Adviser: Romney to assume bigger role

BEDFORD, N.H. — Republican Mitt Romney, a businessman-turned-politician, will take more direct control of his presidential campaign message after failing to win either the Iowa caucuses or the New Hampshire primary, a top adviser said Tuesday.

Romney himself pledged a long fight for the GOP nomination. He held out his second-place finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, with a victory in Wyoming wedged between, as testimony to his 50-state strategy.

"There have been three races so far. I've gotten two silvers and one gold — thank you, Wyoming," Romney said in a Spartan seven-minute address conceding the race.

A Romney intimate, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid pre-empting the candidate, said the campaign was "going to take the shackles off, have him be less measured."

Conceding Romney had been hurt by a backlash against the hard-hitting television commercials the former Massachusetts governor ran against Mike Huckabee and John McCain, the adviser said the campaign hoped to "get away from the paid media and get more of the earned media."

Turnout sets record for New Hampshire

The record turnout in Tuesday's primary was almost enough to send town clerks in New Hampshire to the photocopiers, with special dispensation to run off copies of ballots if the preprinted reserves ran too low.

Secretary of State William Gardner correctly predicted that the vote would draw a record 500,000 residents — 100,000 more than the previous high — as a close Democratic race and a rejuvenated Sen. John McCain energized voters in the state in the days after Iowa's caucuses.

The large turnout easily topped the 2004 numbers, when, with an incumbent Republican running, 69,414 voted in the GOP contest and a record 221,309 cast ballots in the Democratic primary.

Cup of coffee doesn't sway voter

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Even a cup of coffee didn't sway one stubborn independent voter — though Republican Mike Huckabee gave it his all Tuesday as New Hampshire residents went to the polls in the state's presidential primary.

Outside the Brookside Congregational Church in Manchester, Huckabee waded into the crowd to greet voters outside the polling place. He ran into Joe Legay, 70, and asked him what candidate was getting Legay's vote.

"I'm independent," Legay said, ducking the question.

"So I have one more chance, what can I do? Can I pour you coffee?" Huckabee asked, then poured him a cup of coffee from a doughnut-shop coffee container.

Then he asked Legay again how he would vote.

"I'm independent so I have to be quiet," Legay said — apparently not wanting to hurt Huckabee's feelings, because as Huckabee moved on, Legay told a reporter he was voting for Democrat Barack Obama.

CNN decision: Don't call it too soon

WASHINGTON — Shortly after 10:30 p.m. EST Tuesday, John King, the chief national correspondent for CNN, was telling viewers how the network already would have declared Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton the winner of the New Hampshire primary under normal circumstances, and how these were anything but.

But before King was done, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer broke in to report that The Associated Press had called the race for Clinton but that CNN still was not ready to do so.

Perhaps the network — along with other outlets — could be forgiven for being gun-shy. The results went against the predictions of an overwhelming victory for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, and an inevitable campaign shake-up for a wounded Clinton.

With raw memories of past miscalls, CNN President Jonathan Klein said he instructed his producers to avoid calling the race too soon, even as he gave them the go-ahead to share the AP projection that Clinton had won.

"The only heat I was applying was that we be positive that we're correct," Klein said, "not that we be first."

Winners and losers, besides candidates

WINNERS

Women: They swung hard to Hillary Rodham Clinton's side after Barack Obama took a larger share of female voters in Iowa. And like the historic win for a black candidate in Iowa, it's a landmark moment for women in politics.

Independents: They were the key constituency, and more voted in the Democratic primary than the Republican.

Emotion: The candidates showed it, and voters acted on theirs, responding to messages focused on themes such as "hope" and "change."

LOSERS

Democratic polls: A big Obama victory was forecast — so much that there was loose talk of Clinton dropping out. Oops.

Businesses: With only four days to cater to campaign staffers and media, the New Hampshire economy probably gained much less than usual from the primary.

Policy: The different issue positions among the candidates, particularly on the Democratic side, were of less importance than intangibles such as "change."

Seattle Times news services