GOP candidate has been able to build a big lead here.

Mitt Romney, the former governor of neighboring Massachusetts has spent millions of dollars in the state and that has helped him establish a small lead in the polls. But Rudy Giuliani, who's been running a strong second, has started to spend a lot more time here.

John McCain won the New Hampshire Republican primary in 2000 and still has a strong base of support.

Broadcast Dates

• Morning Edition, November 6, 2007