Hillary Clinton was not supposed to win tonight. But she did.

She took the lead in early returns because of friendly big cities and everyone, even the Clinton campaign, crunching numbers said that towns in the Upper Valley, Cheshire County and college towns would come in big time for Obama.

As as the night progressed and the returns came in and Obama didn't not clean up in Hanover the way he needed to win. He only won liberal enclaves Durham and Portsmouth by 500 votes each when he needed to win by 1,500.

The tone in e-mails and phone calls to Clinton aides and supporters began to change. On Monday there was serious discussion that Clinton could get third by looking at their data from phone calls around the state. On Election Day there was a lot of discussion about what went wrong among Clinton supporters. Cable news channels buzzed about campaign staff shake-ups and new a new strategy. As a record voter turnout began showing up one Clinton aide asked a reporter "seriously, how bad is this going to be?" New Hampshire Democratic campaign chairs and prominent Democratic activists began pondering how an Obama blow-out tonight would re-shape state politics.

But all of that is irrelevant now.

Hillary Clinton stood in the same gym tonight where Howard Dean stood four years ago. But Clinton, of course, gave a different speech.

"I listened to you and in the process I found my own voice," Clinton said.

It will be a while until New Hampshire hears that voice again.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- As polls show her support sagging just one day before the New Hampshire primary, Senator Hillary Clinton welled up with tears in her eyes when responding to a personal question from an undecided voter.

Marianne Pernold, 64, a freelance photographer, asked Clinton: "As a woman I know it is hard to get out of the house. And my question is very personal. How do you keep upbeat and look so good all the time?"

Clinton paused, said that "special" days she has some "help" with her make-up. But then her voice broke and tears welled up in her eyes.

"It's not easy. It's not easy," she said. "This is very personal for me. It is not just political. It is not just public. I see what's happening. We have to reverse it. And some people think elections are a game; think like who is up who is down. It's about our country.

"Some of us are right and some of us are wrong. Some of us are ready and some of us are not. Some us know what we will do on day one and some of us haven't thought it through enough," she said.

The question took place toward the end of an hour long conversation with 14 undecided voters at a coffee shop.

The response to her emotion was very positive.

"She definitely teared up. I believe her," said Elizabeth Holcomb, from Exeter, who sat close to Clinton. "I believe that what she says comes from her heart."

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- As many readers of this blog have pointed out even if Barack Obama's campaign did send automated calls to people on the national Do Not Call registry it is not illegal under state law.

Yesterday the Clinton campaign said one of their supporters on the Do Not Call List received an automated call yesterday for Obama. National law allows political calls to be made to those on the list. New Hampshire law does not. In 2006, this became a big issue on a Congressional race here with the Republican National Congressional Committee placed several thousand calls.

BUT the state law is very clear that this rule does not apply to the state's presidential primary making these calls completely legal, however annoying.

The former chair of Joe Biden's New Hampshire campaign endorsed Hillary Clinton this morning.

State Representative Jim Ryan, a Frankliin Democrat, headed up the most successful recruiting effort for Democrats in the 2006 cycle.

In truth, this is the third presidential candidate this cycle Ryan has backed. Before Biden he was heading up efforts informally for former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack.

Hillary Clinton will have at least one new ad coming out tonight and tomorrow in New Hampshire, according to her national campaign chairman.

Terry McAuliffe, the national chair, said on a conference call with reporters this afternoon that there would be a new ad out, but he didn't describe them or say anything more.

NASHUA, N.H. -- At her first campaign speech since leaving Iowa, Hillary Clinton urged an audience in Nashua this morning not to make a "leap of faith" but to appreciate what she perceives as her advantage and knowledge of how to win general elections.

"No one wants to end the war more than I do, but you have to get out the right way," Clinton said.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- A small, but influential liberal New Hampshire newspaper announced its endorsement of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign tonight.

In an editorial to be published tomorrow, the Concord Monitor had plenty of nice things to say about many of the Democrats running in the state's Jan. 8 primary, but chose Clinton because of her "ambitious to-do list".

"Hillary Clinton's unique combination of smarts, experience and toughness makes her the best choice to win the November election and truly get things done," the paper wrote.

In Saturday's paper the Monitor endorsed John McCain for the Republican race.

DOVER, N.H. -- Former President Bill Clinton returned to the city that defined his own campaign for presidency hoping that 16 years later he bring some of that magic back to help his wife's campaign.

With just six days before 1992 New Hampshire primary, Clinton was in the fight for his life amid questions of affairs and draft dodging. He came to the Elks Club in Dover and pleaded with the crowd: ''I'll never forget who gave me a second chance and I'll be there for you until the last dog dies."

The moment became primary history. In the last days of his presidency he came back to Dover to thank voters for giving him that second chance.

On Saturday he visited a pottery factory on the other side of town from the Elks Club and recalled his history with the city.

"Dover made me famous," Clinton said about his speech. "I promise she will remember every one of your faces."

Hillary Clinton said she will remain focused on Iowa for another week, but "pivot" her campaign to New Hampshire, a state she says she is "fond" for once the Iowa Caucuses are over.

Speaking to New Hampshire reporters in a conference call Friday afternoon Clinton talked at length about American foreign policy toward Pakistan in the wake of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

She repeated her idea earlier in the day to have a international investigation of the killing and for President Bush to put pressure on Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

"President Bush gave [Musharraf] a blank check and he is using it," Clinton said in terms of not moving the country toward democracy or hunting down Osama bin Laden, who is suspected of being in the country.

While Clinton herself will not be in the state her husband will make stops tomorrow in Nashua, Dover, and Portsmouth.

CONCORD, N.H. -- Speaking at a chilly apple orchard here Hillary Clinton stressed her ability to work with Republicans as a young lawyer, first lady and a US Senator.

"Back when I was running in 2000, people wondered whether as a Senator I could work with Republicans. And I believe that there were probably some bets taken on that," Clinton said. "And the people who made those bets, at least against me, didn't know me very well, didn't know what I've done for 35 years, didn't follow the arc of my life and my career where what I have always been interested in is trying to make life better for people."

To back up her message of bi-partisanship she mentioned her collaboration with Republican US Senators Lindsey Graham and James Inhofe, as well as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Her trip to New Hampshire today and tomorrow comes at a time when Clinton is fiercely defending any minor lead she has in the state while her support appears to be falling in Iowa. Polls in New Hampshire this past week show her in a competitive race against Barack Obama.

She also began asking for the vote.

"Give me the chance," she said.

PLAISTOW, N.H. -- In response to a question that there "appears to be a pattern" of her voting for war, Senator Hillary Clinton said she doesn't favor war and that she and her Democratic rivals basically have the same voting record in the US Senate on Iraq.

"I believe that every one of us that is running to be the Democratic nominee has the same position now on Iraq," Clinton said . "We are all going to end the war as soon as possible."

The questioner, Barbara Dennetts, a teacher from Newfields, said she supports Clinton, but her friends have problems with her vote to authorize the use of force in Iraq. Barack Obama was on record as being against the war from the beginning though he wasn't elected to the Senate until after the war started and has supported war funding bills since. John Edwards voted for the war, but since he has left the Senate he has said he wants to cut funding for the war.

"I believe that it is important to look at someone's total record, you know, basically Edwards left the Senate and [after] Obama came in we all voted the same way," she said.

But on Iran, she said, she does disagree with her rivals on a recent vote that labeled the Iranian National Guard a terrorist organization.

"If it saves American lives by labeling them a terrorist organization then I am going to label them a terrorist organization," Clinton said to applause.

Leeland Eisenberg, the man who was arrested for pretending to have a bomb taped to his waist and held hostages in Hillary Clinton's Rochester office, wrote a letter of apology to the staff today in a local newspaper.

In a letter published in the Foster's Daily Democrat Saturday, Eisenberg wrote, "I want to fully and sincerely acknowledge the fear pains and lasting effects my senseless actions caused you to suffer."

Eisenberg is being held at the Stafford County Jail.

With polls showing her losing her lead in Iowa, her previous double-digit lead in New Hampshire now a tie and her powerful co-chair's resignation from the campaign over comments he made, Hillary Clinton will return to Southern New Hampshire this weekend hoping to right the ship.

The campaign just announced she will make appearances in Plaistow and Nashua.

A progressive New Hampshire group blog, called BlueHampshire.com, has suspended user accounts originating out Hillary Clinton's campaign office because they violated a policy of the website.

In a posting on BlueHampshire.com, one of the site's founders explains four "user" accounts were made within minutes of each other and all from the same IP address, which tracked back to the Clinton campaign.

Then those four user accounts began posting positive material about Clinton hoping to influence the viewers of the website. Over the past year BlueHampshire.com has grown in clout offering a space where primarily New Hampshire Democrats can talk among themselves about issues of the day. In fact the website and its founders were recently profiled on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.

The Clinton campaign and others have spent considerable energy on the website. The website encourages campaigns to post, but asks that they identify themselves. These four users apparently did not do that. The Clinton campaign said they were unaware of the issue and that it wasn't an "orchestrated effort", but just overzealous volunteers.

Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign is distancing themselves from comments their own New Hampshire's campaign chairman said earlier today that Barack Obama's past drug use would hurt his chances at winning the general election.

Earlier in the day New Hampshire Clinton chair Bill Shaheen told the Washington Post that Repiblicans would have a field day asking Obama about his admitted previous drug use.

"It'll be, 'When was the last time? Did you ever give drugs to anyone? Did you sell them to anyone?'" Shaheen told the Post. "There are so many openings for Republican dirty tricks. It's hard to overcome."

“Senator Clinton is out every day talking about the issues that matter to the American people. These comments were not authorized or condoned by the campaign in any way,” said Kathleen Strand, New Hampshire Clinton spokesman.

Obama's national campaign manager David Plouffe had this statement:

“Hillary Clinton said attacking other Democrats is the ‘fun part’ of this campaign, and now she’s moved from Barack Obama’s kindergarten years to his teenage years in an increasingly desperate effort to slow her slide in the polls. Senator Clinton’s campaign is recycling old news that Barack Obama has been candid about in a book he wrote years ago, and he’s talked about the lessons he’s learned from these mistakes with young people all across the country. He plans on winning this campaign by focusing on the issues that actually matter to the American people.”

Hillary Clinton picked up the endorsemsent of a New Hampshire chain of 11 newspapers in the largely the Lakes Region today.

The endorsement of Salmon Press was larged based on her experience, they wrote.

"Those that don’t think experience counts in politics haven’t been listening to Sen. Hillary Clinton. The combination of her proven track record and positive vision for America make her our choice in the Democratic primary," the editorial read.

The 11 Salmon Press newspapers include: the Littleton Courier, Coos County Democrat (Lancaster, NH) and Berlin Reporter, the Granite State News (Wolfeboro, NH), Carroll County Independent (Conway, NH), Meredith News, Record Enterprise (Plymouth, NH), Winnisquam Echo (Tilton, NH), Gilford Steamer, Baysider (Alton, NH), and Mountain Ear (Conway, NH).

A little over a week after Hillary Clinton's Rochester was closed following a hostage situation inside, the campaign says it will reopen the office Sunday.

On Friday, Nov. 30, Leeland Eisenberg entered the office claiming to have a bomb taped around his waist and held five hostages in a stand-off that lasted 5 1/2 hours. He has since been charged with six felonies.

Today one of those held hostage spoke about her experience.

CONCORD, N.H. -- The New Hampshire chapter of the National Education Association will soon publicly endorse Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Mike Huckabee for their respective party's nomination for president, the organization tells the Globe.

The news first appeared on MSNBC's First Read blog.

This is the first time the 16,000 member chapter has ever endorsed a Republican.

The chapter plans a big announcement tomorrow in Manchester, possibly with Senator Hillary Clinton there. A separate event for Huckabee has not been put together.

Read our story here on another site on Boston.com

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- After a bomb scare in her Rochester office ended peacefully, Hillay Clinton flew to Portsmouth where he met wih hostages and their families. She also visited Manchester where she met with staff at the state headquarters.

The events in Portsmouth (including her comments to the press) can be found in this morning's Globe.

But her Manchester visit was too late to make the paper.

Driving in a caravan of two black suburbans, a Manchester police vehicle and a state trooper, Clinton arrived at the office at 11:00pm.

Clinton left the office twenty minutes.

The participants, around 50, were a mixture of staffers and volunteers and was closed to the press.

She then flew to Iowa where she plans to stick to her schedule of campaigning there.

-- Primary Source assistant Brian Lawson reported from Manchester.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- With new polls out this morning showing Barack Obama still leading Hillary Clinton in Iowa and gaining ground on her in New Hampshire, Clinton's national campaign manager is calling on Obama to remove an ad that began airing in the Granite State yesterday they said was "misleading".

This is the ad in question:

Manager Patti Solis Doyle said the ad was inaccurate because the ad claims to "cover everyone" with healthcare coverage and his plan doesn't guarantee that every American will have coverage because they don't mandate every to have it as the Clinton and John Edwards plan do.

Obama spokesman Reid Cherlin said it was "curious" that the Clinton campaign has decided to attack the ad today instead of when it first ran in Iowa two months ago.

On a conference call with reporters Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said the change in tone away from a campaign that didn't "attack Democrats" was in response to the attacks that Obama and Edwards have been launching on her.

GOFFSTOWN, N.H. -- Hillary Clinton discussed her health care plan with five New Hampshire voters sitting around a picturesque kitchen table.

She told the voters that her plan "American Health Choices Plan," is based on shared responsibilities and choice.

"Everyone has to be in the system," she said. Clinton argued that her plan allows people who are satisfied with their insurance plans to stay with their coverage because "people want different choices."

Several times Clinton said her plan "is not government run, it's private based insurance."

When told by one of the participants that people are worried her plan is socialized medicine, Clinton said "the Republicans are beating that drum because it's the only drum they have."

"I want to have this debate because they have the same old tired ideas," she added.

Carrie Foster, a teacher and basketball coach at Manchester's private Derryfield School, said that Hillary portrayed "a sense of vision and confidence."

However, Foster said she still has questions about Clinton's foreign policy stances and will contact her Manchester office for policy details. Foster added she is "still looking at everyone's positions," and is not a committed Clinton supporter.

CONCORD, N.H. -- New Hampshire First Lady Susan Lynch will endorse Hillary Clinton for president, sources tell the Globe.

Lynch's husband, Governor John Lynch, is not expected to support any candidate this cycle. This arrangement has precedent. In 2003 Christie Vilsack endorsed John Kerry's presidential campaign, but Governor Tom Vilsack remained neutral.

Lynch is a doctor at Concord Hospital. Four years ago she was part of a group called "Doctors for Dean" supporting Howard Dean's presidential campaign.

The endorsement is expected to take place this afternoon in Concord.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- The chair of the New Hampshire Young Democrats endorsed Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign tonight as Bill Clinton was about to address a national Young Democrats conference in Manchester.

Gray Chynoweth, a Manchester lawyer, said he will step down from his position now that he has made an endorsement.

WHITEFIELD, N.H. -- In his first trip to New Hampshire campaigning for his wife by himself this year, former President Bill Clinton will speak to the Young Democrats and the Stonewall Democrats who are holding national meetings in Manchester this weekend.

He will also visit White Mountains Regional High School in Whitefield on Friday afternoon, where the Secret Service has already been at work. During a stop for Ron Paul in Whitefield today the talk of the town was actually on Clinton's visit.

The Clinton campaign has yet to release the full details of the former president's one day trip.

Former president Bill Clinton will return to New Hampshire to campaign for his wife on Friday, the campaign said.

No details have been released as to where he will be.

This is the third time that the former president has been in the state campaigning for his wife and the first time he is here by himself.

CONCORD, N.H. -- Hillary Clinton, the leading Democratic presidential candidate, told reporters Friday that she didn't believe her rivals were attacking her as a woman, but because she was the front-running.

"I don't think they are piling on me because I am a woman," Clinton said. "They are piling on me because I am winning."

Clinton officially filed paperwork to put her name on the New Hampshire presidential primary ballot. It was actually the third time she as entered the the New Hampshire Secretary of State office for the purpose of placing a name on the ballot.

As she sat with reporters in the office for the traditional post filing press conference there were pictures in front of her of when she filed for her husband in 1991 and 1995.

"Oh my look how my hair styles have changed," she said.

She also said she was "100 percent committed" to the New Hampshire Primary and Iowa Caucus.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Revered New Hampshire state Senator Lou D'Allesandro endorsed Hillary Clinton today as he introduced her at a candidate forum here.

For several campaign cycles D'Allessandro, a Manchester Democrat, has been one of the most sought out endorsement for any Democrat running for president.

His endorsement today also puts to a close the long going political relationship he had with John Edwards. In 2004, D'Allesandro was Edwards's New Hampshire campaign chair, but out of a concern that Edwards was not committed to campaigning hard enough in New Hampshire he began to openly question whether or not he would endorse him again.

UPDATED:
In an interview D'Allesandro said he took a lot of time and talked to his family in making his decision.

"I just believe she is the most prepared to lead," he said.

D'Allesandro said he made up his mind a week ago on a plane ride back from California where he visited a disabled friend.

"It all clicked then," he said.

Wesley Clark responds to this post:

"Believe me when I say that I’ve see Bill Clinton and Hillary, at close range, interacting with the troops and with senior leaders. I respect John Hutson, but he just doesn’t track with my personal experience," Clark said.

Fun fact: In 2003, Hutson hosted Clark at Franklin Pierce Law School.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- On the opening night of the World Series, former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright spent the night discussing how Hillary Clinton would "restore America's place in the world" if elected president.

"The world is ready for a different face from America," the former Clinton cabinet member told a crowd of 200 people.

Albright said that as first lady, "Hillary was America's best ambassador."

Albright also told the audience that Clinton is "a supportive friend" and when Albright would receive bad press, Hillary would call her and say "get over this."

Albright's talk was entirely focused on foreign policy, she took time to tell the predominately New Hampshire crowd that Granite State voters are "one of the most truly sophisticated and educated audiences."

Though contenting with Game 1 of the World Series, the audience had a sizeable student presence.

Ryan Ollis, a senior politics major, said he decided to come to the talk because "It's only Game One of the series and it's an opportunity I may never have again."

New Hampshire State Senator Iris Estabrook endorsed Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign this afternoon.

Estabrook, a Durham Democrat, becomes the seventh New Hampshire state senator to endorse Clinton.

She has a reputation for being more of a policy wonk than as a hard campaigner so it is unclear what Estabrook can actually to actually help Clinton get votes. That said, her endorsement should be seen has a much more symbolic punch toward Barack Obama who must do well in a college town like Durham to have any shot at winning the state's presidential primary.

Hillary Clinton received the endorsement of two New Hampshire state Senators seen as political rising stars.

State Senators Kathy Sgambati, of Tilton, and Maggie Hassan, of Exeter, both Democrats endorsed Clinton on the day she announced her national health care plan in Iowa.

Sgambati, a freshman, is the former deputy at the state's Health and Human Services agency. Hassan first won her seat in 2004 by advocating a change in the state's health insurance laws.

They are the fifth and sixth New Hampshire state Senators to endorse Clinton.

Dennis Adams, the Director of Marketing for the New England Plumbers and Pipefitters union and a member of the state's AFL-CIO, endorsed Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign today, the campaign announced.

Adams lives in Deerfield.

Bill and Hillary Clinton will campaign once again in New Hampshire over Labor Day Weekend, her presidential campaign announced today.

The pair will be in New Hampshire on Sunday though the details have not been released.

They last campaigned in the state as a couple in July.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post said Barack Obama would also be in the state Sunday. He will actually be in the state Monday and Tuesday.

New Hampshire House Speaker Terie Norelli endorsed Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign today during two events with Clinton supporters and members of the press.

Norelli, a Portsmouth Democrat, is serving her first term as speaker.

In a letter to supporters, Norelli said Clinton can deliver change.

"Hillary has outlined big goals for our country," Norelli wrote.

Because of her position in the Legislature and reputation in the abortion rights and women's rights community, Norelli's endorsement is an important one.

The campaign named Norelli a co-chair of Clinton's New Hampshire campaign, joining Dover lawyer Bill Shaheen.

Norelli said she will now hit the road to campaign for Clinton, attending ten events around the state in the next two weeks, talking to voters over coffee.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. – New York Senator Hillary Clinton said today that as part of her plan to address global warming she would create a “green building fund” that would provide money to make public buildings more energy efficient.

In establishing such a fund, Clinton said she would allocate $1 billion annually for grants and low-interest loans for public buildings such as schools or police stations to become more energy efficient. She believes the fund would create 50,000 new jobs.

“We know we can create millions of jobs if we are smart about we go about addressing the environment and global warming,” Clinton said.

Clinton made those remarks at a forum dedicated to global warming sponsored by the Seacoast Media Group, owner of the Portsmouth Herald.

Due to votes in the US Senate earlier in the day, the forum was the only event she attended in New Hampshire.

Earlier in the year, the newspaper company hosted Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who addressed health care in the same location.

In addition to the green building fund, Clinton also talked about taxing oil companies for drilling on public lands.

“I can hear people on cable TV right now saying I am going after oil companies,” Clinton said. “Well I am going after the oil companies.”

A University of New Hampshire poll last week showed Clinton the front-runner in New Hampshire, leading Obama, her nearest opponent, 33 percent to 25 percent.

NASHUA, N.H. – Rita MacAuslan has been waiting since 2000 for an appropriate time to wear one of her favorite T-shirts. It is a little faded now, but her 1992 “Bill Clinton for President Committee - New Hampshire Primary Night” commemorative T-shirt seemed appropriate to wear today, she said, since Bill and now Hillary were appearing in her town together for the first time in 15 years.

MacAuslan, 55, of Nashua, said that she and her husband Joel first became Clinton fans when Bill campaigned in coffee shops around the state, appealing for their votes in the 1992 New Hampshire Primary.

“Both of us became strong supporters and have been ever since,” said MacAuslan.

That said, her support for Hillary’s campaign does not entirely flow from her previous support of Bill.

“Hillary is no Bill, but she has different talents this country needs,” she said.

MasAuslan and her husband were among over 1,200 attending the rally on the campus of Daniel Webster College.

KEENE, N.H. – The stage was set on top of a high school football field. More than 1,000 people filled the stands. The local state senator was introduced to the stage along with Hillary Clinton. Lagging behind to booming applause was the former president Bill Clinton.

It was the first time the pair has been on the same stage together in New Hampshire since 1992. From Keene they plan to speak at rallies later today in Nashua and Manchester.

Introducing his wife, Bill apologized for the event starting nearly an hour late because of a Senate vote earlier this morning on a Department of Defense spending bill.

“The reason we are late today is not me,” Clinton joked about his reputation for often being very late to campaign appearances.

As he did in Iowa last week, he called his wife the “most prepared non-incumbent ever to run for president.”

This is the second time Hillary has campaigned for president in Keene. Keene is the center for Cheshire County, the only county in New Hampshire with more registered Democrats than Republicans.

The pair drew on their experiences of campaigning here for Bill in the 1990s. Hillary said her first trip here was in 1991 to attend the city’s annual pumpkin festival. For Bill, Keene is more symbolic. It was after an event in this city that drew 400 people that he first believed he could actually get elected.

The Hillary Clinton campaign canceled events in New Hampshire on Saturday that were to have featured Bill and Hillary Clinton so the pair can attend the funeral for Lady Bird Johnson, who died yesterday.

Both Clintons had been scheduled to speak at rallies in Salem and Rochester on Saturday. They will go ahead with scheduled events on in Keene on Friday morning and Nashua later in the day.

After visiting Iowa last week Bill and and Hillary Clinton (also known as "Billary") plan to campaign together next weekend.

The campaign says the pair will hit spots in Keene, Nashua, Manchester, Rochester and Salem.

Dick Gephardt endorsed Hillary Clinton's presidential race, despite the fact that Barack Obama's New Hampshire director and New Hampshire chairman where prominent players in Gephardt's run in 2004.

Gephardt said his endorsement of Clinton was not a criticism against her opponents, but that he felt she was the more experienced.

"She knows what it means to be president," Gephardt said in conference call with reporters. "I think that in some way she is not obviously a former president but she is as close as you can be to that."

Concord lobbyist Jim Demers, who guided Gephardt's New Hampshire campaign in 2004 and now does the same thing this year for Obama, said he remains friends with Gephardt and was not offended.

"Dick and the Clintons have been friends for years," Demers said. "His is an endorsement that everyone would have liked but here in New Hampshire voters are going to continue to look at the candidates closely and make their own judgements."

Newly elected Manchester City Democratic Chair Chris Pappas endorsed Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign today.

Pappas, 27, is Harvard graduate and a former two term state representative. His family is a prominent Manchester Democratic family who owns the Puritan Backroom, a popular restaurant.

Pappas was elected to the chairmanship last month after Ray Buckley left that position to become state Democratic chair.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign picked up an endorsement from a New Hampshire state Senator who represents a key district in the New Hampshire Democratic primary next year.

Freshman Senator Molly Kelly, a Keene Democrat, said on a conference call with reporters today that she liked Clinton because "she has a record of getting things done."

Kelly represents Cheshire County, the only county in the state that has more registered Democratic voters than Republican ones.

Along with Kelly, five Democrat state Representatives endorsed Clinton. The five are Susan Beauchesne of Allenstown, Roger Berube of Somersworth, Tom Fargo of Dover, Anne Grassie of Rochester, and Tom McGuirck of Hampton.

Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign announced that attorney and former Manchester School Board member Greg Sargent was named to her campaign's national Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered steering committee.

Sargent also served as a national committeeman for the New Hampshire Young Democrats.

Hillary Clinton's campaign released a "who's who" list of endorsements in the state's Upper Valley region today.

On the list are the former Vermont Governor and former US Ambassador to Switzerland Madeleine Kunin and her newly wedded husband John Hennessey, the former dean of the Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business.

Also endorsing are Mary Chambers, the former House Democratic Leader, Ralph Hough, the former Republican Senate President, state Representative Bernie Benn, and former state representatives Marion Copenhaver and Hilda Sokol.

Clinton met with a number of activists privately at the Hanover Inn before and after her event at Dartmouth last Friday.

Bill and Hillary Clinton will campaign alongside each other next month for the first time since he ran for re-election in 1996, a Clinton aide says.

Hillary Clinton's New Hampshire spokeswoman, Kathleen Strand, said the pair will be in the state July 13, with details to be announced later.

The New Hampshire Union Leader's website reported first on the planned visit.

HANOVER, N.H. -- New York Senator Hillary Clinton came to Dartmouth College on Friday, a place she said she first visited on a blind date.

"Despite that, I am back today," Clinton said, implying the date didn't go so well.

Clinton was speaking at a town hall meeting focusing on stem cell research. In the audience was the former US Surgeon General C. Everett Koop.

After the event, Clinton was asked to expand about the blind date. She said that not only was the date the first time she was at Dartmouth, but it was her first trip ever to New Hampshire.

She said it took place when she was a freshman or sophomore at Wellesley College.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- This was not the Hillary Clinton of 2006, the seemingly inevitable Democratic nominee who staked out careful, centrist positions, her sights firmly set on the general election. Today, her focus on the primary, Clinton was declaring herself a "progressive" in the tradition of Teddy Roosevelt, and announcing a set of economic policies that she said would narrow the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots.

At a policy speech at the Manchester School of Technology this morning, Clinton unveiled a nine-point “progressive vision to aid the middle class, address rising income inequality."

Clinton was trying to paint a vision far different from that promoted by the Bush Administration.

“They call it the ownership society, but it's really the ‘on your own’ society,” Clinton said. “It's time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the few, by the few and for the few, time to reject the idea of an ‘on your own’ society and to replace it with shared responsibility for shared prosperity. I prefer a ‘we're all in it together’ society.”

Among the specific proposals Clinton discussed were expanding access to pre-kindergarten programs and greater access to college for poor and middle-class families.

She also wants to change the tax code to create disincentives for companies to outsource jobs oversees and change corporate governance rules to create more accountability.

While positioning himself for a chance to shake Clinton’s hand before she left, Richard O’Leary liked what she had to say.

“I don’t know if I am more likely to vote for her after hearing her, but she was really impressive,” said O'Leary, of Manchester.

Virginia Irwin, the New Hampshire Department of Education administrator in career development, said Clinton had the right focus by not just focusing on college.

“From where I sit she is right to recognize that college isn’t the only option for people and that those who do not go to college should be respected also,” Irwin said.

MANCHESTER, N.H. – As Hillary Clinton holds a national contest to find a campaign theme song, at a stop in New Hampshire her campaign was testing a few of its own, played at random.

When she entered the stage, the D.J. played music from New Hampshire-based jazz musician, Ed Gerhard. After the speech they played “Right Here, Right Now” by Jesus Jones, “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey, and “The Rising” by Bruce Springsteen. “The Rising” was the Kerry campaign theme song.

Over 100,000 people have voted online to help Clinton come up with a campaign theme song, the campaign announced last week.

Freshman state Senator Deb Reynolds, a Plymouth Democrat, announced her support for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign at a barber shop while standing alongside former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack.

Reynolds is a real estate lawyer in Plymouth, a small college town. Reynolds becomes the 40th New Hampshire legislator to endorse Clinton and she will join the campaign's Rural Community Steering Committee.

Vilsack, a former presidential candidate himself and now the national co-chair for Clinton’s campaign, is campaigning in New Hampshire today and tomorrow.

Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign hired Massachusetts political veteran Tracey Lewis to be the New Hampshire state field coordinator.

This will be Lewis’s third presidential campaign as field staffer. She has also worked in Florida and Wisconsin. Besides her experience in presidential politics, Lewis was the coordinated campaign manager for the Massachusetts Democratic Party in the 2006 elections.

In 2004 she worked for John Kerry in Florida as the statewide canvass director, in charge of organizing get-out-the-vote efforts.

“When you sign up Tracey you get a day and night commitment. I mean that literally,” said Kerry in a statement to the Globe. “There were days on the 2004 campaign, especially in Florida, that I know Tracey worked for days on end – many nights without even an hour's worth of sleep. My Florida campaign manager used to tell me he’d leave the headquarters at two in the morning, come in at six, and realize Tracey had never left.”

As this blog reported exclusively earlier in the day, New Hampshire State Senate President Sylvia Larsen endorsed Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign today.

Since Governor John Lynch has said he will not pick sides (for now, at least), Larsen is the highest endorsement of Democratic office holder in the state.

But why did she pick Clinton?

In a conference call with reporters Larsen said it came down to one issue: trust.

“The bottom line is that I trust Hillary Clinton,” said Larsen.

News of her endorsement today surprised many who closely watch New Hampshire politics. Larsen said repeatedly that she wouldn’t endorse any presidential candidate until the legislative session was over in July. Currently, Larsen is in her first session as Senate president.

Larsen said as Mother’s Day approached she began thinking about issues involving families and specifically healthcare for children, and she picked Clinton.

She has visited with nearly all Democratic presidential candidates, she said. She first met Hillary in 1990 when "she was the wife of an unknown Governor from Arkansas." She was impressed with her then, but thought going into this primary season that Clinton had "let things go to her head" and "was a changed person."

But after seeing her on the trail in New Hampshire, Larsen "came away favorably impressed" and made her choice.

New Hampshire state Senate President Sylvia Larsen, of Concord, formally endorsed Hillary Clinton for president this afternoon, marking one of the biggest endorsements for the New York senator thus far.

The announcement came at a press conference shortly after 2 p.m. this afternoon in New Hampshire. The Globe had reported earlier in the day that Larsen was expected to formally voice support for Clinton.

Larsen has been one of the biggest players in New Hampshire Democratic politics for a decade. In 2004, she was the first person to endorse John Kerry’s presidential campaign and helped guide him to his eventual victory in the New Hampshire Primary.

Larsen joins fellow state Senator Betsi DeVries, a Manchester Democrat, in her support of Clinton. Three other state senators have endorsed John Edwards’s campaign and yesterday the Barack Obama campaign announced that state Senator Martha Fuller Clark, of Portsmouth, had agreed to serve as one of four co-chairs of his New Hampshire organization. Freshman State Senator Harold Janeway is also reportedly with Obama.

Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign launched a New Hampshire specific campaign website today. Along with the launch they also announced that May 12 will be a "day of action" where volunteers and staff will begin to go door to door and use phone banks to talk with voters.

New York Senator Hillary Clinton will participate in an New Hampshire debate next month after initially having concerns that it was not sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee.

This leaves Illinois Senator Barack Obama as the only Democratic candidate who was not accepted the offer. Obama campaign officials said last week they also had not made a decision on the New Hampshire debate because it was not sanctioned by the DNC.

The June 3 debate is sponsored by CNN, WMUR-TV, and the New Hampshire Union Leader.

Hillary Clinton's campaign released the names of 500 New Hampshire women who are supporting the campaign.

Among those 500 was freshman state Senator Betsi DeVries. DeVries, Manchester's first female firefighter, could have been expected to endorse Clinton all along. But her announcement at New Hampshire's State House today was less than four days after Clinton's rival, Senator Chris Dodd, headlined a campaign fund-raiser for DeVries.

Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign announced the endorsements of eight more state representatives supporting her, just one day before her rival Barack Obama is scheduled to campaign in the state.

Among those endorsing her were Catriona Beck of Bennington; James Cyr of Strafford; Eleanor Kjellman of Henniker; Lori Movsesian of Nashua; Barbara Shaw of Manchester; Mary Sysyn of Manchester; Janet Wall of Madbury; and Deborah Wheeler of Northfield.

New York Senator Hillary Clinton will return to New Hampshire Friday for three days of campaigning in the state, her campaign said Monday afternoon.

She is scheduled to be in Concord, Manchester and Hampton.

This is her fifth trip to the state since February.

New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign announced Sunday afternoon that she raised a record amount in the first 10 weeks of her campaign.

With the fund-raising deadline set for last night, the campaign said Clinton raised $26 million and transferred an additional $10 million leftover from her 2006 Senate campaign.

"We are overwhelmed and tremendously pleased," Patti Solis Doyle, Clinton's campaign manager, said in a conference call with national reporters.

Clinton is the first presidential candidate -- Republican or Democrat -- to announce how much she has raised. Typically fund-raising numbers for the first quarter have been important in shaping perceptions about the candidates' abilities to attract donations.

Previously, the first-quarter fund-raising record was set by John Edwards in 2003, when he collected $7.4 million.

CONCORD, N.H. – As New York Senator Hillary Clinton spoke with a teacher's union group about her plan for universal preschool and health care, one teacher stood up to say she liked Clinton's haircut.

“It is more Hillary Clinton than Dorothy Hamel,” said Kelly MacDonald, an English teacher at Manchester Central High School, to Clinton.

That prompted Clinton to spend more time than she usually does joking about her changing hair styles.

“There is so much fascination with my hair that I told Bill when he was president that if he wanted to get some international incident off the front page I would change it,” she said.

Clinton spoke for over an hour to 300 delegates at the National Education Association’s New Hampshire chapter. One of the leaders of that group is a close friend of Clinton’s, former Ambassador Terry Shumaker.

Clinton will be in Boston tonight for a campaign fund-raiser.

Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern has endorsed Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.

McGovern is scheduled to explain his endorsement in a conference call with reporters this afternoon.

As the Globe reported he would do a week ago, former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen’s husband, Bill Shaheen, formally endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign today.

Shaheen held a press conference at the Merrimack Restaurant in Manchester this morning to formally endorse Clinton and announce he will be her campaign’s New Hampshire co-chair.

Last night he released an email to supporters via the Clinton campaign saying “Hillary is the only candidate in this race with the experience and knowledge to get us out of Iraq and bring our troops home.”

According to Hillary Clinton's campaign, 16 additional Democratic state representatives have endorsed her presidential bid.

They are: Peter H. Allen, Harrisville; Peter Cote, Nashua; John DeJoie, Concord; Carol Estes, Plymouth; Raymond Gagnon, Claremont; Doreen Howard, Newmarket; Jean Jeudy, Manchester; Steve Johnson, Manchester; Melanie Levesque, Brookline; Edgar Mears, Berlin; Michael Reuschel, Manchester; Deanna Rollo, Rollinsford; Michael Rollo, Rollinsford; Hector Velez, Manchester; Jim Splaine, Portsmouth; and Jane Wood, Laconia.

In a little covered line during her speech at the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s 100 Club Saturday night, Senator Hillary Clinton said the “vast right-wing conspiracy” that aimed to take down her husband’s presidency was also behind a plot to jam phone lines in the state during the 2002 election.

Three Republicans were convicted in the phone jamming scheme set up to help U.S. Senator John E. Sununu defeat then Governor Jeanne Shaheen.

"So if anybody tells you there is no vast right-wing conspiracy, tell them that New Hampshire has proven it in court," she said.

Globe columnist Scot Lehigh scores a scoop in his column this morning quoting New Hampshire Democratic power broker Billy Shaheen as saying he is "leaning" towards endorsing New York Senator Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and that he might do it in the next week or so.

Shaheen is married to former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen, whose endorsement in the presidential race has been highly sought.

Jeanne ran Jimmy Carter's New Hampshire campaign in 1976, before being the national campaign chairwoman on two presidential campaigns. In 2004, she served as Kerry's national campaign chair.

In 2003, Billy endorsed Kerry in the spring and Jeanne endorsed Kerry in the fall, a dynamic that could play out again with Clinton.

New York Senator Hillary Clinton picked up another key New Hampshire endorsement a day before she addresses 1,000 of the party's donors in Nashua.

Executive Councilor Debra Pignatelli, a Nashua Democrat, formally endorsed Clinton's campaign saying, Clinton's "wisdom, values and determination made this an easy decision for me."

Last month Pignatelli hosted a house party for Clinton.

Earlier in the week, House Majority Leader Mary Jane Wallner, a Concord Democrat, endorsed Clinton.

Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign announced three new hires for senior staff positions in New Hampshire yesterday.

All three have ties to popular Democratic Governor John Lynch.: Sarah Nolan, New Hampshire Political Director; Sarah Foy, Director of Online Organizing; and Colin Pio, Political Assistant.

A big fund-raising dinner for the New Hampshire Democratic Party in Nashua this Saturday featuring New York Senator Hillary Clinton has been sold out, the party said today.

More than 1,000 tickets were sold to the 100 Club event, one of two major fund-raisers the party has annually. That number is considerably more than the amount of tickets sold for last fall's Jefferson-Jackson dinner featuring Massachusetts Senator John Kerry.

The majority leader in the New Hampshire House of Representatives yesterday endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, saying the country was ready for a female president.

State Representative Mary Jane Wallner, a Concord Democrat, told reporters on a conference call she had been secretly hoping Clinton would run.

“I knew for a long time that if Senator Clinton ran she would probably be my candidate,” said Wallner.

As majority leader, Wallner oversees 239 members of the Democratic caucus and is one of the state's most influential Democrats.

Wellesley College kept alumna Hillary Clinton’s senior thesis about a progressive Chicago organizer under lock and key while she served as first lady, a report says, but today it is open for public view.

MSNBC.com’s Bill Dedman reports that Wellesley historically has allowed every senior thesis to be read, but they made an exception for Clinton. Dedman reports that Clinton asked that the thesis not be made public, and Wellesley decided that the theses of any alumna who becomes president or first lady would be kept from public view.

Since Clinton is no longer in the White House, the thesis is now accessible to the public. Because of the secrecy surrounding it, some conservatives have called it the “holy grail,” but Dedman seemed less than impressed when he read it.

Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign named Kathleen Strand as New Hampshire communications director. Currently, Strand holds that same position at the New Hampshire Democratic Party.

On March 11, she will re-join Nick Clemons, who just resigned as the NHDP’s executive director.

Strand worked in Iowa for Dick Gephardt for the 2004 presidential caucuses there before coming to New Hampshire later that year to help John Kerry.

New York Senator Hillary Clinton will return to New Hampshire for a second weekend in a row.

Few details have been released about the Democratic presidential candidate's schedule, other than she will be in Dover and Portsmouth, cities in the state's Seacoast region.

The Seacoast and the Upper Valley were the only two regions of the state Clinton did not visit during her first trip to the state last weekend.

BERLIN, N.H. -- As many as 500 people turned out to see New York Senator Hillary Clinton during her first political trip here on Saturday, among the largest campaign gatherings in the state's sparsely populated North Country.

Just days before last fall's election, Senator John McCain drew a crowd of about 300 at the Berlin V.F.W. Hall.

The only crowd that was larger for a North Country political event in recent memory was a campaign rally by then President George H.W. Bush as was seeking re-election.

"This is a very big deal for Berlin," said Mayor Bob Danderson. "The last thing to cause this much commotion was when Berlin High when to the state championship for hockey last year."

BERLIN, N.H. - During her first campaign appearance in New Hampshire since announcing her intention to run for president, Senator Hillary Clinton was asked point blank whether she felt her 2002 vote to give President the authority to go to war in Iraq was a mistake.

Roger Tilton, a certified financial planner from Nashua, asked her “if once and for all” she would admit that the vote was a mistake. Since then, former Senator John Edwards and Senator John Kerry have said it was a mistake.

Clinton repeated her often-used phrase that “if I were president, there never would have been a vote.” But that was not enough for Tilton.

“She has plenty of great things to say that I agree with, but I cannot even listen to them until I hear her say flat out it was a mistake,” Tilton told reporters afterward.

But Regina Turner, of Randolph, said she was satisfied with Clinton's answer.

"What is lost is that she voted in good faith that what the president said was true," Turner said. "Obviously it wasn't and she said that."

As Clinton continues to campaign, she said there will be one difference between the New Hampshire campaigns of her husband and the one she is about to embark.

While Senator Clinton was asked about Iraq three times during her 75 minute town hall meeting, this was by far the most critical. Most other questions were about health care and education costs.

BERLIN, N.H. -- With temperature outside just 3 degrees, the press and curious residents from the area had already packed the City Hall here hoping to see and maybe ask a question to Senator Hillary Clinton.

In her first stop to New Hampshire since announcing her intent to run for president, Clinton is schedule to speak in his economically depressed old mill town in New Hampshire's North Country.

To get a seat in the small hall, people had to arrive 90 minutes before the start of the event. Those that did not were sent to an overflow room.

Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign has named Nick Clemons, currently the Executive Director of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, to be state director for her presidential campaign.

Due to his experience and his prominent political family, Clemons is the biggest New Hampshire "get" who had not yet signed with a candidate.

The Washington-based Hotline first broke the news, which was later confirmed to the Globe by the Clinton campaign.

Prior to his role with the state party, Clemons ran the state operation for the 2004 Kerry-Edwards campaign during the general election. During the 2004 New Hampshire primary, he was John Kerry's New Hampshire field director. He was also the field director for former Governor Jeanne Shaheen's re-election campaign in 2000 and her US Senate run in 2002.

Clemons's mother is chairwoman of the Nashua Democratic Committee and as a state representative is chairwoman of the House Election Committee. His father has been elected to the Nashua School Board and his brother ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2006.

Details for Senator Hillary Clinton's trip to New Hampshire this weekend were released Wednesday. It is her first trip since announcing she is exploring a presidential run.

Clinton will hold a series of town hall meetings in Berlin, Concord, and Keene. She will also hold invitation-only house parties in Manchester and Nashua.

For details and tickets: her website.

Senator Hillary Clinton has canceled her highly anticipated visit to New Hampshire this weekend, the Union Leader reports.

Clinton's national field director Karen Hicks said that all of Clinton's events for Saturday and Sunday have been canceled due to former President Bill Clinton's stepfather being seriously ill.

Senator Hillary Clinton will start her first trip to New Hampshire in over 10 years by addressing a town hall forum at Concord High School on Saturday, the New Hampshire Democratic Party announced.

The full details of Clinton's weekend trip have not been announced, but the Keene Sentinel reported on Monday she will appear at a private breakfast meeting with Democratic activists in Keene Sunday morning.

Senator Hillary Clinton has hired a veteran New Hampshire Democratic operative whose specialty is raising money inside the state.

Liz Purdy, the former finance director for the New Hampshire Democratic Party, will have a senior staff role in a Granite State campaign for Clinton if she actually runs, the New Hampshire Union Leader reports.

Purdy recently completed an MBA and was a consultant to Gov. John Lynch's re-election in 2006. She is married to Mike Vlacich, who was Lynch's campaign manager.

Clinton is scheduled to visit the state next week.

The New Hampshire Union Leader reported Monday afternoon one of the worst kept secrets in the state: Karen Hicks will work for Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign if given the chance.

Hicks, currently a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, ran Howard Dean’s New Hampshire campaign in 2004 before coming the national field director for the Democratic National Committee.