Washington - Former first lady Hillary Clinton rebounded to victory Tuesday in the New Hampshire presidential primary, braking Barack Obama's momentum and clawing right back into the race for the Democratic Party nomination. Senator John McCain, a backer of the US troop buildup in Iraq, won the Republican poll. Obama, who rode to victory in the opening Iowa caucuses last week on a stirring message of change and political unity, conceded defeat after returns showed Clinton with a steady lead throughout the evening.
"I am still fired up and ready to go," Obama, 46, told cheering supporters in the state. "I want to congratulate Senator Clinton on a hard-fought victory here in New Hampshire."
After several days of attacking Obama as a gifted speaker who lacks substance, Clinton defied opinion polls predicting a double-digit win for her rival. With more than 70 per cent of the state's precincts reporting, she polled 39 per cent to Obama's 36 per cent.
Previewing themes for upcoming primaries, Obama pledged to end tax breaks, vowed to end the war in Iraq and "finish the job against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan."
But with his supporters shouting "Yes we can, yes we can," he stayed true to the message that underpins his bid to become the first black US president.
"We know the battle ahead will be long. But ... nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change," he declared. "There has never been anything false about hope."
In the Republican Party primary, Vietnam war hero McCain, 71, claimed victory with 37 per cent over former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, once the New Hampshire front-runner, who ran second on the night with 32 per cent.
"Tonight we sure showed them what a comeback looks like," McCain exclaimed to a cheering crowd of supporters in Nashua, New Hampshire. "We celebrate one victory tonight and leave for Michigan tomorrow to win another."
New Hampshire, a small northeastern state, traditionally holds the first primary in US presidential election year. Michigan holds the next contest on January 15 in the series of state-by-state votes to determine the Republican and Democratic nominees.
Clinton, 60, was under pressure to bounce back in New Hampshire after placing third in last week's Iowa caucuses, the opening preference poll in the 2008 presidential race. Obama, 46, won Iowa after rallying voters with his message of change and pledges to overcome bickering in Washington.
New Hampshire appeared firmly in Clinton's corner only last week. Then, Obama capitalized on his momentum after Iowa and overtook her in the polls.
Candidates had only five days after the Iowa polls to reshape their strategies and launch a campaign blitz in New Hampshire as they seek to become their party's presidential candidate in the November 4 general election.
Former president Bill Clinton, still popular among Democrats and a key element in his wife's White House bid, landed some last-minute barbs against Obama on the campaign trail.
Meanwhile, Obama picked up a de-facto endorsement from former secretary of state Colin Powell, the first African American to hold the post, who said he was "impressed" with the youthful Illinois senator.
