Mitt Romney reported tonight that he put in $18 million more of his own fortune into his presidential bid during the last three months of 2007, bringing his total to $35.3 million.

He also said he brought in $9.1 million in contributions, bringing his total fund-raising to $54 million. As of Dec. 31, he had $2.4 million in cash.

Hillary Clinton's campaign did not say today how much it has raised this month, after Barack Obama boasted about bringing in a staggering $32 million just during January.

But tonight she did report that she raised nearly $27 million during the fourth quarter of 2007, raising her campaign total to more than $107 million. She also said she had $38 million in the bank as of Dec. 31, according to her filing with the Federal Election Commission.

By Susan Milligan
Globe staff

LOS ANGELES -- Faltering in opinion polls among Latinos, Barack Obama took his campaign yesterday to heavily Hispanic south Los Angeles, telling a crowd made up mainly of technical college students that the struggles of blacks and Hispanics are the same.

``In the past few weeks, we've heard some cynical talk about how black and white and Latino folks cannot come together,'' Obama told a crowd a boisterous crowd of about 1,000 at LA Technical Trade College. ``I am reminded of the Latino brothers and sisters I worked alongside on the streets of Chicago decades ago,'' Obama said, recalling his days as a community organizer helping displaced steel workers.

``One of the things that happened when the plants closed was that everybody lost their jobs'' -- blacks, whites and Latinos, he said. ``Because people were divided, they felt disempowered, and sometimes they turned on each other.''

But ``if we could bring people back together...they could recognize themselves in each other,'' the Illinois lawmaker said.

Obama has trailed far behind New York Senator Hillary Clinton among Latino voters, a factor which helped put Clinton over the top in the Nevada caucuses last month. Obama is trying to shore up his relationship with Latinos ahead of Feb. 5, when many states with substantive Hispanic populations will hold primaries.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy yesterday stumped for Obama in New Mexico. The Obama camp hopes Kennedy's stamp of approval will help the Democratic presidential contender among Latinos, because Kennedy has a strong relationship with Hispanics. Many Latinos feel very close to the Kennedy family, said Cecelia Munoz, senior vice president of the National Council of La Raza.

Obama pointedly noted his involvement in the immigration debate, a politically radioactive issue many other presidential candidates have largely avoided. ``We are a nation of laws, but we are also a nation of immigrants,'' Obama told the crowd, which yelled, ``si, se puede!'' -- yes, we can -- to punctuate Obama's remarks.

``My father, when he came here ... he, um, he didn't look like he came off the Mayflower,'' said Obama, whose black father was from Kenya. The candidate wondered aloud why people were so focused on immigrants coming from south of the border, instead of from Poland or Ireland.

But if Obama was hoping his ``town meeting'' would turn into a Dr. Phil-style encounter about race relations between blacks and Latinos, he didn't get one. The audience -- which included mainly Latinos and African-Americans -- asked about education, Darfur, Latin America policy and what qualities he'd like in a vice president. The last question brought a collective chuckle from the crowd, but Obama didn't bite.

``It's a little too early'' to speculate on that, Obama said. He added that he would make appointments to his administration who will restore ``competence and respect'' to government. As for the second-in-command, ``I want a candidate and a vice president that is reflective of the country,'' he added, without elaborating.

Several of the Republican presidential candidates -- some still in the running, some not -- are filing their campaign finance reports.

Rudy Giuliani, who dropped out on Wednesday after collecting a grand total of one delegate, reported raising $14.2 million during the last three months of 2007, and $59.2 million total. He had $16.6 million in the bank at the end of the year, but likely spent it on his ill-fated campaign in Florida.

John McCain, who won Giuliani's endorsement, reported to the Federal Election Commission that he raised $6.8 million during the fourth quarter, bringing his campaign total to $37.5 million. McCain ended the year with $3 million in the bank, but also a $4.5 million debt, according to his FEC filing.

Mike Huckabee, who is still in the race, reported bringing in $6.6 million during the fourth quarter, bringing his total to $9 million. He reported having only $651,000 in cash on hand as of Dec. 31.

Fred Thompson, who dropped out earlier this month after a dismal showing in South Carolina, said he raised $8.9 million during the last three months of 2007, and a total of $21.7 million. He had $7.1 million in the bank at year's end.

By Frank Phillips, Globe Staff

Joseph D. Malone, the former Republican Massachusetts state treasurer who backed Rudy Giuliani for president, is following the lead of the former New York City mayor and endorsing US Senator John McCain's campaign for the GOP nomination.

Malone said today that he decided against throwing his support to Mitt Romney because he feels McCain's experience in foreign affairs and his background in other national public policy issues far outweigh the former governor's credentials.

''Mitt is not at the presidential level yet,'' Malone said, two days after McCain won the Florida primary and emerged as the front-runner in the race. Giulani announced Wednesday he is dropping out of the race and endorsed the Arizona senator.

Another Bay State Republican, former Governor Paul Cellucci, who had endorsed Giulani, said yesterday that he has not made a decision what to do now that the former New York mayor halted his campaign. ''I want to talk to Rudy before I make a decision,'' he said.

Cellucci is not expected to endorse Romney, according to those who have talked with him since the Florida primary this week. His and Malone's rejection of Romney's candidacy reflect the division within the Massachusetts Republican leadership that are hurting Romney as he works carry the state in Tuesday's primary election. Former acting Governor Jane Swift, another Republican, endorsed McCain early in the campaign.

By Stephanie Ebbert, Globe staff

Welcome to Battleground Massachusetts: Three of the four presidential front-runners will be in Boston on Monday.

Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign confirmed today that she plans a campaign swing through Boston on Monday, the eve of the Super Tuesday election, underscoring Massachusetts' role as a key battleground state in the 22-state contest.

And on the Republican side, John McCain also is expected to campaign in Massachusetts on Monday, hoping to take support from Mitt Romney in his backyard.

It will be Clinton's second visit to Massachusetts within a week. Last Monday, she appeared in Springfield on the same day that her opponent, Senator Barack Obama, picked up the endorsement of US Senator Edward M. Kennedy -- energizing the Obama campaign, which views the state as winnable, and shaking up Clinton supporters.

Obama's campaign announced on Wednesday that he, too, plans to visit Boston on Monday as Massachusetts and 21 other states cast their votes in the Democratic primary.

Among the states voting on Tuesday, Massachusetts offers the fifth-largest share of Democratic delegates -- 121, or 8 percent of the delegates up for grabs that day.

Details of the three campaign visits are not yet available.

They've faced off over immigration. They've haggled over taxes. They've fought over pardons.

Now, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee are being given the chance to debate the finer points of eating fried chicken.

It's a marketing gimmick by Kentucky Fried Chicken, playing off an episode last week in Florida when Romney stopped by a KFC restaurant and stripped the skin off a breast before dining. That prompted Huckabee, who had a well-known love for all things fried before he went on a diet and lost 110 pounds, to mock Romney.

"Any Southerner knows that if you're not gonna eat the skin, don't bother with calling it fried chicken," Huckabee told reporters. "I'm glad to hear that [Romney] did that because that means I'm going to win Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma -- all these great Southern states that understand that the best part of fried chicken is the skin."

If the former Arkansas governor does win those Super Tuesday states, it could deal a mortal blow to Romney, who hopes to do well in those places to offset rival John McCain's strength in California, the West, and the Northeast.

Today, Gregg Dedrick, president of KFC, issued an open letter to the candidates.

"While you may have varying viewpoints on current hot-button issues, we recently learned fried chicken gets both your 'yea' votes. However, the similarities end there as one of you prefers the Colonel’s Original Recipe in all its glory, the other prefers a skin-free meal eaten with a knife and fork," Dedrick wrote.

"In keeping with KFC’s tradition of Southern Hospitality made famous by our founder Colonel Sanders, we’d like to invite you both to stop into a KFC along the campaign trail, share a bucket of the Colonel’s Original Recipe together and debate your position on fried chicken eating etiquette -- we'll call it a 'Supper Tuesday' fried chicken debate.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Mitt Romney said today that he will spend several million dollars on TV ads in California and other Super Tuesday states in a bid to stop John McCain from getting a stranglehold on the Republican nomination.

"I have authorized a seven-figure -- I won't give you the exact number -- but seven-figure advertising buy for our campaign," he told reporters.

But he said his ad buy across the 21 states voting on Tuesday won't be nearly as expansive as his TV ad blitz in the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan, and Florida.

Instead, he said, he will be relying on news coverage of his message.

"I really think that people are going to stop and say, 'Who is going to post up best against Hillary Clinton? Who is going to post up best against Barack Obama? Who can talk about change? Who can talk about the future? Who represents the past and who
represents the future?' And I think in that head to head comparison that I'll be the winner," he said.

Romney said what he described as his more conservative views on gay marriage, immigration, and other issues would make the difference with Republican voters.

"I think that distinction is what will in the final analysis be my best weapon in a battle to the finish," he said.

Another day, another big endorsement for John McCain as he tries to consolidate his support toward the Republican nomination.

McCain, who won the blessing Wednesday of Rudy Giuliani, was endorsed this afternoon by Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor of California, the biggest prize on Super Tuesday with 173 delegates.

"I'm interested in a great future," Schwarzenegger said, flanked by McCain and Giuliani at a Los Angeles solar energy company. "Senator McCain has proven over and over again he can reach across the aisle to get things done....He's a great American hero and an extraordinary leader."

Schwarzenegger praised McCain's credentials on national security, his crusade against wasteful spending, and his advocacy of action on climate change. "This is the future. The future is clean technology," the governor said.

Both Giuliani and Schwarzenegger, however, appeal to more moderate and liberal Republicans. Many conservatives, whom Mitt Romney is trying to court, are still skeptical of McCain, over his past positions on taxes, campaign finance reform, and immigration.

Last night's debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library was packed with a predictable array of Gipper tributes, homages, and nostalgia from the four remaining Republican presidential candidates.

But John McCain held back from repeating one of the most audacious claims he has made to win over Reagan sentimentalists: last week in Tampa, McCain suggested he was ready to reenlist the most famous veteran of the "war on drugs" for another surge.

"It would be good to have Nancy Reagan back in the leadership role of the 'Just Say No' program," he said, when asked by a reporter what he would do to fight drugs and gangs as president.

Hillary Clinton is on the air with two new TV ads about the economy -- one ominous, one hopeful -- in many of the states that vote in the Super Tuesday showdown with Barack Obama.

The ominous spot shows a skydiver in freefall, plus newspaper headlines about the teetering economy. "With your job and family security in the balance, the stakes have never been higher in choosing our new president," the announcer says.

The skydiver's parachute opens just in time, then the narrator says as a photo of Clinton appears: "The person you can depend on to fix the economy and protect our future."

In the more hopeful ad, Clinton herself talks optimistically about Americans' ability to handle any problem as text appears on the screen about her proposals for tax cuts for the middle class and a freeze on foreclosures. "I will bring your voice and your spirit," Clinton promises.

By Michael Kranish
Globe Staff

ATLANTA -- Hillary Clinton, seeking to take advantage of John Edwards' withdrawal from the Democratic presidential contest, campaigned today in two of the four Southern states that will hold primaries on Super Tuesday. Clinton's first stop was in Arkansas, where she served as first lady when her husband was governor -- and where her campaign hopes to win next week.

Clinton then traveled to Georgia, where Barack Obama has a strong campaign in a state that is demographically similar to South Carolina, where Obama beat Clinton handily last week. Clinton has previously traveled to the two other Southern states holding primaries on Super Tuesday, Alabama and Tennessee.
Speaking to successive audiences in Atlanta -- first to Baptists from across the country, and then to Georgia Democrats -- Clinton urged voters to help her end what she called "an epidemic of indifference" in Washington during the last seven years. During a somewhat subdued appearance before the Baptists, she noted that she and her husband have not always been in agreement. She made the comment amid reports that there is disagreement within the campaign about whether former President Clinton's outspoken criticism of Obama has hurt Hillary Clinton's candidacy.

"Bill and I have been talking and debating since we first met 35 years ago," Senator Clinton told the Baptists. "Sometimes the decibel level can rise. That is how we learn to explore our differences."

Later, in an ebullient appearance before several thousand Democrats, Clinton heaped praise on Edwards, hoping to attract his former supporters by promising to continue his fight against of poverty. While she never mentioned Obama in her speech, she called herself best-qualified to serve from the start.

"The decision facing Georgia on Tuesday and all of the Super Tuesday states is who will be the best president on Day One to meet those challenges and seize the opportunities." The crowd, with many waving "Hillary" signs, applauded enthusiastically. Obama's failure to make an appearance at the dinner disappointed some Democrats, who spent part of the evening discussing whether his absence was a sign that he is confident of a victory here.

By Susan Milligan, Globe Staff

LOS ANGELES -- Senator Barack Obama will come to Boston on Monday to woo voters ahead of the critical Super Tuesday primary, the Obama campaign confirmed this evening.

The details of the event have not been finalized, but the plan is to hold an evening rally, a campaign spokesman said. He said he did not yet know who would be joining the Illinois lawmaker.

Obama scored a plum endorsement earlier this week, when Senator Edward M. Kennedy threw his support behind the man he said would carry on the ideals and goals of his late brothers, President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy. The slain president's daughter, Caroline Kennedy, also endorsed Obama, and appears in a recent TV ad praising Obama as the candidate who "makes us believe in ourselves again.'' Representative Patrick Kennedy, Democrat of Rhode Island, has also endorsed Obama.

Massachusetts is a key battleground in the Democratic presidential nominating fight; 22 states will hold Democratic presidential primaries and caucuses on Tuesday. While it is mathematically impossible for either Obama or Senator Hillary Clinton of New York to secure enough delegates on Tuesday to win the nomination outright, a big win by either candidate could provide important momentum in the race.

Clinton has a healthy lead in Massachusetts in recent polls, and drew a crowd of an estimated 5,000 in Springfield this week. But Obama supporters hope the Kennedy endorsement -- along with the institutional credibility and expert advice the senator brings -- can help Obama pick up support in the Bay State.

On Friday, Representative Bill Delahunt, a Quincy Democrat who endorsed Obama over foreign policy matters, will be campaigning for the Illinois senator in Massachusetts with Tony Lake, a former Clinton administration official who is now advising Obama on foreign policy.

Senator John F. Kerry, Representative Michael Capuano of Somerville, and Governor Deval Patrick also endorsed Obama, while Clinton earned early endorsements from Representatives Barney Frank of Newton, Stephen Lynch of Boston, Richard Neal of Springfield, and James McGovern of Worcester.

Rudy Giuliani, whose unorthodox campaign flamed out in Florida, pulled the plug on his presidential bid this afternoon and handed his support to John McCain.

At the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., where the remaining Republican contenders will debate tonight, Giuliani said if he had not run, the one person he would have supported would have been McCain.

The next president needs to be trusted at times of crisis and have a clear vision for the country. "Obviously I thought I was that person," Giuliani said. "The voters made a different choice."

"Deciding to endorse in my particular case was not difficult," he said, McCain at his side. "John McCain is the most qualified candidate to be the next president of the United States. He is an American hero, and the country could use heroes in the White House."

"He's shown character throughout his life, and in this very campaign, watching where he was and where he came from, made me admire him even more," Giuliani said. "He came from way behind to go way ahead. And once again displayed his tenacity, his courage, his ability to focus, his ability to get things done."

"I am deeply honored," McCain said.

Giuliani's backing is expected to help McCain in raising campaign cash and in building support in the Northeast states that vote on Super Tuesday, including New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Giuliani and McCain have been close for years. On the other hand, Giuliani and Mitt Romney, the other major Republican left in the race, sparred repeatedly, especially during debates on the issue of illegal immigration.

The former New York mayor led in national polls last year, thanks partly to wide name recognition as "America's mayor" after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on his city.

But Giuliani adopted a strategy that confounded the political establishment. He skipped the traditional early states of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, allowing his rivals to gain momentum.

He banked on Florida, but the more time he spent there, the more his support cratered. Tuesday, he ended up in third, with a paltry 15 percent of the vote.

Patriots fans who tune into the Super Bowl at home this weekend will see the usual barrage of beer and snack ads -- and a pitch from Barack Obama.

A spokesman for WFXT-TV confirmed yesterday that the Obama campaign has purchased a 30-second spot during a local advertising block during Sunday's game. That means the ad won't be seen by viewers nationwide, but it will appear on Fox 25 two days before Massachusetts holds its presidential primary.

TVWeek reported last week that Fox wouldn't sell national ad space - at a cost of about $3 million for 30 seconds - to presidential candidates. No campaigns had tried to purchase the spots anyway. Local ad space costs considerably less.

In addition, the Fox spokeswoman said, both Obama and Hillary Clinton have purchased at least one ad during the pregame Super Bowl programming, between 2 and 6 p.m.

Fox is already planning to mix football and politics that day. The broadcaster will air three hours of Fox News Channel programming in the morning, beginning with Fox News Sunday, moderated by Chris Wallace, and continuing with coverage anchored by Shepard Smith from 10 to noon.

The New York Post backed Barack Obama today in an endorsement that is more critical of Hillary Clinton than flattering of Obama.

The Post calls Obama "an untried candidate" who "sorely lacks seasoning" and whose worldview is "beyond naive."

But it says the more important issue for Democrats in New York and 21 other states voting next Tuesday is that "Obama represents a fresh start" and Clinton stands for "a return to the opportunistic, scandal-scarred, morally muddled years of the almost infinitely self-indulgent Clinton co-presidency."

"Does America really want to go through all that once again?" the Post asks. "It will -- if Sen. Clinton becomes president."

Clinton, who is counting heavily on winning her home state, was endorsed last week by the New York Times.

After a few days of relative calm on the barricades after the South Caroline primary, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's campaigns seem to be ramping up their attacks again.

Speaking in Denver today, Obama had enough to say about his rival for an impressive run-on sentence.

"It is time for new leadership that understands the way to win a debate with John McCain or any Republican who is nominated is not by nominating someone who agreed with him on voting for the war in Iraq or who agreed with him in voting to give George Bush the benefit of the doubt on Iran," Obama said, "who agrees with him in embracing the Bush-Cheney policy of not talking to leaders we don't like, who actually differed with him by arguing for exceptions for torture before changing positions when the politics of the moment changed."

And a little while ago, Clinton's chief strategist, Mark Penn, hit back at Obama on a conference call with reporters.

Referring to Obama's attacks, Penn said: "They are false, they are personal, they are unwarranted. America needs a president who will hear the voices of our people...not one who would turn their back on them."

By Michael Kranish
Globe Staff

ATLANTA _ Hillary Clinton, seeking to take advantage of John Edwards' withdrawal from the Democratic presidential contest, campaigned yesterday in two of the four Southern states that will hold primaries on Super Tuesday. Clinton's first stop was in Arkansas, where she served as first lady when her husband was governor _ and where her campaign hopes to win next week.

Clinton then traveled to Georgia, where Barack Obama has a strong campaign in a state that is demographically similar to South Carolina, where Obama beat Clinton handily last week. Clinton has previously traveled to the two other Southern states holding primaries on Super Tuesday, Alabama and Tennessee.

Speaking to successive audiences in Atlanta _ first to Baptists from across the country, and then to Georgia Democrats _ Clinton urged voters to help her end what she called "an epidemic of indifference" in Washington during the last seven years. During a somewhat subdued appearance before the Baptists, she noted that she and her husband have not always been in agreement. She made the comment amid reports that there is disagreement within the campaign about whether former President Clinton's outspoken criticism of Obama has hurt Hillary Clinton's candidacy.

"Bill and I have been talking and debating since we first met 35 years ago," Senator Clinton told the Baptists. "Sometimes the decibel level can rise. That is how we learn to explore our differences."

Later, in an ebullient appearance before several thousand Democrats, Clinton heaped praise on Edwards, hoping to attract his former supporters by promising to continue his fight against of poverty. While she never mentioned Obama in her speech, she called herself best-qualified to serve from the start.

"The decision facing Georgia on Tuesday and all of the Super Tuesday states is who will be the best president on Day One to meet those challenges and seize the opportunities." The crowd, with many waving "Hillary" signs, applauded enthusiastically. Obama's failure to make an appearance at the dinner disappointed some Democrats, who spent part of the evening discussing whether his absence was a sign that he is confident of a victory here.

Democrat John Edwards withdrew from the presidential race this afternoon, returning to the hurricane-ravaged neighborhood in New Orleans where he launched his second bid in December 2006 and emphasizing the issue -- poverty in America -- that animated his campaign.

"It's time for me to step aside so that history can blaze its path," he said with his wife Elizabeth, who is battling cancer, and his three children at his side. "Our Democratic party will make history. We will be strong, we will be unified, and with our convictions and a little backbone, we will take back the White House in November."

Edwards said he listened to Americans across the country talk about their problems and their need for economic justice.

"We will never forget the heartache and we will always be here to bring hope," Edwards said against a backdrop of houses being rehabilitated in the Ninth Ward.

Edwards, the former North Carolina senator who was John F. Kerry's running mate in 2004, did not endorse either of his rivals, Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, whose candidacies eclipsed his.

Edwards did say that both had pledged to him to make ending poverty a central cause of their campaigns and, if they're elected, their presidencies.

Edwards's supporters are expected to divide between the two, though he has generally been more critical of Clinton as a "corporate Democrat" than of Obama, with whom he shares a message of change.

"His cause lives on," Obama told supporters in Denver, urging them to applaud John and Elizabeth Edwards.

He issued a statement praising Edwards, who he said has "spent a lifetime fighting to give voice to the voiceless and hope to the struggling, even when it wasn't popular to do or covered in the news. At a time when our politics is too focused on who's up and who's down, he made a nation focus again on who matters -- the New Orleans child without a home, the West Virginia miner without a job, the families who live in that other America that is not seen or heard or talked about by our leaders in Washington."

Clinton issued a statement saying that Edwards ran with "compassion and conviction" and championed people in need.

After the speech, Edwards worked on a Habitat for Humanity house. Edwards has made repeated visits to New Orleans, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. In the spring of 2006 Edwards led more than 700 college students on an alternative spring break to help rebuild a Crescent City neighborhood and in November he joined supporters on a project to rebuild musicians’ housing.The speech had originally been billed as a "major policy address on poverty."

"In recent days and weeks, national discussion of important issues like ending poverty has given way to sniping and personal attacks between the two front-runner candidates," the announcement said. "Ending poverty and fighting for the middle class is the cause of John Edwards' life -- and he will urge the nation to refocus on this important issue."

The writing was on the wall for his withdrawal after Edwards finished third Saturday in South Carolina, which he won in 2004. It was the latest disappointing result after a strong second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses.

Still, as recently as Monday, his campaign was issuing a memo about its "path to the nomination," citing the number of delegates Edwards had collected and his online fund-raising success.

"The Democratic nomination for President will not be decided until any one candidate has amassed 51 percent of the delegates -- which is no easy task for any candidate when there are three strong, viable candidates in the race. Since delegates are awarded proportionately, John Edwards has already accumulated delegates and is in a strong position to accumulate many more delegates on February 5th," the memo asserted.

He leaves the race with 56 delegates, compared to 249 for Clinton and 181 for Obama.

Ralph Nader, the consumer activist whom many Democrats blame for costing them the White House in 2000, launched an exploratory committee website today.

The site asks "Which side are you on?" and features a litany of criticisms of corporate America.

In 2000, Democrat Al Gore won the popular vote but was edged out in the Electoral College by Republican George W. Bush after the US Supreme Court stopped a recount in Florida.

Nader, the Green Party candidate, won about 2.8 million votes nationwide, or nearly 3 percent of the vote. But his vote in close, key states helped swing the election to Bush.

Florida, where there was a contentious Republican primary and a fake Democratic one, turned out to be the first state with contests in both parties where more Republicans turned out.

The turnout figures on both sides, however, far exceeded recent totals, demonstrating again the remarkable interest in this presidential race.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting, more than 1.9 million Republicans voted on Tuesday, compared to about 700,000 in 2000, when there was the last contested GOP primary.

More than 1.7 million Democrats went to the polls, even though none of the candidates campaigned in the state and no delegates were at stake. That is far more than the 754,000 in 2004 and the 552,000 in 2000.

Mitt Romney made the rounds of the morning network news shows to make several key points in the wake of his pivotal loss in Florida to John McCain on Tuesday.

While acknowledging that McCain is the front-runner heading into Super Tuesday, Romney said he believes that conservatives will still coalesce around him. "I think I can stop him, but it's no sure thing at this stage," he said on CNN.

Romney also said that Mike Huckabee's presence in the race hurts him by diverting social conservative voters. It's "obviously a bit of a challenge," Romney said on Fox News. Huckabee and Romney are both aiming at Southern and border states next Tuesday. The pundocracy speculates that Huckabee is auditioning for the vice presidential slot with McCain.

And Romney blamed his loss on the endorsements of McCain by Florida Governor Charlie Crist and Senator Mel Martinez and on robocalls and attacks against him, especially McCain's accusation that Romney proposed a date for withdrawing US troops from Iraq.

Romney, and the remainder of the GOP field, is headed to California for a key debate tonight on CNN at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

John McCain reveled tonight in a crucial victory in what he noted was a "all Republican" Florida primary, which he described as a major step to the party's nomination.

"Our victory might not have reached landslide proportions, but it is sweet nonetheless," he told supporters in Miami. "We have a ways to go, but we're getting close."

The Arizona senator vowed to go on to Super Tuesday and win next week.

"I intend to win it, and be the nominee of our party," he said. "And I intend to do that by making it clear what I stand for. I stand for the principles and policies that first attracted me to the Republican Party...When I left the Navy and entered public life, I enlisted as a foot soldier in the political revolution he began. And I am as proud to be a Reagan conservative today, as I was then. I trust in the courage, good sense, resourcefulness and decency of the American people, who deserve a government that trusts in their qualities as well, and doesn't abrogate to its elf the responsibilities to do for the people what the people can and want to do for themselves."

Mitt Romney said tonight he congratulated John McCain for his victory in Florida and said his supporters are "excited, but a little disappointed" with his second-place finish.

Romney then launched into his standard stump speech about fixing Washington and resolving problems such as immigration and healthcare. "Change will begin with us," he told supporters in St. Petersburg.

Rudy Giuliani, finishing a disappointing third in the state he counted on winning to jump-start his presidential bid, strongly hinted tonight in Florida that he will withdraw from the Republican race.

"Elections are about fighting for a cause larger than ourselves," he told supporters in Orlando. "Win or lose, our work is not done."

"I'm proud we stayed positive," he said. "You don't always win, but you can do it right."

Giuliani called his rivals "honorable people, honorable men."

The former New York mayor pursued an unconventional strategy where he skipped the early voting states, including Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

By Michael Levenson and Sasha Issenberg, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- Senator John McCain pulled out a narrow but pivotal win over Mitt Romney today in Florida's Republican primary, claiming all the state's delegates and the title of front-runner as the two-man nomination race heads toward Super Tuesday.

Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor who staked his presidential hopes on Florida, finished a distant, disheartening third and strongly hinted that he would withdraw, as soon as today. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee was fourth, but plans to stay in the race.

In the biggest, most diverse state yet to vote, McCain edged Romney 36 percent to 32 percent, with 62 percent of precincts reporting. More tellingly for McCain, who won with the support of independents in New Hampshire and South Carolina, only registered Republicans could vote in Florida.

With Florida's 57 delegates from the winner-take-all contest, McCain took the overall lead in delegates with 93, compared to 59 for Romney and 40 for Huckabee.

Now, McCain and Romney will embark on a breakneck, coast-to-coast race to lock down as many states as possible before what amounts to a national primary next Tuesday, with 21 states holding Republican contests. Many of them, including delegate-rich states such as New York, are winner-take-all, meaning that a candidate could rapidly pile up delegates.

McCain fared better among self-described moderates and liberals, among veterans, among older voters, and among Hispanics, while Romney beat him among conservatives, those who supported President Bush, younger voters, and white voters, according to exit polling conducted for the Associated Press and the TV networks.

McCain won among those voters who favored a candidate who says what he believes, and among those who favored a candidate with the right experience. Fewer than 1 in 5 Republicans cited illegal immigration as the biggest problem facing the country, a group that voted strongly for Romney.

McCain's victory capped an acrimonious and intense week of campaigning in which both candidates fought to set the agenda. McCain, a decorated Vietnam veteran, sought to keep the focus on Iraq and Islamic extremism, calling them the most pressing issues facing the country. But as the financial markets tumbled, Romney, a former venture capitalist, tried to put the focus on the economy and the housing crisis and criticized McCain as a creature of Washington unfit to handle an economic downturn.

Romney’s message -- that he could turn around the economy like he turned around businesses, the 2002 Winter Olympics, and the state of Massachusetts -- seemed to resonate with some voters.

"It’s just so impressive," said Judith Huffer, the editor of a church newsletter in Homosassa, who heard Romney speak at a company that manufactures flight simulators. "No matter what situation he gets into, it’s just like -- boom -- he makes it all better."

But McCain narrowly won among voters most concerned about the economy, according to the exit polling.

McCain also enjoyed support from Governor Charlie Crist and Senator Mel Martinez, prominent Florida Republicans who endorsed his candidacy in the final days and then campaigned by his side. McCain was also endorsed by other influential Cuban-American politicians.

Romney, by contrast, was backed by lower-profile politicians. Today, as McCain made a final push for votes with Crist at his elbow, Romney was introduced at a sparsely attended rally by Anthony Trey Traviesa, a state representative from the Tampa area.

The final 48 hours of the campaign was marked by a bitter exchange of charges. Romney attacked McCain for bucking Republican orthodoxy and joining with prominent Democrats to push energy legislation, campaign finance restrictions, and comprehensive immigration reform. McCain accused Romney of having proposed a date to withdraw troops from Iraq. Both men labeled the other a liberal, underscoring the heated competition for conservative Republican voters, and both unleashed barrages of automated, negative phone calls.

Mike Huckabee acknowledged tonight that he will finish third or fourth in Florida, but vowed to stay in the race through Super Tuesday next week.

"We're going all nine innings of this ball game," Huckabee said, speaking to supporters in Missouri, one of the states he hopes to win next Tuesday.

Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, had pulled back from Florida to husband his resources for the Super Tuesday races in the Southern and border states.

It doesn't really count, the candidates didn't campaign there, but Hillary Clinton declared victory anyway tonight in Florida.

"I am thrilled to have had this vote of confidence," she told supporters in Davie, Fla.

With 41 percent of precincts reporting, she had 51 percent, compared to 30 percent for Barack Obama and 16 percent for John Edwards.

The national Democratic Party stripped the state of its delegates after the state party moved its primary before Feb. 5, in violation of party rules.

Clinton, however, focused on the hundreds of thousands of Democrats who voted today. She pledged to get Florida's delegates seated at the national convention and, as the nominee, to win the state for the Democrats in November.

The polls have closed in Florida, but the Republican primary race is too close to call.

With about 19 percent of precincts reporting, John McCain holds a narrow, 34 percent to 31 percent, lead over Mitt Romney. Rudy Giuliani has 17 percent, Mike Huckabee has 13 percent, and Ron Paul has 3 percent.

The networks, however, did declare Hillary Clinton as the winner of the Democratic primary, which will not determine any delegates. With 19 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton has 48 percent, well ahead of Barack Obama with 30 percent, and John Edwards with 14 percent.

Hillary Clinton supporters in the Bay State had the misfortune of holding a fundraiser last night, the same day Ted Kennedy made waves across the country with his endorsement of Barack Obama.

Much of the state's Democratic party establishment showed up to Boston's State Room for Clinton, but many of them came in upset and feeling "the stars were aligned a little bit against Senator Clinton," reported top Clinton fundraiser Steve Grossman.

According to Grossman, the turning point came when Senate President Therese Murray said she was too mad to read her prepared notes. Instead, he said, she electrified the crowd of 400 with a call to get out and fight, whether by making phone calls, holding signs or doing anything else to get out the vote. She also made an appeal to women to help shatter the ultimate glass ceiling.

"You could sit there and say I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish," said Grossman. "Your wish doesn't help it change. You have to go out and make it happen."

We did wonder if by vividly describing how wounded Clinton people felt by Kennedy's move, Grossman was shrewdly trying to lower expectations for the Massachusetts primary a week from today. Even though Clinton has the lion's share of Massachusetts pols on her side, he didn't neglect to point out that now both the state's senators and the governor are on the other side.

Hillary Clinton picked up another newspaper endorsement in Massachusetts, this time from the Cape Cod Times.

It said while many voters might want the leadership of a new generation that Barack Obama represents, "Democrats should guard against a vague longing for a new morning in civic life."

Clinton, the paper said in its endorsement posted today on its website, offers another, better path to change. "It involves diligence, experience, playing through pain," the endorsement says. "That is Clinton's history. That is why she deserves her party's endorsement."

Massachusetts is one of 22 states with Democratic contests next Tuesday. Clinton and Obama have divided the state's Democratic establishment.

Well, that didn't take long.

A day after Caroline Kennedy and Senator Edward Kennedy publicly anointed Barack Obama the Kennedy torch-bearer for the next generaiton, she appears in a new 30-second TV spot that will run in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and on national cable channels.

"Once we had a president who made people feel hopeful about America and brought us together to do great things," Caroline Kennedy says in the ad as images of her father, John F. Kennedy, grace the screen. "Today Barack Obama gives us that same chance. He makes us believe in ourselves again -- that when we act as one nation we can overcome any challenge."

It will, of course, take more than Camelot nostalgia for Obama to capture the nomination. But this is a pretty powerful spot, and the Obama campaign knows it. Watch it here.

By Susan Milligan, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- It's a time-worn president's trick: walk up to a congressman chatting on the phone and send your regards to the astonished person on the other end of the line, charming the listener with your regular-guy credentials.

That's what President Bush did Monday night at the State of the Union address, when he approached Newton Democrat Barney Frank, who was talking on his cell phone in the House Speaker's lobby before Bush's speech.

What Bush didn't know was that the congressman was talking to his boyfriend.

"Tell him I said, 'Hello,' '' Bush said to Frank, leaning in to pat the congressman's shoulder. As Bush continued into the House chamber, Frank told his skeptical boyfriend that it had been the conservative Republican president sending his good wishes. Frank's boyfriend didn't believe him, so the Massachusetts lawmaker put one of the sergeants-at-arms on the phone to back up his story.

After the speech, Frank said, he felt he had to tell Bush what he had done. After all, the president opposes gay marriage, and gay rights groups do not see the president as an ally.

Frank sought out the president, who put his hand on the back of the congressman's head to hear him more clearly in the noisy, crowded room.

"Mr. President, by the way, the person I was talking to when you said to say hello was my boyfriend,'' Frank said he told the commander-in-chief.

"Well. I hope you said how open-minded I am,'' Frank said the president replied.

"I considered telling [the president] I wouldn't marry him,'' Frank said, "but then I thought, 'Nah.' ''

Hoping to halt the flow of momentum to Barack Obama in the wake of his South Carolina victory and Senator Ted Kennedy's endorsement, Hillary Clinton today gets to tout the support of a high-profile African-American leader, California Congressman Maxine Waters.

Waters may not be related to JFK, but she is a big deal, and she helps blunt criticism that the Clinton campaign has tried to play white and Latino voters against black voters -- for example when Bill Clinton connected Obama's South Carolina victory to Jesse Jackson having also won the Palmetto State in 1984 and 1988.

In a conference call with reporters a few minutes ago, Waters took up Clinton's argument that she's a doer, "committed to concrete proposals and projects aimed at solving problems."

She said Clinton understand the need of underserved rural and urban Americans as well as "soccer moms."

Clinton was effusive about what Waters' endorsement meant to her, but in response to a question about Kennedy's endorsement of Obama, she said voters make up their own minds.

Senator Hillary Clinton greets Senator Edward Kennedy as fellow presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama turns away before President Bush's State of the Union address. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

It's the one night in Washington when decorum truly reigns: The president delivers the State of the Union speech, and politicians of both parties put on their best behavior and come together to pay tribute to the living, breathing democracy that makes America what it is. Did Barack Obama honor the tradition?

Obama finds himself questioned today about whether he snubbed rival Hillary Clinton last night in the House chamber before President Bush gave his speech. As Clinton greeted Senator Edward Kennedy -- who endorsed Obama yesterday with great fanfare -- Obama seemed to turn his back and walk away. (The Chicago Tribune has an excellent account of the moment here.)

On MSNBC this morning, David Axelrod, a senior Obama adviser, said the Illinois senator was merely trying to spare all of them an awkward situation. "No, I don't think he snubbed her at all," Axelrod said. "First of all, they acknowledged each other as they entered the chamber. But I think he knew that Senator Kennedy and Senator Clinton were friends. This was obviously an awkward day from that standpoint, and I don't think he wanted to stand there while Senator Kennedy was greeting Senator Clinton."

Axelrod continued, "In this environment, every single thing can be – can be inflated and interpreted and will in a political – in a hyper-political light. But it is what I suggested. I think it's understandable that he would not want to stand there with Senator Kennedy as if he were lording it over her."

UPDATE: Here's what Obama told reporters today about the incident, according to his campaign: "I was surprised by the reports this morning. There was a photograph in the Times about me sort of turning away. I was turning away because [Senator] Claire [McCaskill] asked me a question as Senator Kennedy was reaching for me. Senator Clinton and I have had very cordial relations off the floor and on the floor. I waved at her as I was coming in to the Senate into the Senate chamber before we walked over last night."

One of the last polls before actual balloting in Florida confirms a too-close-to-call race between John McCain and Mitt Romney.

The Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby tracking survey also shows that unless Rudy Giuliani makes a miraculous recovery, his campaign -- based on victory in the Sunshine State -- could be in real trouble.

The poll released this morning says McCain leads Romney 35 percent to 31 percent and appears to have benefitted from the endorsement Saturday night of Florida's popular governor, Charlie Crist.

Giuliani, the former New York mayor, was battling former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee for third, each with 13 percent.

The margin of error in the poll, which was conducted Sunday and Monday, was plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

By Sasha Issenberg, Globe Staff

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- McCain has worked harder than his Republican rivals to win media endorsements -- and carries around a card with a long list of Florida newspapers backing him -- but his recent itinerary seems to have the editorial board of "The Robb Report" in mind.

McCain held has held policy roundtables at an Orlando jacuzzi manufacturer and a Jacksonville shipyard that specializes in, among other things, the restoration of cruise-ship interiors. This morning, McCain disembarked his “Straight Talk Express” bus in St. Petersburg before a horizon of yachts: the polling place his campaign had selected for a primary-morning photo op sat adjacent to a marina.

The precinct, in a theatre where later this week the Florida Orchestra will perform its “Vive La France!” program, is the home precinct of Charlie Crist, the magically tan governor who endorsed McCain on Saturday and lives in a tall condo building down the street.

Is this a typical Florida election precinct?

“Of course,” said Crist, wearing an “I Voted” sticker. “It’s the Sunshine State.”

By Charlie Savage

More than 80 volunteer lawyers for Guantanamo Bay detainees today endorsed Illinois Senator Barack Obama's presidential bid.

The attorneys said in a joint statement that they believed Obama was the best choice to roll back the Bush-Cheney administration's detention policies in the war on terrorism and thereby to "restore the rule of law, demonstrate our commitment to human rights, and repair our reputation in the world community." The attorneys are representing the detainees in habeas corpus lawsuits, which are efforts to get individual hearings before federal judges in order to challenge the basis for their indefinite imprisonment without trial.

The attorneys praised Obama for being a leader in an unsuccessful fight in the fall of 2006 to block Congress from enacting a law stripping courts of jurisdiction to hear Guantanamo detainee lawsuits. The constitutionality of that law, which was part of the Military Commissions Act, is now being challenged before the Supreme Court in one of the most closely-watched cases this term.

"When we were walking the halls of the Capitol trying to win over enough Senators to beat back the Administration's bill, Senator Obama made his key staffers and even his offices available to help us," they wrote. "Senator Obama worked with us to count the votes, and he personally lobbied colleagues who worried about the political ramifications of voting to preserve habeas corpus for the men held at Guantanamo. He has understood that our strength as a nation stems from our commitment to our core values, and that we are strong enough to protect both our security and those values. Senator Obama demonstrated real leadership then and since, continuing to raise Guantanamo and habeas corpus in his speeches and in the debates."

The attorneys did not say why they sided with Obama over his chief rival, New York Senator Hillary Clinton. Like Obama, Clinton too opposed the Military Commissions Act, arguing during the Senate debate that a major flaw of the bill was its provision stripping habeas corpus rights for non-citizens named by the president as "enemy combatants."

"This bill would not only deny detainees habeas corpus rights – a process that would allow them to challenge the very validity of their confinement – it would also deny these rights to lawful immigrants living in the United States," Clinton said in September 2006. "If enacted, this law would give license to this Administration to pick people up off the streets of the United States and hold them indefinitely without charges and without legal recourse."

The Gitmo attorneys contrasted Obama's record during the fight over the Military Commissions Act with that of "some politicians," whom they did not name but accused of being "all talk and no action" and who, they said, "stood back" while Obama took a more active role amid the controversy. Chicago lawyer Gary Isaac, who helped draft the statement, said that this wording was intended not to be a jab at Clinton. Rather, he said, it is "really intended to respond to the contention that Senator Obama is all talk and no action. We wanted to share our experience where he was a leader on an issue of great importance to us."

Several Boston lawyers were among the signatories to the endorsement statement, including P. Sabin Willett, Stephen H. Oleskey, Jason Pinney, and Neil McGaraghan. Other names on the list included Washington lawyer Thomas Wilner, retired federal appeals court judge John Gibbons, Center for Constitutional Rights president Michael Ratner, and retired Rear Admiral Donald Guter, who was the Navy's top JAG officer from 2000 to 2002 and who is now the dean of the Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh.

Florida voters have seen a steady stream of TV ads from Republican presidential candidates over the past nine months -- most of them, it turns out, from Mitt Romney. Between last March and this month, the Republican campaigns have aired 8,012 TV spots, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus. Romney has aired more than half of them: 4,475, followed by 3,067 for Rudy Giuliani. John McCain has run 470 ads, all of them this month.

But January has been Giuliani's month. The former New York mayor, who needs a win in Florida to validate his campaign strategy, has stepped up his advertising dramatically in the weeks before tomorrow's primary. Between January 1 and 22, Giuliani ran 2,878 ads, followed by 1,392 for Romney.

The charges and countercharges are flying between John McCain and Mitt Romney on the final day before the crucial Florida primary.

McCain launched a web-only ad that uses the intro music from "Masterpiece Theater" to present "A Tale of Two Mitts," a compilation of video clips showing Romney's changes of position on abortion, fealty to the Republican Party, support for gun control, and other issues. The ad ends with the message within an elaborate frame that "Mitt Romney's flip flops truly are masterpieces."

McCain is also airing a radio ad criticizing Romney's healthcare reform in Massachusetts, his fiscal record in the Bay State, and his proposed bailout of the auto industry.

The Romney camp, in turn, accused McCain of following an m.o. of going negative in the final hours.

"Senator McCain has, once again, launched a last-minute, negative ambush against Governor Romney with radio ads, flyers -- you name it," Romney spokesman Kevin Madden said in a statement.

"This is just the McCain way," the statement continued. "Senator McCain always sinks to a lower level and offers distortions and flailing attacks against his opponents when a campaign is close. His agitation is always on display when a race gets close. If you ever needed proof that the Washington insider with the wrong record on Republican policies is threatened by the new ideas and strong record of Governor Romney, now you have it."

A lion of the Democratic Party formally endorsed Barack Obama today -- a huge boost heading into Super Tuesday.

Representative Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island offered his support, then introduced Caroline Kennedy, who said her children were the first to help convince her that Obama was the president the country needed.

She, in turn, introduced Senator Edward M. Kennedy, as an enthusiastic crowd at American University chanted, "Teddy, Teddy."

"I feel change in the air," said Kennedy, who called Obama a "leader who truly has the power to inspire and make America good again from sea to shining sea."

Kennedy said he respects the work and principles of Hillary Clinton and John Edwards. "They are my friends," Kennedy said.

But Obama, Kennedy said, possesses "extraordinary gifts" of leadership and character. "He is a leader who sees the world clearly, without cynicism," Kennedy said, who "appeals to the better angels of our nature."

SPRINGFIELD -- Hillary Clinton’s usually-top-notch advance staff are having a bad morning here in the basketball arena at Springfield College. Forty-five minutes ago, they had a few thousand people revved up.

The president of the student government introduced the New York Senator. The music grew louder. People jumped to their feet and cheered. And clapped…and stopped clapping. And stood…and sat.

Clinton was not in the building. Apparently she was not even in the city. A rather embarrassing announcement was made that she was running a bit behind. Since then people have been chitchatting and trying to endure the ear-splitting music.

Now, 45 minutes later, the traveling press is beginning to trickle in so we imagine she’ll take the stage soon.

Author Toni Morrison talks during the 58th National Book Awards in New York on Nov. 14, 2007. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, file)

Author Toni Morrison, one of the most acclaimed African-American writers in history, today announced her endorsement of Barack Obama, the first time she has publicly backed a presidential candidate.

The endorsement, unveiled on the same day Senator Edward M. Kennedy will announce his support for Obama, is particularly poignant, coming after an acrimonious campaign with Hillary Clinton in South Carolina that seemed to turn partly on race. It was Morrison, after all, who famously dubbed Bill Clinton America's "first black president," a moniker that was truly tested last week by his aggressive campaigning against Obama.

In a letter to Obama, Morrison said it was his "creative imagination" that won her over.

"In thinking carefully about the strengths of the candidates, I stunned myself when I came to the following conclusion: that in addition to keen intelligence, integrity and a rare authenticity, you exhibit something that has nothing to do with age, experience, race or gender and something I don't see in other candidates," she wrote. "That something is a creative imagination which coupled with brilliance equals wisdom."

Morrison continued, "There have been a few prescient leaders in our past, but you are the man for this time. Good luck to you and to us."

Obama said in a statement, "Toni Morrison has touched a nation with the grace and beauty of her words, and I was deeply moved and honored by the letter she wrote and the support she is giving our campaign." For those of you counting at home, Obama, in terms of top-shelf black writers, now has Morrison and Alice Walker; Clinton has Maya Angelou.

Amid all the good news for Obama, however, Chicago businessman Tony Rezko, a former top Obama fund-raiser, is back in the spotlight: He was arrested today after federal prosecutors moved to revoke his $2 million bail. Rezko, whose ties to Obama have been an embarrassment to the Illinois senator during the campaign, is scheduled to stand trial Feb. 25 on charges of fraud, attempted extortion, and money laundering.

Finally, The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz has a terrific piece today on Obama's relationship with the media. Read it here.

By Sasha Issenberg, Globe Staff

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The superstitious John McCain hopes he inherited a winning aura for his pre-primary Florida fly-around today: a charter plane regularly used by the Boston Celtics.

The Boeing 737 belongs to the Carolina Hurricanes hockey franchise but is leased to other teams, including the Boston team that boats the NBA's best record and whose legendary center Bill Russell is often identified by McCain as "my favorite philosopher"
when quoting one of his aphorisms.

"We love the Celts," said McCain aide Mark Salter, before recognizing urgent electoral realities in a state where approximately half the Republican votes will come from the I-4 corridor connecting Tampa and Orlando. "We like the Magic a lot more."

Before takeoff, a flight attendant shared her own opinion. "The Celtics are nice, but they'll trash a plane," she said.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla -- Mitt Romney began his final push in Florida today by hammering John McCain, saying three of his chief rival's main legislative proposals would have set America on a "liberal Democrat course."

Romney said the 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign finance law "hit the First Amendment" by restricting spending on political advertising. He said last year’s failed McCain-Kennedy immigration bill was an "amnesty bill" because it would have opened a pathway for illegal immigrants to become citizens. And he said a 2003 McCain-Lieberman energy cap-and-trade bill would have increased energy costs for the average Florida family of four by $1,000.

"If you ask people, 'Look at the three things Senator McCain has done as a senator,' if you want that kind of a liberal Democrat course as president, then you can vote for him," Romney said at a rally. "But those three pieces of legislation, those aren't conservative, those aren't Republican, those are not the kind of leadership that we need as we go forward."

The McCain campaign responded by charging that Romney's campaign "is based on the wholesale deception of voters."

"On every one of the issues he has attacked John McCain on, Romney was for it before he was against it," McCain's camp said in a statement. “He was for campaign finance reform, and even proposed taxing political contributions. He was for cap and trade, and even supported a tax that increased the price of gasoline at the pump. He called our immigration bill 'reasonable' and 'not amnesty.' "

The former Massachusetts governor also blasted McCain for reportedly considering running for vice president with Democrat John F. Kerry in 2004.

"Had someone asked me that question, there would not have been a nanosecond of thought about it. It would’ve been an immediate laugh," Romney said. “So, we are different. I’m conservative”

Romney and McCain are in a tight battle in Tuesday's primary, whose winner will have a leg up heading into Super Tuesday a week later.

A bushel of new polls out this morning all agree -- it's a two-man race in the Florida Republican primary on Tuesday between John McCain and Mitt Romney.

Rudy Giuliani, who staked his candidacy on a win in Florida, is instead battling for a distant third place with Mike Huckabee.

In one representative survey, Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby says that McCain leads Romney 33 percent to 30 percent. Giuiliani was at 14 percent and Huckabee at 11 percent, according to the poll, which was conducted Friday through Sunday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

A Quinnipiac University survey gave McCain a 32 percent to 31 percent lead over Romney, with Giuliani at 14 percent and Huckabee at 13 percent.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Mitt Romney, who rarely talks on the campaign trail about his Mormon faith, said today that he plans to attend the funeral of Gordon B. Hinckley, the church president who died yesterday at age 97 in Salt Lake City.

At a news conference called in part to discuss Hinckley’s death, Romney recalled that he met with Hinckley three or four times to discuss planning for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and once before Romney decided to run for president.

Romney called Hinckley a leader who oversaw a remarkable period of church expansion. "We will miss him as a family, respect him as a man of great character and courage, but particularly his humility and ability to touch the lives of each individual is something for which he will long be noted," Romney told reporters outside a Texaco station.

He added that Hinckley’s "effort to reach out across the world and to faraway lands and to build temples for our church is something which will also give him a legacy that will last many, many years, indeed. And we will miss his leadership."

Romney said he did know Hinckley personally until he took over the leadership of the Winter Olympics and the two met to discuss the use of church assets, such as property next to the ski jump facility. Some of his requests were approved, others were denied, Romney said. He recalled one particular request to Hinckley to turn a church parking lot into a 10,000-seat Olympics medals plaza.

"I was impressed by his knowledge of the details," Romney said. "He said, 'Aren't the sewer pipes too close to the surface on that lot for them to be able to level it?' He literally was aware of…the sewer system for the lot well enough to recognize that was an issue."

Romney did not mention meeting with Hinckley to discuss his run for the presidency until a reporter asked him about it.

"Yes, I was in Salt Lake and had the chance to go by him and see him and told him that our family was going to be thinking about running for president," Romney said. "And he smiled and said, ‘It would be great experience if you won, and a great experience if you lost.’"

He said he was not particularly close to Hinckley.

"Like millions of other members of my faith, I didn't get to know President Hinckley on a very personal one-to-one basis," Romney said. "Instead, I knew him as a member of my church and saw him as a leader of great capacity, of great ability to reach out and touch a large number of people with a very personal and human connection. And his humility and gentleness I think will always be a part of the memory we have of President Gordon B. Hinckley."

Romney’s religion has been a sensitive issue in the campaign because many evangelical Christians, who are influential in Republican primaries, consider the faith heretical. Romney delivered a major speech in Texas in December intended to quell some of those concerns and explain his view of America's history of religious tolerance.

SWEETWATER -- Mitt Romney showed up today at a youth center named for the powerful Cuban-American activist Jorge Mas Canosa. But he was not his wearing his usual Boston businessman's uniform of french-cuffed shirts and silk ties. Romney was wearing an open-necked ivory-white guayabera, the traditional Cuban men's shirt.

"It’s an honor to be able to wear this guayabera today," Romney told a cheering crowd of Cuban-American supporters.

The loose-fitting shirt, he explained, had been given to him this morning at the Bay of Pigs Library and Museum in Miami by Luis Arrizurieta, who was one of the roughly 1,400 Cubans to storm the beaches at the Bay of Pigs in April, 1961.

"I have a feeling I won't be wearing it throughout the campaign," the buttoned-down former venture capitalist said, looking somewhat uncomfortable in his new garb. "But I sure am proud of wearing it on such a warm day in Miami."

After his son, Craig, who learned Spanish while working as a missionary in Chile, warmed up the crowd in Spanish, Mitt Romney put the focus squarely on Fidel Castro, the bête noire of the influential exile community in South Florida.

He told the crowd about meeting a man named Ricardo early in his career as a venture capitalist who had endured an unspeakable tragedy.

"You see, Ricardo’s family had lost their oldest son to rebels in El Salvador, who had kidnapped him and murdered him," Romney said. "And these rebels were financed by the wealth of Fidel Castro. I learned that when Fidel Castro has money, bad things happen. And I vowed that I would never give in to Fidel Castro!"

The crowd broke into cheers and applause.

"Go Mitt go! Go Mitt go!"

By Susan Milligan
Globe staff

WASHINGTON -- Senator Edward M. Kennedy will endorse Barack Obama for president tomorrow, breaking his year-long neutrality to send a powerful signal of where the legendary Massachusetts Democrat sees the party going -- and who he thinks is best to lead it.

Kennedy confidantes told the Globe today that the Bay State's senior senator will appear with Obama and Kennedy's niece, Caroline Kennedy, at a morning rally at American University in Washington tomorrow to announce his support.

That will be a potentially significant boost for Obama as he heads into a series of critical primaries on Super Tuesday, Feb. 5.

Kennedy believes Obama can ``transcend race'' and bring unity to the country, a Kennedy associate told the Globe. Kennedy was also impressed by Obama's deep involvement last year in the bipartisan effort to craft legislation on immigration reform, a politically touchy subject the other presidential candidates avoided, the associate said.

The coveted endorsement is a huge blow to New York Senator Hillary Clinton, who is both a senatorial colleague and a friend of the Kennedy family. In a campaign where Clinton has trumpeted her experience over Obama's call for hope and change, the endorsement by one of the most experienced and respected Democrats in the Senate is a particularly dramatic coup for Obama.

"The America of Jack and Bobby Kennedy touched all of us. Through all of these decades, the one who kept that flame alive was Ted Kennedy,'' said Representative Bill Delahunt, A Quincy Democrat who is also backing Obama. ``So having him pass on the torch [to Obama] is of incredible significance. It's historic.''

Obama's landslide win in South Carolina yesterday gives Obama and Clinton two wins each in the primary campaign, and puts the two senators in a fierce battle for delegates on Feb. 5, when 22 states will hold Democratic primaries and caucuses.

While polls show Clinton ahead in some large states, including her home state of New York and delegate-rich California, the Kennedy endorsement gives Obama a stamp of approval among key constituencies in the Democratic party that could make Super Tuesday more competitive.

Kennedy plans to campaign actively for Obama, an aide said, and will focus particularly among Hispanics and labor union members, who are important voting blocks in several Feb. 5 states, including California, New York, New Jersey, Arizona and New Mexico.

The Massachusetts senator was key in helping his colleague, Senator John F. Kerry, score a comeback win in Iowa in 2004, sending Kerry on a path to the nomination. Kennedy campaigned on his own and released several senior members of his staff to work for Kerry.

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Barack Obama put all his rhetorical skills to work tonight in his buoyant victory speech, leading the crowd in a chant of, “Yes, we can!”

He had plenty to say in response to the nasty fight of the last week.

“We are up against the idea that it’s acceptable to say anything and do anything to win an election,” he said. “We know that this is exactly what’s wrong with our politics; this is why people don’t believe what their leaders say anymore; this is why they tune out. And this election is our chance to give the American people a reason to believe again.”

He decried “the assumption that African-Americans can’t support the white candidate; whites can’t support the African-American candidate; blacks and Latinos can’t come together.”

And answered: “But we are here tonight to say that this is not the America we believe in.”

Even though the Iraq war seemed to have totally faded away from the race in the last week, the Obama campaign hinted they know it might come back. The candidate was introduced to the crowd by a young Iraq war veteran who welcomed him on stage as “the person I expect to be the next commander-in-chief.”

Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, moved onto Tennessee tonight.

And, this year, with every delegate counting, Massachusetts may actually matter. Clinton is speaking in Springfield at 11:30 on Monday morning. We expect she’ll probably attend a Boston fundraiser later in the day as well.

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Obama supporters have been cheering madly for the last hour in a convention hall here. But when Bill Clinton appeared on the jumbo TV screens speaking from Missouri a little bit ago, they started booing. And booing. And booing.

A few minutes later, apparently in response to something said by a TV commentator, they started chanting, “Race doesn’t matter!”

Hillary Clinton, who finished a distant second in South Carolina, did not give the usual concession speech tonight.

Instead, she issued a statement as she jetted off to Tennessee, one of 22 states that vote on Feb. 5 and are the next battleground in the Democratic nomination fight.

"I have called Senator Obama to congratulate him and wish him well," Clinton said in the statement. "Thank you to the people of South Carolina who voted today and welcomed me into their homes over the last year. Your stories will stay with me well beyond this campaign and I am grateful for the support so many of you gave to me."

"We now turn our attention to the millions of Americans who will make their voices heard in Florida and the twenty-two states as well as American Samoa who will vote on February 5th," she added. "In the days ahead, I’ll work to give voice to those who are working harder than ever to be heard. For those who have lost their job or their home or their health care, I will focus on the solutions needed to move this country forward. That’s what this election is about. It’s about our country, our hopes and dreams. Our families and our future."

Florida Governor Charlie Crist endorsed John McCain tonight, a major boost three days before the key Republican primary.

Crist brought McCain to the stage at an event in St. Petersburg and called him a "true American hero, a great United States senator.... I think the world of him."

"That's an endorsement," Crist, a very popular governor, said, if there were any doubt.

"I'm very honored," said McCain , who is locked in a tight race with Mitt Romney.

By Scott Helman and Marcella Bombardieri, Globe Staff

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Senator Barack Obama cruised to a huge victory today in South Carolina's Democratic primary, injecting needed momentum into his campaign and capping a bitter contest here with Senator Hillary Clinton that touched on race, honesty, and the proper role of an ex-president in the election.

In the party's first Southern primary, Obama racked up enormous margins among black voters, who accounted for roughly half of Democrats casting ballots, according to early exit polling data. He beat Clinton among African-Americans 81 to 17 percent. But he also won enough support from white voters to notch a commanding overall victory.

Obama's triumph, though expected, represents a big win, and it sets the stage for a high-stakes showdown between he and Clinton on Feb. 5, when 22 states hold Democratic primaries or caucuses. The television networks projected that Clinton would finish second, ahead of former senator John Edwards.

Early exit polling data indicated that voters yesterday were far more concerned about the economy than health care or Iraq, and that they voted more on issues and the candidates' characters than on electability. State Democratic Party officials had predicted a record turnout, given the intense interest in the nomination race, South Carolina's newly prominent spot in the primary calendar, and the fact that the vote fell on a sunny Saturday.

Though Obama and Clinton remain locked in a close fight for the Democratic nomination, most analysts believed Obama had to win South Carolina to gain enough strength heading into Feb. 5. After Obama won the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3, Clinton bounced back to win New Hampshire and Nevada, putting the onus on Obama to halt her momentum.

From here, the Democratic race turns exponentially more complex. With the four early-voting states behind them, Obama, Clinton, and Edwards now fan out across the country to vie for support in states as disparate as California, New Jersey, and Alabama.

With Obama the most viable black candidate ever to run for president, South Carolina became the first crucial test of how the country's African-American voters would respond. Obama's candidacy excited black South Carolinians, but many had been skeptical he could win. And Clinton, thanks in part to her husband, former president Bill Clinton, enjoyed deep support in black communities.

But the equation changed after Obama won Iowa, proving to African-Americans that he could win in white regions, too. And it shifted further following an uproar among some black leaders about Hillary Clinton's recent remarks seeming to downplay the civil rights accomplishments of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Polls leading up to today's vote showed Obama beating Clinton handily among black voters.

The question as polls closed was two-fold: whether that margin would hold on primary day, and whether Obama's increasing appeal among black voters would come at the expense of support from whites, who had said in surveys that they preferred Clinton and Edwards.

Obama answered today: His margin of victory among blacks was far higher than polls had anticipated; Obama beat Clinton among African-American women by a whopping 65 percentage points, exit polling data showed. But Obama also won a quarter of white voters, and nearly tied Clinton among white men. Clinton performed best among white women, winning 42 percent to Edwards's 35 percent and Obama's 22 percent.

By Lisa Wangsness, Globe Staff

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- When Mae Golston voted for Barack Obama today, she was thinking about her father. A sharecropper with a sixth-grade education, he was not allowed to finish his schooling because he had to work in the fields.

"He would have loved this," she said, as her 5-year-old daughter S'honna skipped and scampered about W.A. Perry Middle School in downtown Columbia. "He would have loved this."

Polling places saw heavy turnout in South Carolina, the first Southern state on this year’s Democratic nominating calendar and the first with a heavily African-American electorate. A win for Obama, the first viable African-American presidential candidate in history, could bode well for him in other states with sizable black populations.

In the state that was first to secede from the Union before the Civil War and that still flies the Confederate flag in front of its State House, excitement about Obama among African-American voters was palpable.

Cynthia Cook, 58, a retired nurse, was beaming as she left an adult education center in downtown Columbia after casting her vote for Obama. "I lived through the civil rights era, and he is a dream come true," she said.

Andre Young, a 36-year-old chef from Columbia, started out a Clinton supporter, but after he saw Obama speak at a massive rally with Oprah Winfrey in December, he changed his mind.

"It was exciting to see both of them in the same place, and the African-American community all unified, without some foolishness or violence, for something positive," said Young.

Not all black voters who backed Obama, however, said their decision was based on race. Lonnie Dickerson, a 48-year-old truck driver from Columbia, said he would be happy with either Obama or Clinton, but he went with Obama because he decided the Illinois senator had been the clearest and most consistent advocate for sweeping changes in Washington.

"I just liked his message," he said. "This country really cries out for real change."

For many voters -- particularly women, who had the chance to nominate a viable woman candidate for the first time -- today's choice was a wrenching one. Barbara Pate, a 61-year-old dental office manager who is white, was so torn that that before she entered her polling place, she sat in her car and prayed for guidance.

Both candidates, she said, had the leadership qualities, empathy for working class people, and a deep understanding of the issues. But when she walked into the voting booth, she decided to go with Clinton.

"I would vote for Obama in a few years, when he gets a little more experience," she said. "The experience was the whole thing in a nutshell."

Mitt Romney today picked up an endorsement in the biggest newspaper in Georgia, one of the 21 states with Republican contests on Feb. 5.

"The Republican who best exemplifies all the qualities needed in a president is former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney," the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says in its endorsement.

"The qualities needed now in the Oval Office are business knowledge and experience, an understanding of economies and the imperatives of those who manage them around the world, an ability to problem-solve and to assess talent and to assemble the right team to accomplish a mission," the Journal-Constitution said. "What's needed, too, is a strong grounding in principle and steadfastness in the face of pressure and panic, but with the adaptability and flexibility to adjust to changing circumstances."

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Peggy Brailey voted early this morning, leaving her plenty of time for a shopping trip to the Columbiana Centre mall, where we spotted her with her “I voted” sticker this afternoon.

Brailey started out a Clinton supporter, but grew to like Obama more and more as she learned about him. She researched his positions on health care and the economy on his website, and watched the debate Monday night, where she felt Clinton “fought dirty.”

“I think he’s a man for all people,” said Brailey, 53, who works at a FedEx-Kinkos. “He’s a man of faith and a man of action.”

Brailey, who is African-American, said her 87-year-old mother also switched her support to Obama after finding Clinton’s debate performance distasteful, despite having had qualms that America was ready for a black president.

“You know what older people are like, ‘I don’t know if it’s the right time,’ “said Brailey. “I said, ‘well you know it might never be the right time, but it might also be his time.’”

In what it frames as its closing argument to Florida voters, Rudy Giuliani's campaign sticks to the core principles of his presidential bid -- that he has been tested by crisis and is the one to lead the fight against Islamic terrorism.

The TV ad, unveiled today (watch it here), is to air Sunday evening before "60 Minutes" on CBS affiliates across the state. "A Giuliani presidency will have two clear goals: returning our economic policy to the values of Ronald Reagan and taking the offense against Islamic terrorism," he says in the spot.

The ad then praises Giuliani's stewardship of New York City, overcoming welfare, bureaucracy, and, most of all, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"This is the greatest country in the world," Giuliani concludes. "We have the will and the courage and the ideals to ensure the economic and physical safety of every single citizen. All we need is the leadership. And leading in crisis is what I do best.”

Senator Barack Obama greets customers Saturday at Harper's Restaurant in Columbia, S.C. (REUTERS/Jason Reed)

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- On today's lunch menu: Soup, salad, and Barack Obama.

Diners at Harper's Restaurant just off Columbia's downtown got a special visit today from Obama, who was making a final pitch for votes as South Carolina Democrats went to the polls. He spent about a half-hour greeting the lunch and brunch crowd, stopping by nearly every table to pose for photographs and exchange pleasantries.

“I might get to shake hands with the future president!” one woman said excitedly into her cell phone as Obama arrived. As Obama began to work his way around the room, he approached a family gathered around a big table and said, “How’s it going, everybody?” Then he grabbed a white napkin off their table and wiped his hands. “I got a little juice on me," he said.

Beverly Wilburn, a cook at the restaurant, came out of the kitchen to greet him. “You got my vote,” she told him. “All right.” Asked if she had voted yet, Wilburn said, “As soon as I get off of work.”

But Obama didn't have it so easy with Ellis and Alex Caulkins, precocious 12-year-old twins from Florence, S.C. “Hey, Obama, what are you going to do about foreign policy?” Ellis asked, telling Obama he didn’t seem to be making many campaign promises. Obama reiterated his vow to get American troops out of Iraq, then asked the twin boys what they were doing today. Ellis explained that they were headed to Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia. “That sounds fun,” Obama said, before the boys’ grandfather pulled them away. “Let’s go eat, boys, time to eat,” he said.

Back at his table, Ellis said he wasn’t satisfied with Obama’s answer, but admitted he had something of an agenda. “I don’t want another Democrat,” he said, professing admiration for Rudy Giuliani and John McCain. “We have enough of them.”

Fortunately for Obama, Ellis will be at the zoo today, not at a polling place.

By Sasha Issenberg and Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. -- John McCain today suggested that there was little
difference in the positions of Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton on the
Iraq war and that both would bear responsibility for catastrophic
consequences there.

"If we surrender and wave the white flag like Sen. Clinton wants to do,
and withdraw as Gov. Romney wanted to do, then there will be chaos,
genocide, and the cost in American blood and treasure will be
dramatically higher," McCain said to reporters after a town-hall
meeting here.

This week in Florida, McCain has repeated a pledge Clinton made at a
debate that she would begin pulling out troops in the first 60 days of
her presidency. Yesterday in Miami, McCain cited a remark Romney made
last April indicating he supported a timetable for withdrawal.

Told of McCain's remarks, Romney vigorously denied ever having called
for a withdrawal from Iraq and demanded an apology from McCain.

"I don't know why he's being dishonest. But that's dishonest," Romney
told reporters in Land O'Lakes. "To say that I have a specific date is
simply wrong and is dishonest and he should apologize. That is not the
case. I have never said that."

Romney accused McCain of unfairly trying to change the political discussion.

"I know he is trying desperately to change the topic from the economy
and trying to get back to Iraq but to say something that is not
accurate is simply wrong and he knows better," Romney said.

Barack Obama's parents, Barack Obama Sr. and Stanley Ann Dunham. (Courtesy of Obama campaign)

DENMARK, S.C. -- Usually when Barack Obama's late mother comes up in the campaign, it's to illustrate how broken the country's health care system is: As she was dying of cancer, Obama often explains, she was worrying about whether her insurance would cover her care.

But Obama's wife, Michelle, mentioned his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, for a different reason today in front of a couple hundred people at Voorhees College, a black, rural school not far from the Georgia border. Dunham instilled in her son a sense -- and perhaps a naive one -- of boundless possibility, along with a useful worldliness, she said.

"She was kind of a dreamer, his mother," Michelle Obama said. "She wanted the world to be open to her and her children. And as a result of her naivete, sometimes they lived on foodstamps, because sometimes dreams don't pay the rent. But as a result of her naivete, Barack got to see the world like most of us don't in this country."

There's a neat analogy here to the presidential race: The Obamas, in making their pitch to voters, often ask them to dream about what's possible, to believe in the unseen. But while many voters have clearly accepted that challenge, others aren't sure such dreaming is enough to pay the rent -- in this case, to run the country effectively.

Obama and his wife fully acknowledge they are asking people to take a leap of faith. They simply argue that it's a bigger leap to vote in the same old Washington hands and expect a different result.

"What are we ready for?" Michelle Obama asked today. "We say we're ready for change, but we don't like change. We don't like stepping outside of our comfort zone."

She added, "People have said, 'Why doesn't Barack wait?' My view is, wait for what? What are we waiting for? ... As far as I'm concerned, the only person in this race who has any chance of moving this country in a different direction is Barack Obama, hands down."

In its latest web missile aimed at John McCain, Mitt Romney's campaign uses today's New York Times endorsement of the Arizona senator to question his conservative credentials.

The Internet video cites issues such as taxes and immigration on which McCain has strayed from the party line, and shows Democrats praising him.

"No wonder the liberal NY Times endorsed John McCain," text says at the end of the ad.

Romney and McCain are fighting hard for a victory in Tuesday's Florida primary that could give the winner a major boost heading into Super Tuesday on Feb. 5.

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Barbara Allen, an undecided voter, had a question for Chelsea Clinton on the rope line a couple days ago.

“I asked her how her mother being president would compare with her father being president,” said Allen, 56, from a town called Travelers Rest.

Just then, someone holding Allen’s camera was ready to snap their picture. The flash went off. Chelsea could have turned away toward the next fan, but she didn’t.

“She turned right back to me,” Allen remembers. “She said, ‘She’ll be better.’ With the biggest smile on her face.”

Allen had been considering voting for John Edwards. But somehow, Chelsea Clinton’s endorsement of her mother made Allen think of her own mother and mother-in-law, both now deceased, and what it would mean for them to have the first woman president. She decided to vote for Clinton.

A Clinton spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a question about the accuracy of this account of familial partisanship.

By Charlie Savage

My colleague Michael reports below on the Romney and McCain campaigns attacking each other with web-only ads that hearken back to the memorable anti-John Kerry "windsurfing" ad by the 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign, portraying the Massachusetts senator as a flip-flopper. Romney's was set to the same Blue Danube Waltz, just as the windsurfing ad did. McCain's response ad went one step further, not only using the same music but putting Romney's head on a picture of a windsurfer and then flipping the image back and forth and concluding with the line tthat he went which ever way the wind blew -- conceits lifted directly from the 2004 ad.

There may be a hidden inside joke in this dual. The 2004 windsurfing ad was made for the Bush-Cheney campaign by GOP media strategists Russ Schriefer and Stuart Stevens. A year ago, as the 2008 primary campaign was heating up, McCain hired Schriefer and Stevens to make ads for his campaign. But they left last summer, when McCain's campaign temporarily appeared dead and he was out of money. Not long after, they signed on with the Romney campaign.

It's a safe bet that Stevens and Schriefer played a role in crafting the anti-McCain ad that used the theme music from their famous 2004 work -- and that the McCain camp was tweaking their ex-colleagues back by making a heavier-handed homage to their old masterpiece.

John Edwards tries to capitalize on the squabbling of rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, asserting in new ads that he represents the "grown-up wing" of the Democratic Party.

A TV ad shows clips from Monday night's debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C., of Clinton and Obama attacking each other and Edwards interjecting: "This kind of squabbling -- how many children is this gonna get health care? How many people are gonna get an education from this? This is not about us personally. It is about what we are trying to do for this country."

In a radio spot, the announcer says, "The middle class is being squeezed. An economic crisis looms. Our nation is at war. And too many Americans have no healthcare. And what do we get from two Washington politicians running for president? Nasty squabbling and personal attacks. It's time we had a grown up in the White House who understands us and will actually get something done for the middle class."

"While Senator Clinton and Senator Obama seem intent on tearing each other down, I'm intent on building you up," Edwards says.

By Charlie Savage

When GOP presidential hopeful Fred Thompson dropped out of the race this week, the former Tennessee senator gave no sign that he intends to endorse one of his rivals any time soon. But a sizable segment of Thompson's team of legal advisers quickly signed on with Mitt Romney.

The Romney campaign announced yesterday that ten members of the "Lawyers for Fred Thompson" group had joined the former Massachusetts governor's campaign, including the Thompson group's former national co-chair, Victoria Toensing, a former Reagan Justice Department official and prominent legal commentator.

Other Fred campaign refugees finding a new home with Romney were former Bush-Cheney lawyers Lizette D. Benedi, Rachel L. Brand, Reginald Brown, Viet D. Dinh, Noel J. Francisco, and Eileen J. O'Connor; former Reagan lawyers Charles J. Cooper and Joseph E. diGenova; and conservative law professor Michael R. Dimino.

Campaign legal advisers often end up in prominent jobs in the Justice Department or White House Counsel's office, so such endorsements can provide clues about the kind of federal judges the candidate would appoint and the legal philosophy that the candidate would embrace as president.

As such, the flocking of Thompson lawyers to Romney may shed light on the ex-candidate's legal views on executive power. Late last year, Thompson refused to participate in a Globe survey of the twelve leading candidates for their views on the constitutional limits of presidential power, nailing down their views on such matters as whether a president can bypass laws and treaties, executive secrecy, signing statements, etc. But Romney did answer the questions, expressing by far the most positive view of the Bush-Cheney administration's many legal and political precedents that have expanded executive power of any candidate. (John McCain, by contrast, repudiated several of the most aggressive Bush-Cheney positions.) The movement of Thompson's lawyers to the Romney camp, then, suggests that a Thompson administration, too, might have continued down the Bush-Cheney legal team's path.

The Romney lawyers group is chaired by Douglas Kmiec, the Pepperdine University law professor who was head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel for the last years of the Reagan administration. Kmiec had already assembled a extraordinary roster of conservative legal talent (listed on the same campaign press release), and the Thompson reinforcements now put Romney atop something of an army of prominent Republican attorneys.

The only other Republican presidential contender to have attracted a comparable group of former upper-tier Justice Department and White House Counsel attorneys is Rudy Giuliani, whose advisory group is chaired by former Bush-Cheney administration solicitor general Ted Olson, and which also includes former Reagan administration solicitor general Charles Fried, former Bush-Cheney deputy attorney general Larry Thompson, Federalist Society co-founder Steven Calabresi, and -- until he resigned to become the current attorney general, Judge Michael Mukasey, among others.

Giuliani, like Thompson, refused to answer the Globe's executive power questions, although Olson instead sent over a vague statement. The former New York mayor assembled his team when he still led in national polls and was widely seen as a front-runner for the nomination. But Giuliani's prospects have since dimmed considerably, and if he is forced to drop out after Florida or Super Tuesday, conservative legal circles and executive-power watchers alike will be watching closely to see where Olson and the rest of his team goes.

UPDATE: Bucking the trend, former Thompson supporter Orin Kerr, a George Washington University law professor, says he's now a McCain man.

UPDATE 2: Kmiec says that former Indiana congressman David McIntosh, another co-founder of the Federalist Society and the former co-chair of the Thompson campaign, has also joined the Romney campaign as Kmiec's new co-chair.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

John McCain and Mitt Romney have dueling ads on the Internet -- both of which recall the famous "Windsurfing" spot the Bush camp ran against John F. Kerry in 2004. Both make the charge that the other is a flip-flopper on the red-meat Republican issue of tax cuts.

Romney was first out of the gate, with a web-only ad poking fun at McCain's votes against the $1.35 trillion tax cut President Bush proposed in 2001 and a similar plan Bush proposed in 2003.

The ad shows the Arizona senator saying in an interview with Fox News on Thursday that, "I've always been for tax cuts. I have always, although I voted against the first tax cuts." The clip is set to the Blue Danube Waltz, which was also used in the 2004 windsurfing spot that hit Kerry for his shifting positions on the Iraq war.

The spot, titled "Waltz," concludes with the text: "John McCain. Always for tax cuts. Except when he's against them."

McCain was one of two Republican senators to vote against the tax cuts – votes he said me made because the cuts were not accompanied by cuts in spending. He now says he supports extending the tax cuts.

With two hours after Romney's spot launched Thursday night, McCain’s camp responded with a similar web-only ad titled "Mittsurfing." It plays the same waltz and shows Romney's head spliced onto a windsurfer as it criticizes his position on tax cuts.

The announcer says, "Mitt Romney says he's a leader, but how do we know which direction he wants to lead? Mitt Romney seems to change positions like the wind. He tells Florida he supports the Bush tax cuts. But as Massachusetts Governor, Romney refused to take a position on the Bush tax cuts and then increased taxes by $700 million, but tried to call them fees.' Where does Mitt Romney stand? Whichever way the wind blows."

When he was governor of Massachusetts and asked about the tax cuts in April 2003, Romney did say in interview with the Globe that he "won't be a cheerleader" for bills he did not agree with. "But I have to keep a solid relationship with the White House,” Romney said at the time.

Under Romney, Massachusetts also hiked fees by about $700 million, according to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, although the Romney camp has said some of the fees were approved before Romney became governor.

Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts is the latest prominent Democrat to hit former President Bill Clinton for his criticisms of Barack Obama.

"I think you had an abuse of the truth, is what happened," Kerry said in an interview today with National Journal On Air. "I mean, being an ex-president does not give you license to abuse the truth, and I think that over the last days it's been over the top. Things have been said about Barack Obama's positions that are just plain untrue."

Kerry, the 2004 Democratic nominee who endorsed Obama earlier this month, was pressed by Linda Douglass of National Journal to elaborate on his remarks about Clinton. "I think there has been an overreach with respect to what Barack Obama has said and when he said it, and I think it's been unfortunate, but I don't think we ought to spend out time there," Kerry replied.

He then went on to praise Obama's plans for reviving the economy and to trumpet Obama's legislative experience.

What would a Barack Obama presidency look like? He told us on David Letterman last night, using the top 10 list to lay out a series of campaign promises he would fulfill once in the White House. Our favorite was No. 8: "Appoint Mitt Romney secretary of lookin' good."

By Sasha Issenberg, Globe Staff

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Regardless of the results of the February 5 megaprimary, John McCain is headed to delegate-starved Bavaria.

The weekend after the bicoastal bonanza, McCain has already booked a trip to the Munich Conference, a high-profile national-security confab he has attended for years. McCain often brings up past conferences when boasting of his relationships with world leaders, good and bad: he proudly recalls a time he said Russian President Vladimir Putin looked him directly in the eyes while disparaging U.S. foreign policy.

The detour from the campaign trail will be a brief one, says traveling companion and former Navy Secretary John Lehman: a quick weekend turnaround with barely 36 hours on German soil before the return to Andrews Air Force Base. The blitzkrieg will feature little time for the excesses documented in a recent film romanticizing congressional travel, according to Lehman.

"That's a typical John McCain trip," he said. "He's no Charlie Wilson."

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- One was a former realtor whose business has evaporated. Another was a mother of a severely disabled daughter who requires more care than the family can afford. Another was a minister who said she knows many seniors who cannot afford their prescriptions.

Their tales of hardship varied, but these women delivered the same message to Barack Obama this morning at a "women's roundtable" in a strip-mall deli: People are struggling in this economy, and they don't see much help on the horizon.

"We live a life that is unbelievable," said Christina Stewart, a dance instructor whose daughter requires physical therapy, speech therapy, and expensive medications, but is getting little of them. "It is horrible to watch my child suffer."

"I can only imagine," Obama told her, trying to connect her plight with a policy point. The health care system, he said, wastes money by paying for unnecessary care and focusing too much on treatment at the expense of prevention. That money, he explained to Stewart, could be going to people like her daughter, who need the care.

The pastor, Josephine Richardson, talked about the indignity of seniors having worked their whole life only to face drug bills they can't pay. "Here you've worked in the workforce to so many years ... and here you can't even afford your medications," she said.

Obama said that solving such problems requires not just an engaged president, but an empowered citizenry that demands changes in how Washington works. "We've gotta get the American people reengaged," he said.

If voters value such intimate gatherings with Obama, he comes away with something, too: poignant anecdotes to weave into his stump speeches. "These are the kinds of things I'll be talking about on the campaign trail," he told the group.

Afterward, Stewart reminded reporters that Obama wasn't the only candidate attuned to the concerns of voters like her. She said she liked John Edwards's health care plan, too, and wishes they would run as a ticket. "My fantasy is to see Obama and Edwards together," she said.

During the Republican debate last night on MSNBC, moderator Tim Russert asked candidate John McCain about his previous comments that he didn't know as much about economics as he did about other issues. McCain's answer suggested he had never made such a comment. In fact he did so as recently as December, as the Globe's Sasha Issenberg reported at the time.

Here's the exchange from the debate transcript last night:

RUSSERT: National security, the war in Iraq had been the dominant issue in the campaign until a few weeks ago. And now the economy has taken hold. Ask any of the voters; it's the economy. Senator McCain, you have said repeatedly, quote, I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated. Is it a problem for your campaign that the economy is now the most important issue, one that by your own acknowledgment you're not well versed on?

MCCAIN: Actually, I don't know where you got that quote from. I'm very well versed in economics. I was there at the Reagan revolution. I was there when we enacted the first -- or just after we enacted the first tax cuts and the restraints on spending.

But Issenberg quoted McCain as telling reporters on December 17 in New Hampshire: "The issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should," McCain said. "I've got Greenspan's book."

Here's the link to Issenberg's account, which appeared on the Boston Globe's campaign blog, Political Intelligence, on December 18.

The New York Times editorial board this evening announced its support for Hillary Clinton and John McCain as the Democratic and Republican nominees for the 2008 presidential race, respectively.

In endorsing Clinton, the Times editorial board painted the choice as a difficult one in an uncharacteristically dynamic Democratic field. While noting the attraction of Barack Obama, the Times board ultimately selected Clinton, calling her more experienced to tackle the challenges the nation faces:

"The potential upside of a great Obama presidency is enticing, but this country faces huge problems, and will no doubt be facing more that we can’t foresee. The next president needs to start immediately on challenges that will require concrete solutions, resolve, and the ability to make government work. Mrs. Clinton is more qualified, right now, to be president."

ANDERSON, S.C. – Now that Hillary Clinton is putting in some face time in the state that holds its primary on Saturday, her campaign has swapped a controversial negative radio ad for an upbeat, positive one.

The negative ad quoted Obama as saying, “The Republicans were the party of ideas for a pretty long chunk of time there over the last 10, 15 years.”

And then the announcer responded: “Really? Aren’t those the ideas that got us into the economic mess we’re in today? Ideas like special tax breaks for Wall Street. Running up a $9 trillion debt. Refusing to raise the minimum wage or deal with the housing crisis. Are those the ideas Barack Obama’s talking about?”

The Obama campaign cried foul and said the Illinois senator’s words were taken totally out of context. They also put out a negative radio ad of their own here saying Clinton had made false attacks.

Well, today Clinton’s ad went off the air, just as her campaign debuted one with Bill Clinton, who starts out talking about the troubled economy and goes on:

“I also know that African Americans have been hit the hardest these last seven years. Who can fix health care, who can fix our economy, who can create new jobs, who can reduce the price of gas at the pump? Hillary can.”

Another thing: It was impossible not to notice that in her two appearances today, Clinton drew almost entirely white audiences, in a state where half of Democratic voters are African-American. Her husband, long popular with black voters, has drawn much more mixed crowds.

It's unclear whether Mike Huckabee will still be a presidential candidate when he steps to the starting line, but the former Arkansas governor did officially enter today to run in the Boston Marathon.

He will join Team Hoyt, a local charity that pushes for integrating the physically challenged into everyday life. Dick Hoyt and son Rick Hoyt have completed 25 Boston Marathons, with Dick running and Rick in his wheelchair, the Boston Athletic Association said today.

Huckabee has been training on the campaign trail and famously lost more than 100 pounds when he started running after being diagnosed with adult-onset diabetes. He has run four marathons, but Boston's on April would likely be his toughest.

By Andrew Ryan and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

The burglary and two arrests at Mitt Romney's North End campaign headquarters this morning do not appear to be the work of covert political operatives trying to thwart Romney’s presidential bid.

Police arrived at the building on Commercial Street at 1 a.m. and stopped a blue Toyota Camry leaving a parking lot. When the suspects opened the car doors, two open bottles of Budweiser tumbled to the ground, according a police report. Inside the car, officers found two crowbars and a single Macintosh laptop commuter that had allegedly been stolen from an office at the campaign.

"There is no indication this was politically motivated," said Eric Fehrnstrom, a Romney spokesman.

One of the men who was arrested -- Michael J. Sauer, 30 -- identified himself as a political independent on his voter registration, public records show. The second suspect, Daniel J. Bradley, 28, is not registered to vote in Massachusetts, records show. Bradley has six outstanding warrants for crimes that include possession of narcotics and breaking and entering, police said.

The men, who both live in Cambridge, were arraigned this morning in Boston Municipal Court. Wearing hooded sweatshirts, both men tried to shield their faces from the crush of reporters that covered the hearing. They were charged with breaking and entering with the intent to commit a felony and possession of burglar tools.

It was the second burglary at the building since September, when thieves stole seven laptop computers and their docking stations and a 37-inch plasma television, the personal property of Spencer Zwick, the candidate's finance manager and close personal adviser. At the time, the campaign also said the break-in was not connected to Romney's presidential bid.

It does not appear that the two break-ins are connected, police said.

This morning a security guard monitoring surveillance cameras at the campaign headquarters called 911 at 12:53 a.m. He told police he saw two men stealing a computer in a rear office of the building at 585 Commercial Street, according to a police report. Police found pry marks on window in the side and the rear of the building.

Fehrnstrom praised want he called the rapid response of Boston police.

Chuck Norris has Mike Huckabee's back.

Today, another action actor, Sylvester Stallone, announced he had Republican rival's John McCain's.

On an appearance on "Fox & Friends" this morning, McCain was surprised by the hosts with the endorsement by the star of all the "Rocky' movies.

"I like McCain a lot, a lot," Stallone said. "Things may change along the way, but there’s something about matching the character with the script and right now, the script is being written and the reality is pretty brutal and pretty hard edged, a rough action film, and you need somebody who’s been in that to deal with it."

McCain responded by raising his arms in that famous Rocky pose: "Da-da! I'm going to Philadelphia to run up the steps. I'm ready!"

Senator Barack Obama pauses during remarks at a campaign stop Wednesday in Sumter, S.C.(REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

SUMTER, S.C. -- One of the fascinating things about following Barack Obama is watching how he tailors his message, and his delivery of that message, to his audiences.

At times, his relationship with a crowd feels off -- especially if it's too big, if the people are too unruly, or if the acoustics of a venue aren't very good. But when Obama has a crowd, he really has a crowd, and he knows it.

He's enjoyed such moments all around the country, but he does have a special interplay with African-American audiences, one he seems to relish. Instead of giving his straight stump speech, Obama tends to drift into call-and-response sessions with black supporters, knowing they will follow his lead. They certainly did today in Sumter, a mid-sized city in South Carolina's Midlands where Obama spoke to several hundred supporters in a steamy community center gym.

When Obama talked about President Bush not being on the ballot this year, they began an impromptu chant of "No Bush, no Cheney!" When he said he wished he could take all the credit for his big crowds, they said "Take it!" When he talked about bipartisanship, they said, "Gotta work together!" And when he talked about hope, they said "All right!" after nearly every phrase.

Obama used the friendly setting to urge voters not to be fooled by what he said were untruths coming from Hillary Clinton's campaign. "They're trying to bamboozle you. It's the same old okey-doke," he said, using a slang phrase for a con. "Y'all know about okey-doke, right? It's the same old stuff."

Obama also raised emails that have been circulating falsely calling him a Muslim. "I've been a member of the same church for almost 20 years, praying to Jesus, with my Bible," he said. "Don't let people turn you around."

After a little more call-and-response, he laughed into the microphone and said, "I'm having too much fun here. I need to do some business." The business wasn't all the much different than the fun, though, and his interplay with the crowd continued as he talked about his upbringing.

"They gave me love, they gave me education, and they gave me hope," he said, and his supporters yelled "Yeah!" "And look where it got me. Look where it got me. It brought me a pretty long way."

Three new polls out today show a fluid race in Florida in advance of Tuesday's Republican primary -- and show Rudy Giuliani, who has staked his campaign on the Sunshine State, trailing in all of them.

The St. Petersburg Times/Bay News 9/Miami Herald survey gives John McCain a 25 percent to 23 percent edge over Mitt Romney, with Giuliani at 15 percent and Mike Huckabee at 13 percent. The Times, in the headline on its online report, asks, "Bye-bye Rudy?"

The poll was conducted Sunday through Tuesday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

McCain also leads in a Strategic Vision survey, with Giuliani in second ahead of Romney. Romney leads and Giuliani is in second ahead of McCain in an Insider Advantage survey.

Rudy Giuliani and John McCain each launched a new web-only ad today that plays up a key selling point leading up to Tuesday's Florida primary.

Giuliani's spot (watch it here) highlights his proposal for a national fund to help residents deal with hurricanes and other disasters.

"Only one Republican candidate has proven experience dealing with disaster," the announcer says, as a photo of Giuliani after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks appears. "Only one will fight for a national catastrophe fund. And only one has a plan to lower rates and fix the insurance mess. Tested in crisis. Ready to lead. Rudy Giuliani. The only one for Florida."

McCain's ad features former US senator Jack Kemp, senator and former presidential candidate Sam Brownback, and even rival Mike Huckabee vouching for McCain's credentials as a conservative on taxes, judicial appointments, and other issues.

"I enlisted as a foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution," McCain says. "I will match my record with anybody who's running."

Rudy Giuliani's campaign said today that a former veteran Florida congressman is supporting him, an endorsement he hopes will boost his prospects in the make-or-break primary on Tuesday.

Clay Shaw, a former Fort Lauderdale mayor, represented the area in Congress from 1981 until he lost his seat in the Democratic surge in 2006. He plans to campaign with Giuliani in Boca Raton on Thursday, leading up to the MSNBC debate.

"I have long admired Rudy's dedication to conservative fiscal principles," Shaw said in a statement issued by the Giuliani campaign. "As mayor, he cut taxes, turned deficits into surpluses, and created economic growth in New York City. Republicans need Mayor Giuliani's strong leadership and his commitment to keeping taxes low and restraining government spending."

Mitt Romney claimed the endorsement today of a veteran US senator from the Deep South, Thad Cochran of Mississippi.

"At this moment our nation faces unprecedented challenges, and Governor Romney has the experience, vision and values needed to strengthen our country for future generations," Cochran said in a statement issued by the Romney campaign. "Governor Romney is a man of outstanding judgment and strong character."

Cochran had initally endorsed Fred Thompson, but the former Tennessee senator withdrew from the race on Tuesday.

The backing from Cochran, the sixth sitting Republican senator to join Romney's team, should help Romney build his case that he has national appeal in the GOP.

Barack Obama holds an 18-percentage-point lead over Hillary Clinton among likely voters in Saturday's Democratic primary in South Carolina, according to a new poll out today.

That helps explain why Clinton is already campaigning in delegate-rich states that are part of Super Tuesday on Feb. 5, while relying on former President Bill Clinton to show the flag in South Carolina.

According to the Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby tracking poll released this morning, Obama leads Clinton 43 percent to 25 percent, while John Edwards is a distant third at 15 percent. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

Obama holds a commanding lead -- 65 percent to 16 percent -- among black voters, who are expected to make up at least half of primary voters. Clinton and Edwards are even among white voters, while Obama is a distant third, according to the poll.

Clinton has campaign events scheduled today in Pennsylvania and in New Jersey. The latter holds one of 22 Democratic contests on Feb. 5. She is also airing three TV ads in several of the Feb. 5 states; one ad touts her clean energy proposals, while the other two are about her plans to revive the economy and aid working-class and middle-class families.

"These ads are classic Clinton spin: Blame Republicans, distort facts, and propose more taxes and spending," Republican National Committee spokesman Alex Conant said in a statement.

John McCain, who in ads and speeches argues that he has been right about this Iraq war, now has the support of the top commander in the first Persian Gulf War.

Retired Army General H. Norman Schwarzkopf endorsed McCain this morning, saying in a statement: "Senator John McCain has served our country with honor in war and in peace. He has demonstrated the type of courageous leadership our country sorely needs at this time. For that reason, he has my complete support."

Schwarzkopf, who was feted in parades and became a sought-after speaker after the Gulf War, is still a very popular figure in military circles. His backing should help McCain make even more inroads into the sizable military community in Florida, the next Republican nomination contest on Jan. 29.

ORANGEBURG, S.C. -- Barack Obama brought some star power with him tonight to South Carolina State University, turning to three popular African-American artists to draw students into the basketball arena at this historically black university.

His warm-up acts came straight from the A-list: the singer Usher, the actress Kerry Washington, and the actor Chris Tucker. They walked on stage to deafening cheers. But they were here not as performers, but as recruiters for Saturday's primary.

"Given the fact that there were so many activists who fought for the ability for us to have a voice, I would consider it negligent, I would consider it irresponsible, I would consider it taking it for granted if you don't simply take that opportunity to vote," Usher said. "Because you can make a difference. You do know that, right?"

Fearing the crowd didn't fully get the point, Usher went on. "If you don't use your voice, you didn't make a difference, OK?"

"OK!" they said.
"Are you guys ready to unleash that power?" he asked.
"Yeah!"
"Are you ready for change?"
"Yeah!"

The three celebrities lingered a bit on stage before ceding the spotlight to Obama, who tried to begin his speech while they were still visible. It didn't really work; the students were still enamored. "I’m going to wait until they get outta here," Obama joked. "They might cause a riot."

Obama then delivered a condensed version of his stump speech, including some additional references to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights struggles of the past.

Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, who endorsed Barack Obama earlier this month, is now coming to Obama's aid to rebut what he calls "disgusting lies" that Obama is a secret Muslim and refuses to observe the Pledge of Allegiance.

In an e-mail to Obama supporters today, Kerry reminds them of what happened to him in 2004 when a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth challenged his Vietnam War record.

"As a veteran, it disgusts me that the Swift Boats we loved while we were in uniform on the Mekong Delta have been rendered, in Karl Rove's twisted politics, an ugly verb meaning to lie about someone's character just to win an election," Kerry writes. "But as someone who cares about winning this election and changing the country I love, I know it's not enough to complain about a past we can't change when our challenge is to win the future -- which is why we must stop the Swiftboating, stop the push-polling, stop the front groups, and stop the email chain smears.

"The truth matters, but how you fight the lies matters even more. We must be determined never again to lose any election to a lie," Kerry writes.

The email includes links to an Obama campaign truth-squadding website, and Kerry urges recipients to use the material to email friends, post printouts at work, call radio stations, and write letters to the editor.

"So when your inbox fills up with trash and the emails of smear and fear, find the facts, and help defeat the lies," Kerry says.

While his Republican rivals issued statements praising the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., Ron Paul and his supporters took the holiday for the slain civil rights leader to bring in more than $1.85 million in campaign cash.

The one-day bonanza on Monday -- the latest for Paul who has made online fund-raising an art form -- had the theme of "Free at last," taking one of the most famous phrases from King's "I have a dream" speech. A video that supporters used to generate interest showed Paul praising King and Rosa Parks as heroes because he said they fulfilled the libertarian ideal of producing change through civil disobedience.

Paul's civil rights credentials were questioned in a New Republic article this month about newsletters published under his name that included racially inflammatory assertions.

Paul issued an immediate response to the article, disavowing the comments, saying they "do not represent what I believe or have ever believed."

"I have never uttered such words and denounce such small-minded thoughts," his statement continued. "In fact, I have always agreed with Martin Luther King Jr. that we should only be concerned with the content of a person's character, not the color of their skin."

GREENVILLE, S.C. – During President Bill Clinton’s visit to a community development center linked run by an African-American church today, a very aggressive question came from a young white man who kept his video camera trained on the former president as he asked it:

“You’re often called the first black president, and I wanted to ask, a lot of us believe Senator Obama eventually will be the first black president. Are you going to be OK with having stood in his way? Do you think that will affect your legacy amongst the blacks in South Carolina?”

Clinton took about three minutes to answer, managing both to show defiance and tug on the heartstrings of the audience, which was mostly white but about a quarter black.

“I’m not standing in his way, I think Hillary would be a better president,” he said, explaining that he thinks she’s better prepared for the times. “No one has a right to be president, including Hillary.”

Clinton reminded the audience that he has praised Obama as a good man, and said he hoped to be able to vote for him one day – presumably meaning after his wife’s two terms in office.

Then he said he thought it would be just as much of a change to have a woman president, and described how his grandmother “worked for peanuts every day of her life,” his widowed mother got up before dawn every day, and he and Hillary raised Chelsea to believe she could do anything.

Clinton concluded by saying it will be wonderful when America has the first black president, Hispanic president, Native American, Asian, Jewish and Muslim.

“This country is an ideal,” he said, “that is big enough to embrace anybody who believes in the rule of law and believes that our common humanity is more important than any of our differences.”

South Carolina's largest newspaper today endorsed Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential race.

The State in Columbia said that while the policy differences between Obama and Hillary Clinton are "minute," he is more likely to unify the country.

The endorsement is a boost for Obama, coming four days before Saturday's primary, and a blow for Clinton and more so for John Edwards, a native son seeking a strong showing in South Carolina to energize his campaign.

The State endorsed John McCain before his win in South Carolina's Republican primary on Saturday.

Fred Thompson announced today he is dropping out, further winnowing the Republican presidential field before the key Jan. 29 primary in Florida.

"Today, I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort," Thompson said in a statement.

Thompson, the former actor and US senator from Tennessee, was once seen as a savior by conservatives, but waged a campaign largely viewed as lethargic. He waited until September to enter the race and he briefly appeared at the top of national polls. But he never caught on with the Republican rank-and-file. After declaring South Carolina's primary to be his last stand, he finished a disappointing third on Saturday.

The race will now be on for Thompson's supporters and for his endorsement. Thompson has long been close to Senator John McCain of Arizona and backed him in the 2000 campaign.

Mike Huckabee said he expects that Thompson's withdrawal will boost his support among conservatives.

The former Arkansas governor said Thompson hurt him in South Carolina, where he finished second to McCain.

"I'm waiting for the rest of them to drop out, then I'll be a very happy guy," he said, jokingly, on MSNBC.

Huckabee said he is streamlining his campaign because he does not plan to go into debt for his campaign. He also joked that he couldn't print money like the federal government. "As much as I want to go to the White House, I don't want to go to the Big House," he said.

Mitt Romney issued a statement, saying that Thompson "brought a laudable focus to the challenges confronting our country and the solutions necessary to meet them. He stood for strong conservative ideas and believed strongly in the need to keep our conservative coalition together."

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- With jitters coursing through Wall Street and the world financial markets, Barack Obama addressed the economy in a speech this morning to a packed auditorium at Furman University here in Greenville.

Obama recounted all the worried faces he's seen while campaigning. "The fears of these people and millions of others across the country have grown worse, and are now shared by more and more Americans," he said. "What started as a crisis in the housing market has now spilled over into the rest of the economy."

Banks are facing a credit crunch, joblessness is on the rise, and oil prices are at record levels, Obama said. He reiterated calls for a $500 tax rebate and a $250 boost to seniors' Social Security checks, and he said unemployment insurance should be available longer -- and to more workers -- than it is now.

"People have less money to spend, higher bills to pay, and fewer opportunities to work," he said.

Obama also criticized rival Hillary Clinton for changing her economic stimulus plan to include a rebate only after he proposed one, and for voting for a bankruptcy bill in the Senate that she later said she was happy didn't become law. The two tangled over both points in last night's contentious debate.

"This is exactly the kind of politics we cannot afford right now," Obama said today. "Not when the stakes are this high, not when the economy is this fragile, not when so many banks are foreclosing on people's dreams. We can't afford a president whose positions change with the politics of the moment."

John Edwards mostly stayed out of the line of fire during Monday night's debate as Democratic front-runners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama attacked each other's records and honesty.

But in a new TV ad airing in South Carolina, Edwards aims squarely at both his rivals as he tries to pull off a comeback in the state where he was born.

"One gets more money than anyone from drug companies. The other one takes more money than anyone from Washington lobbyists," the narrator says as photos of Clinton and Obama appear on the screen.

"What’s happened to the Democratic Party? Whatever happened to the party of the people? Good question," the narrator continues, as a montage of Edwards on the campaign trail appears. "The only one who’s never taken a dime from PACs or Washington lobbyists, who knows we’ve been ignored too long, who knows that rebuilding the middle class is more important than politics? Our John Edwards. The only one."

Most messages labeled "About last night" would suggest regret, recriminations, or just sheepishness about behavior viewed in a more clear-eyed way in a new morning.

Not so the memo from Hillary Clinton's campaign, which is not backing away one iota from the raucous and at times heated exchanges with Barack Obama during Monday night's debate in South Carolina.

"While much of this campaign has focused on Senator Obama's rhetoric, there has not been much attention paid to Senator Obama's record," says the memo. "Last night, that changed. With the fireworks now receding, it's time to focus on the substance. From questions about his commitment to fiscal responsibility to his relationship with a donor currently under indictment to his consistency on key issues, last night raised new issues that the Obama campaign must confront today."

The memo then goes on to repeat criticisms raised during the debate by Clinton, who told reporters today that Obama was "looking for a fight" at the debate.

Obama, for his part, continued to press his argument that the Clinton campaign is deliberately misrepresenting his record and statements. "I think it's very clear that Senator Clinton has and President Clinton have been spending the last month attacking me in ways that are not accurate," Obama told reporters in a conference call, according to the Associated Press.

In his latest TV ad in Florida, Mitt Romney keeps his focus on the economy and calls for "conservative change" to fix what ails Washington.

"Today our economy is slowing. Many feel anxious about the future," he says in the ad, with a Florida backdrop. "I know how America works because I've spent my life in the real economy. I ran a business, turned around the Olympics, and I led a state.

"My plan will make our economy strong," he continues. "We need to invest in people and businesses with tax cuts that will get us moving again. Washington is broken, but we can fix it with real conservative change."

Romney, who is competing aggressively in Florida in advance of the Jan. 29 primary, has proposed a $233 billion economic stimulus package that includes cutting the lowest individual income tax rate from 10 percent to 7.5 percent and reducing the top corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent.

Governor Deval Patrick, one of Barack Obama's most visible supporters, chalked up much of the heated exchanges between Obama and Hillary Clinton in Monday night's debate to candidates "cranky" because they are campaigning to near exhaustion.

But in an interview this morning on CNN, Patrick also acknowledged that he and other Obama backers do have "frustration" for what they consider unwarranted attacks on their candidate.

Patrick, who was in South Carolina over the weekend stumping for Obama, said that instead of candidates attacking each other, voters want the focus on new ideas, optimistic vision, and "once-in-a-generation leadership" that Obama offers.

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- If Barack Obama's campaign is worried about relying too much on independents and Republicans to win Democratic primaries, they aren't showing it.

A new 60-second TV ad that's now running nationally on CNN and MSNBC focuses largely on Obama's work with Republicans in Illinois and in the US Senate, and it features yet another clip from Obama's now-famous rejection, in his address to the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, of the Red State-Blue State dichotomy

"This is a man who knows how to get things done," says freshwoman Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri, who recently threw her support to Obama. "He understands that we’ve gotta move forward with a different kind of politics."

Despite Hillary Clinton's ability to win more rank-and-file Democrats in the last couple votes, Obama continues to make overt appeals to non-traditional Democratic voters. His rivals were highly critical of his recent praise for former president Ronald Reagan.

Clinton's campaign said in a statement today that Obama's new ad is a "clear and blatant violation" of a pledge the Democratic candidates made last year not to campaign in Florida, after the Democratic Party punished the state for moving its primary to a date earlier than was sanctioned. Many Florida homes watch CNN and MSNBC, her campaign noted. "The Obama campaign knows this, but has chosen to violate the pledge regardless," her campaign said.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton responded in a statement that the two networks said it would be impossible to exclude Florida TV sets from a national ad. "For that reason we consulted with the South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Carol Fowler, who told us unequivocally she did not consider this to be in violation of pledge made to the early states," Burton said.

By Brian C. Mooney, Globe Staff

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, his campaign reeling from two polls showing him trailing John McCain in his home state, is scheduled to leave Florida Tuesday to return to New York for fundraising events.

Siena College and Zogby International, both based in New York state, released polls today. In the Siena survey, McCain led Giuliani by a 36 percent to 24 percent margin, with Mitt Romney third at 10 percent. In the Zogby poll, Giuliani trailed McCain, 24 to 21 percent with Romney third at 14 percent. Twenty percent said they were "not sure."

Giuliani was running third among voters surveyed in traditionally Republican upstate New York, Zogby said, though the results were a statistical tie because of the margin of error of the survey. A Siena poll in December showed Giuliani with a 33-point lead over the senator from Arizona.

Giuliani's campaign said he is returning to New York City Tuesday afternoon to attend fundraising events. Giuliani, whose once-commanding leads in national, Florida, and many other state polls, has disappeared, has been campaigning in Florida for almost two weeks. Giuliani's campaign has been operating on an extremely unconventional strategy, bypassing most of the early-voting states to concentrate on Florida, which holds its primary on Jan. 29.

A Rasmussen Reports survey Sunday of 754 likely Republican voters in the Florida primary showed Romney leading McCain, 25 percent to 20 percent, with Giuliani a close third, at 19 percent. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee was fourth at 13 percent. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Three Republicans jockeying for advantage in Florida all launched new TV ads today in the state.

Rudy Giuliani's Spanish-language spot promotes his proposals for tax cuts and a national fund for property insurance relief. "His accomplishments demonstrate his capability," the narrator says. "His vision gives us hope."

John McCain's spot highlights his time as a POW during the Vietnam War, his record as early supporter of the so-called surge in Iraq, and his reputation as a maverick. "One man does what's right, not what's easy. John McCain," the announcer says in the ad.

And Mitt Romney's Spanish-language spot features his son Craig talking about his record as a businessman, as the leader of the 2002 Winter Olympics, and as Massachusetts governor. Craig Romney says that above all, Romney is a family man.

The Confederate flag flies above participants in a celebration today of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the South Carolina state capitol.

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Past, present, and future collided today as the leading Democratic presidential candidates joined South Carolinians to observe the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the state capitol here.

The past: this state's checkered history of race relations, evidenced by the angry denunciations of the Confederate flag that still flies on the capitol lawn, and by the flag's defenders who formed a small protest across the street.

The present: a hard-fought contest among Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John Edwards for top prize in this Saturday's Democratic primary, in which black voters, expected to make up more than half the electorate, will be key.

The future: the progress paving the way for a woman and an African-American to have the best shot ever at winning the presidency.

Leaders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People led the King celebration, urging participants to both recognize how far the country had come but continue fighting for justice. They urged the audience to vote.

"The same hands that picked cotton will have the opportunity to pick the next president of the United States," said Lonnie Randolph, president of the South Carolina branch of the NAACP. "We have power beyond measure. Let's put that power to work."

The three candidates all gave brief remarks, gently infusing their campaign messages into tributes to King and his legacy, which have been the subject of controversy in recent weeks after Clinton was accused of downplaying King's civil rights successes. Today she made certain to praise him, saying, "He led a movement of works, a movement of people across our country who raised their voices, rolled up their sleeves, and worked for justice."

By Michael Levenson
Globe Staff

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- To mark the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday today,
Mitt Romney delivered a tribute at a petroleum company and then shook hands
with African-American families at an MLK-day parade.

King “showed in many respects how to bring down some of the barriers to
fulfill the promise of the Declaration of Independence,“ Romney told 70
employees of Gate Petroleum this morning. “And that was not fulfilled in
this country for a long, long time. And in some places today, it is still
yet to be fulfilled.”

He praised the slain civil rights leader as someone who “showed again what
one person can do.”

“Sometimes you think problems are huge and they’re beyond the scope of
anyone’s ability to deal with them, but an individual of passion and
courage and faith and character can help change an entire nation, as he
did,“ Romney said.

He then went into his stump speech. “So I wish to begin by paying my
respects to his great memory and accomplishment. My areas of accomplishment
are not like his, not on that level, and yet I took a very different course
in my life than most people who are in office. I spent my life in the
private sector…”

At the parade, he shook hands and posed for photos as a marching band
played “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” an African-American anthem written at
the turn of the 19th century by Jacksonville native James Weldon Johnson.

“Who let the dogs out? Who? Who?” Romney said, singing the chorus of a
popular song while posing with children. Admiring a child’s gold necklace,
he said, “You’ve got some bling-bling, too.” And meeting some high school
students in the Navy JROTC, he said he was heartened to see such patriotism
in America’s youth.

Romney made no formal remarks to the crowds. But asked by a reporter what
he would do to help those who face racial barriers, he listed several items.

"One is to make sure our schools are able to prepare kids for the jobs of
tomorrow," Romney said. "I think that’s the great civil rights issue of our
time, is making sure our inner-city schools are up to the task. And I think
they fail way too many of our kids. We should also teach kids that they
should get married before they have babies, and encourage the formation of
families. It’s an enormous advantage for kids to have the blessing of a
two-parent home. I think Bill Cosby was speaking about that with some
courage. And of course one of the best things you can to do help people is
to get them health care. We fought to get every citizen in our state health
care."

Then he climbed back on to his Winnebago to embark on a cross-state
campaign tour.

A beaming John McCain declared victory tonight in the crucial South Carolina primary and promised to continue telling the truth.

He strode on stage as supporters chanted "Mac is Back" at a Charleston, S.C. rally. "It took us a while, but what's eight years among friends," he said, referring to his bitter loss in the 2000 primary.

"Thank you for your trust," he concluded. "I will not let you down."

Mike Huckabee conceded South Carolina's Republican primary tonight to John McCain, but vowed to press on with his bid.

"I want to thank him for running a good and decent and civil campaign," said the former Arkansas governor, saying he preferred to lose than to win by attacking his opponents.

"We got awful close," said Huckabee, who finished a close second. "The process is far, far from over."

NBC, CNN, and the Associated Press have projected John McCain as the winner of the fierce South Carolina Republican primary.

McCain was in a tight battle with Mike Huckabee, but his win represents a startling turnaround from 2000, when McCain's presidential hopes all but ended with a loss to George W. Bush. This time around, he found much more support among the state's Republican establishment.

His win bodes well for his chances to eventually win the nomination. Since 1980, every winner of the South Carolina primary has gone on to be the party's nominee.

By Joseph Williams, Globe Staff

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- A small cluster of volunteers for Democrat Barack Obama crashed Republican Mike Huckabee's primary night rally.

They were in the convention center practicing for an Obama rally on Sunday. "We were making a dry run for the speech tomorrow," said Lauren Wingo, 22, a student at UNC-Greensboro. "We smelled the food so we came on up."

Wingo was clearly not a part of this crowd, watching returns showing Huckabee in a tight race with John McCain. While most of Huckabee's supporters wore suits, sportcoats, blazers and jeans, she wore a T-shirt with pictures of Obama and Oprah Winfrey, commemorating their joint appearance at the University of South Carolina football stadium last month. The T-shirt read, "I Was There."

Fred Thompson's campaign has been somewhat unconventional, and it continued tonight, talking to supporters even before the South Carolina primary results were out

"We appreciate you," he said, also thanking his family and starting to speak in past tense as if he were going to drop out. In early returns, Thompson is battling with Mitt Romney for third in a state he had declared his last stand.

"It's never been about me," he said. "The party is being required to look at itself in the mirror."

But then he went on to his standard speech about conservative values

"We'll always stand together....Stand strong. Stand strong."

By Sasha Issenberg, Globe Staff

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Jerry and Tina Glover arrived at their polling place at West Ashley Middle School this morning with their two young sons and a bad case of his-and-hers indecision.

After long conversations at home and at the Sunday school of their evangelical church about whether to support John McCain or Mike Huckabee, the couple split ways and made up their minds individually in the privacy of separate voting booths. Their first questions for each other after having cast ballots: "Who'd you vote for?"

"I thought he would say McCain and he thought I would say Huckabee," said Tina Glover.

In the end, the Glover household split the other way. Tina, a 42-year old stay-at-home mother, voted for McCain. Jerry, a 38-year old engineer who works at a US Marines command center, picked Huckabee. She likes electability, he went straight for a candidate with strong religious beliefs.

"We like them both, so we’re comfortable with either one winning," Jerry said.

They stuck around after voting as their the two boys, ages four and two and nonetheless wearing "I Voted" stickers, rambled through the bleachers of the school gym. For the older one, the day marked the denouement of the only political era he has experienced.

"Ethan is old enough to know Bush. We call him 'Dubya.' " said Tina. "He doesn’t understand why President Bush has to leave. He says, 'Why do we need a new president?' "

By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- The military has warned soldiers not to use official computers to forward a chain email that falsely accuses Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama of being a Muslim who attended a radical Muslim school, saying distribution of the information is a violation of Army regulations and constitutes unlawful political activity.

The memorandum, dated Thursday, came after the discredited claims about Obama's background were sent from an Army computer to what appear to be thousands of Army personnel worldwide.

"Currently there is a Chain Email floating around with the Subject line: 'Who is Barack Obama,' " states the official warning, which was sent to all personnel who work for the Army Medical Command, based in Fort Sam Houston, Tex. "Like virtually all chain emails this one is false."

Further, it adds, distributing the e-mail using military computers is a violation of several Army regulations that state that government communications equipment must be used only for official purposes and that their misuse could be punished under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Moreover, Army personnel were told that the political nature of the e-mail constitutes a violation of separate regulations that explicitly bar the military from engaging in any political activities while on duty, saying "the subject email falls under the realm of prohibited political activity."

One of the relevant regulations states that uniformed or civilian Defense Department employees cannot, among other things, "knowingly solicit or discourage the political activity of any person who has business with DoD; engage in political activity while on duty; and engage in political activity while in any Federal workplace."

A copy of the reprimand, which came from information technology managers at the Army Medical Command, was obtained by the Globe. The author of the message, reached by the Globe today, confirmed its content.

"In this emotion-charged election year expect to see an overabundance of similar chain emails from friends and foes alike in both your personal and government email inboxes," it concludes. "Just keep in mind that the government systems are for official use only."

Democrats are crowing again that many more voters came out for their contest today in Nevada than for the Republicans'.

The Nevada Democratic Party reported that with 84 percent of precincts reporting, a record 107,000 people attended the caucuses. That compares to about 34,000 on the GOP side with 78% of precincts reporting.

The Democratic National Committee argues that the "enthusiasm gap" bodes well for the general election in November.

CBS and CNN are projecting Hillary Clinton as the winner over Barack Obama of the hotly contested Nevada caucuses.

With 52 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton led Obama 52 percent to 44 percent, with John Edwards a distant third with 4 percent.

That gives Clinton a second straight win over Obama, following her comeback win in New Hampshire, as Democrats point to the South Carolina primary on Jan. 26. She won despite the 60,000-member Culinary Workers Union endorsing Obama.

The Clinton campaign boasted of winning despite the powerful Culinary Workers backing for Obama and a Spanish-language radio ad calling Clinton "shameless" because her supporters filed a lawsuit against at-large caucus sites in casinos.

"Today we won a huge victory by overcoming institutional hurdles and one of the worst negative ads in recent memory. This was a victory for all those who work hard and caucused on behalf of Hillary to revive our struggling economy," said a memo from campaign manager Patti Solis-Doyle and chief strategist Mark Penn.

Entrance polls showed that voters rejected those tactics and that Latino voters went for Clinton by a three-to-one margin, they asserted.

"So as we said yesterday, this was a test of whether the voters would win out through a process that gave significant institutional advantages to Hillary’s opponent," the memo said. "Today, Nevadans won and made their voices heard."

By Joseph Williams, Globe Staff

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Fred Thompson, trailing Mike Huckabee and John McCain in the polls, may continue his presidential bid even if he finishes third in today's South Carolina primary, his campaign said.

Thompson had talked of South Carolina as his last stand. When asked what a third-place finish would mean, campaign spokesman Jeff Sadoski said, "We're not thinking of any other scenarios" but a victory.

Thompson appeared this afternoon at a gun show in a suburban Shriners' auditorium -- a natural fit given his strong support of the Second Amendment right to own firearms. Several patrons wore "Fred '08" stickers on their clothing; as Thompson swept into the packed hall he was greeted by a modest round of applause.

"Go, Fred!" one woman shouted.

"How we doin'?" Thompson asked, greeting passers-by as he walked along the narrow aisles displaying hunting scopes and high-tech shotguns. He shook hands, paused for autographs, and posed for photos snapped on cell phones.

"When are you and Huckabee going to team up?" one well-wisher asked as Thompson gripped his hand.

"We are teamed up," Thompson quipped. "We're teamed up beating on each other."

Mitt Romney has won the Nevada Republican caucuses, CNN and the Associated Press have projected.

With 10 percent of precincts reporting, Romney has 51 percent of the vote, compared to 37 percent for John McCain. CNN and the AP are using entrance polls to project a comfortable win for Romney, who in polls as late as Friday had a 15-percentage-point edge.

"Today, the people of Nevada voted for change in Washington," Romney said in a statement. "For far too long, our leaders have promised to take the action necessary to build a stronger America, and still the people of Nevada and all across this country are waiting. Whether it is reforming health care, making America energy independent or securing the border, the American people have been promised much and are now ready for change.

"The need for change is even more apparent today as our economy faces challenges both here at home and abroad," continued Romney, who today proposed a $250 billion economic stimulus package. "For decades, we have talked about the long-term economic challenges confronting our country but still the tax burden is too high, business is stifled by regulations and more money goes to defending against junk lawsuits than promoting research and innovation. Now, Washington must act and take the steps necessary to strengthen our economy. With a career spent turning around businesses, creating jobs and imposing fiscal discipline, I am ready to get my hands on Washington and turn it inside out."

Romney was boosted by the support of fellow Mormons, who comprised a quarter of those attending the caucuses, according to the entrance polls. More than nine in 10 of them voted for Romney, according to early results from the survey conducted for The Associated Press and television networks.

Romney now has won the Michigan primary, Wyoming caucuses, and Nevada caucuses. He downplayed the South Carolina primary, where his main rivals are battling it out today, calculating that he had a better chance to win in Nevada, which has more delegates.

He is already on the way to Florida, the next big prize for Republicans on Jan. 29.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

LAS VEGAS -- Ron Paul, other than Mitt Romney the only Republican actively campaigning for Saturday's Republican caucuses in Nevada, called this afternoon for the state party to consider postponing the contest due to "multiple inconsistencies."

But the state Republican Party immediately dismissed the allegations and said the caucus would go on as planned.

"We would hope that the Paul campaign would go act like adults and not try to set up straw men to make up for their lack of organizing," said Steve Wark, a caucus spokesman.

The Paul campaign complained that voters have received postcards with incorrect caucus locations, that eligibility requirements to participate have been changed several times, and that several rural counties could run out of ballots.

"The inconsistencies, errors and multiple changes in the rules reek of playing politics with the what should be a neutral process," said campaign manager Lew Moore said in a statement. "The people of Nevada deserve to know exactly what the rules are and to know that those rules are being fairly enforced. This has not happened up to this point, and the caucus appears to be in chaos."

A Las Vegas Review-Journal survey published today showed Romney leading with 34 percent and Paul in fifth with 7 percent. John McCain had 19 percent, Mike Huckabee 13 percent, Fred Thompson 8 percent, and Rudy Giuliani 6 percent.

By Susan Milligan, Globe Staff

LAS VEGAS -- The Nevada caucuses aren't until Saturday, but Hillary Clinton's campaign wants everyone to know why she lost -- just in case she does.

Recent polls show Clinton five to nine percentage points ahead of Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and well ahead of former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, which normally would feel like a comfortable position for a candidate the night before a presidential nominating contest.

But Clinton's campaign is nervous about a big turnout from the 60,000 members of the Culinary Workers Union, which endorsed Obama. And now that a judge has upheld the state Democratic Party's plans to locate nine at-large caucus sites on the Las Vegas Strip, those union members will have an easier time making it to a caucus without interrupting their busiest day at work.

The Clinton camp, which campaigned hard for the Culinary union endorsement, is already preparing its explanation for a possible loss, contending that the rules of the caucuses give extra weight to voters going to caucuses on the Strip.

"Nine caucus sites have been set up essentially for members of the Culinary union, who have endorsed Senator Obama. Because of a unique weighting system, these sites will count disproportionately in awarding delegates. This should give Obama a clear 5-point advantage starting out,'' Clinton chief strategist Mark Penn said in a memo this evening.

"Can we make that up? Senator Obama's National Field Director said, 'The Nevada election is going to come down to: Whoever gets the endorsement of the Culinary Workers Union, more than likely, is going to win Nevada.' On the other hand, we have a great organization, huge crowds and a great candidate delivering strong message.''

In other words: Clinton will win. Unless she loses, in which case it's not a real loss because the rules were unfair.

The at-large caucus sites will be awarded more delegates, depending on turnout, because the party expects those precincts to draw many more voters.

Several teachers supporting Clinton filed a lawsuit last week to stop the party from running the at-large caucus sites. The Clinton campaign vehemently denied having anything to do with the lawsuit, although it did not denounce the effort.

The union got mad, and its parent union started running Spanish-language radio ads accusing Clinton of betraying Latino voters (the Culinary union is about 40 percent Hispanic) and being "shameless'' in her efforts to squelch their vote.

The Clinton campaign got mad back, and countered that Obama should denounce the ads. And what's more, Obama has no relationship at all with the Latino community here, said Dolores Huerta, a union activist and Clinton supporter.

"I have yet to find one casino worker who is for Obama,'' Huerta on a conference call with reporters. She added that in her many years of traveling and working on labor and human rights matters, "I have never met Obama.

"It is obvious he is trying to establish some relationship with the Latino community in Nevada which he didn't have before,'' Huerta said.

Obama's campaign said it had nothing to do with the radio ads. And anyway, the at-large sites aren't only open to casino union workers, an Obama staffer noted -- management, gas station attendants and anyone else in the area can show up to the caucus sites.

Chris Bohner, a spokesman for Unite Here, which purchased the ads, said the failed lawsuit would galvanize Obama supporters.

"It's indisputable that the Clinton campaign has publicly supported at least the intent of the lawsuit,'' Bohner said. "Telling workers -- some whom have recently become US citizens and are voting for the first time -- that they cannot vote upsets them very much.''

Hillary Clinton's support among black Democrats has cratered as racial politics emerged in the nomination fight, a new poll suggested today.

Clinton now trails Barack Obama 59 percent to 31 percent among African-Americans, according to the CNN/Opinion Research Poll. In October, Clinton led 57 percent to 31 percent. Since then, of course, Obama won the Iowa caucuses and he and Clinton have emerged as the front-runners for the Democratic nomination.

Clinton has been criticized over the last week by some prominent African-American political leaders for remarks they perceived as diminishing the accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr.

Eleanor Holmes Norton, who represents Washington, D.C., in Congress, joined the chorus, warning Clinton to "watch out'' in her comments on race. "The black community is not only sensitive on race,'' Norton said in an interview on Bloomberg Television today. It is "super-sensitive on race.''

Clinton has sought to mend fences in recent days, and she and Obama called a truce during a debate on Tuesday night. The poll did not find significant gaps among black Democrats on whether Clinton or Obama better understands the problems of blacks, or whether blacks would be better off if either were president.

Clinton and Obama are both pointing toward the Jan. 26 primary in South Carolina, where half the voters are projected to be black. She called on former NBA star Magic Johnson in a new radio ad in the state today to vouch for her -- and the importance of her greater experience -- using an analogy from his own basketball career.

"My rookie year, we won our first game on a last second shot. I was so hyped," he says in the ad. "But the captain of my team said, 'Take it easy rookie, it’s a long season, it’s a long road to the championship.' He was right. Winning comes from years of hard work and preparation. Whether it’s winning championships or a president who can lead us back to greatness, I’ll always want the most prepared and experienced person leading my team."

Among all Democrats, Clinton still leads 42 percent to Obama's 33 percent, according to the CNN poll. John Edwards had 17 percent, and Dennis Kucinich 3 percent.

On the Republican side, the poll showed John McCain leading with 29 percent, Mike Huckabee had 20 percent, Mitt Romney 19 percent, Rudy Giuliani 14 percent, Fred Thompson 9 percent, and Ron Paul 6 percent.

The poll was conducted Monday through Thursday among 448 registered voters who describe themselves as Democrats and 377 registered voters who describe themselves as Democrats.

Why does Mitt Romney get hammered as a flip-flopper when other presidential candidates have also changed positions?

It's an excuse for people who actually don't like him because he's a Mormon, three political scientists argue.

"We find that of those who accuse Romney of flip-flopping, many admit it is Romney's Mormonism and not his flip-flopping that is the real issue," Brett Benson of Vanderbilt University said in a press release out today. "Our survey shows that 26 percent of those who accuse Romney of flip-flopping also indicate that Mormonism, not flip-flopping, is their problem with Romney."

Benson, John Geer, also of Vanderbilt, and Jennifer Merolla of Claremont Graduate University studied a poll that oversampled Southern evangelicals. According to the poll, 57 percent of conservative evangelicals have a bias against Mormons, they said.

Romney, seeking to become the first Mormon elected president, gave a much-ballyhooed speech last month on faith and politics to put voters' misgivings about his faith to rest.

But the political scientists said the poll suggests that criticizing Romney for flip-flopping is effective because it works with those who are genuinely concerned about Romney's shifts on abortion and other issues, and with those who do not want to vote for a Mormon for president.

"As the campaign continues to unfold, these data become increasingly relevant as the Republicans choose a presidential nominee," Geer said in the release.

Big surprise: the faltering economy, and the Bush administration's response, is becoming a political football in the presidential race.

Acknowledging the risk of recession, President Bush this morning proposed about $145 billion worth of tax relief, including incentives for business investment and help for individuals. Congressional leaders are working on a broader package that also would include a temporary increase in food stamps and an extension of and perhaps increase in unemployment benefits.

Democrat Hillary Clinton immediately bashed the president's plan, asserting that it "shortchanges the 50 millions Americans who most need an economic shot in the arm."

"For the White House to propose spending over $100 billion to jumpstart the economy, while shortchanging assistance to the 50 million families who are struggling the most and are most likely to inject those funds into the economy makes no sense," she said in a statement. "The Bush approach would fail to fully help the millions of lower income senior citizens who live on fixed incomes and are under enormous financial stress. And it would disproportionately leave out African American and Hispanic families who have, on average, lower incomes than white families."

Democrat John Edwards chimed in, issuing a statement that said, "The economic damage done by Bush and Cheney is deep and long-lasting, and the temporary tax cuts he proposes will not solve it alone. Making matters worse, his plan provides little or no help to some 50 million low-income and middle class families."

Clinton and Edwards, along with fellow Democratic hopeful Barack Obama, have issued their own economic stimulus packages.

The Clinton criticism prompted this missive from the Republican National Committee: "Senator Clinton is clearly more concerned with poll numbers than economic numbers. That’s why Speaker Pelosi didn't even bother to review Clinton's proposal. Clinton can’t be trusted with the economy when she proposes nearly $1 trillion in new spending without explaining how she'll pay for it. She promises to put money in people’s pockets, and then in the same breadth calls for massive tax increases on hard working families. Clinton’s attacks and political pandering will not grow the economy."

Republican Mitt Romney also came to the president's defense.

"Today, the President took an important step forward to jumpstarting our economy by laying out his principles for an economic stimulus package," Romney said in a statement. "We must immediately cut taxes on both individuals and businesses, and address the housing crisis to help American homeowners. Permanent reductions in both individual and corporate tax rates are vital to strengthening the economy in the long term."

While Mitt Romney is seeking to downplay Saturday's primary in South Carolina, he has still aired more TV ads there than any of his GOP competitors.

Nielsen Monitor-Plus reported today that between February 2007 and Tuesday, Romney ran nearly half of all Republican ads. However, in the campaign's closing days, which he has spent in Nevada, he has been out-advertised by Mike Huckabee, John McCain, and Ron Paul.

Romney's spots aired 5,257 times during that period in the Charleston, Columbia, Greenville-Spartanburg and Myrtle Beach-Florence TV markets, according to Nielsen. Huckabee was a distant second with 2,049 spots. McCain, who has a slim lead in the latest polls, was third with 1,471 spots.

Among Democrats, who are pointing to their primary Jan. 26, John Edwards has been on TV the most, airing 4,088 spots in the state where he was born and where he badly needs a win.

Barack Obama had twice as many spots as the other front-runner in the S.C. polls, Hillary Clinton, 2,809 to 1,430.

John McCain, who was slimed before losing the South Carolina primary in 2000, is sitting back this time around.

An Internet ad his campaign launched today uses rival Mike Huckabee's own words to rebut charges in automated telephone calls that McCain supports medical tests on fetuses and amnesty for illegal immigrants.

"Senator McCain, no matter what anyone may say, is a genuine conservative," Huckabee says in the web-only ad, which splices together comments from interviews and debates. "John McCain is a hero in this country. He's a hero to me. If you look at his record, he's got a solid record on things that really matter. He's pro-life, he's strong for our country's defense and security."

Then, it says on the screen, "If you want the truth about John McCain, just ask Mike Huckabee."

Thursday, McCain used another web ad to respond to mailers suggesting he put his well-being above that of his fellow POWs in Vietnam. That ad featured testimonials from some of those held captive in the Hanoi Hilton with McCain.

Eight years ago, McCain was also coming off a win in the New Hampshire primary. But in the final days before the South Carolina, he was derailed in part by false rumors that he had fathered an illegitimate black child. This campaign, McCain created a fast-response truth squad in South Carolina, and tried to pre-empt a reprise of those rumors by send out a mailer about his record against abortion and for adoption that featured his wife holding the daughter they adopted from "Mother Teresa's orphanage in Bangledesh."

Mitt Romney boasts a comfortable lead heading into Saturday's Republican caucuses in Nevada, according to a new poll.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal survey published today gives Romney a 34 percent to 15 percent edge over John McCain. Mike Huckabee was in third with 13 percent, followed by Fred Thompson with 8 percent, Ron Paul with 7 percent, and Rudy Giuliani with 6 percent.

Besides the rise of Romney, who is focusing on Nevada while his rivals slug it out in the South Carolina primary on Saturday, the big news out of the poll is the collapse of Giuliani. He led in the Review-Journal survey last month with 25 percent to Romney's 20 percent, but his support has plummeted since lackluster finishes in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Michigan. Giuliani's unconventional strategy counts on winning in Florida on Jan. 29.

Hillary Clinton won a key endorsement in Nevada this morning as two new polls show her with a slight lead over Barack Obama heading into Saturday's showdown caucuses.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal survey gave Clinton a 41 percent to 32 percent lead over Obama, with John Edwards at 14 percent. A Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll had a closer race, 42 percent to 37 percent, with Edwards at 12 percent.

Obama, however, should benefit from a key court ruling on Thursday that allows casino workers to caucus in special at-large precincts in casino hotels. The union representing those workers endorsed the Illinois senator.

The Las Vegas Sun, however, said Clinton has the right blend of vision and experience, and an edge over Obama.

"Our country needs someone who can be president from Day One after taking the oath of office," the endorsement said. "Her steadiness and resolve certainly would aid us in reestablishing better relations with other nations after Bush's go-it-alone foreign policy, not to mention a thoughtful and responsible policy regarding our combat troops in Iraq.

"On domestic issues, such as the economy and health care, Clinton clearly has the best command of the issues, as was witnessed in Tuesday's debate in Las Vegas," the endorsement said.

The Reno Gazette-Journal, however, recommended Obama, saying, "He has the personal characteristics and political instincts of the person who leads this nation."

In its endorsement published Thursday, the newspaper said that Clinton still suffers from the baggage of the Clinton administration and that Edwards "does not seem to connect with the Democratic base."

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama called a truce this week in a nasty spat of racial politics in the Democratic presidential race.

But the issue won't stay completely submerged.

The Clinton camp complained today that a Spanish-language radio ad being aired by a union supporting Obama says, "Hillary Clinton does not respect our people." It references a lawsuit, filed by Democrats sympathetic to Clinton, against a plan to allow casino workers -- some of whom are Hispanic -- to caucus at casinos. A federal judge today let the plan proceed.

"Hillary Clinton is shameless," the ad says. "Hillary Clinton should not allow her friends to attack our people's right to vote this Saturday. This is unforgivable. There is no respect."

The Obama camp said it discourages third-party efforts.

Robert Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television, had fanned the flames of race as an issue on Sunday, when in an appearance with Clinton, he praised her long record on civil rights and seemingly made a reference to Obama's admitted youthful drug use. Johnson tried to explain his comments as referring to Obama's work as a community organizer, but convinced few people.

Today, he said on CNN that he had personally apologized to Obama and the Illinois senator had accepted.

"Sometimes in campaigns you get carried away in your zeal to support your candidate," Johnson said on "The Situation Room. "And you say things that are inappropriate and not proper for a campaign that should be based on the issues."

Johnson, who said he had great respect for Obama, went on to say, however, that it was not a struggle to decide to support Clinton.

"I tell my African-American friends, you have got to look at this issue, not only with your heart, but with your head," he said. "And so I look at it, I say, my heart goes out to those people who want to see a people of color, who looks like us, in the White House, great achievement, historic beyond words, but at the end of the day, this nation has to be run by a leader. And I think Hillary Clinton is the better candidate to lead this nation for the next eight years."

Hillary Clinton launched her first TV ad today in California, the biggest prize on Super Tuesday on Feb. 5, and it continues her emphasis on the sagging economy and on her success in New Hampshire finding her voice.

"In this troubled economy, how can so many millions of people simply not be heard?" she says in the spot. "Well, I hear you.

"You're asking for healthcare that covers everyone, protection from losing your home," Clinton says, as relevant images go across the screen. "You would like to fill your tank without draining your wallet. And give your kids the future they deserve. If I am your president, I will bring more than 35 years of experience to the White House."

"I will bring your voice," Clinton concludes.

California, one of 22 states with Democratic primaries or caucuses on Feb. 5, will award 370 delegates -- nearly 20 percent of the total needed to win the nomination.

A new poll in South Carolina released this afternoon shows that John McCain and Mike Huckabee are in a statistical tie.

The McClatchy/MSNBC survey, conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Monday through Wednesday, gave McCain the support of 27 percent of likely voters in Saturday's Republican primary to Huckabee's 25 percent. That gap is well within the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Mitt Romney stands third in the new poll at 15 percent, Fred Thompson fourth at 13 percent, Ron Paul in fifth at 6 percent, and Rudy Giuliani in sixth at 5 percent.

But the poll said that nearly 1 in 10 likely voters are undecided, and the biggest bloc of them are evangelical Christians, whom both Thompson and Huckabee are aggressively courting.

For the Democratic primary on Jan. 26, Barack Obama leads with 40 percent of likely voters, ahead of Hillary Clinton with 31 percent and John Edwards with 13 percent.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Mitt Romney had a testy face-off with a reporter today over the role of lobbyists in his presidential campaign.

When Romney repeated, "I don't have lobbyists running my campaign," Glen Johnson of the Associated Press challenged him, saying, "That is not true. Ron Kaufman is a lobbyist."

Romney responded (watch the exchange here): "Did you hear what I said? Did you hear what I said, Glen? I said I don't have lobbyists running my campaign, and he's not running my campaign."

Johnson, a former Globe reporter, didn't relent, saying after some more back-and-forth, "So Ron's just there window dressing, he's a potted plant."

"Ron is a wonderful friend -- an adviser," Romney shot back. "He's not paid. He's an advisor like many others. But I do not have lobbyists running my campaign. Glen, I appreciate that you think that's funny, but Ron Kaufman is not even in on the senior strategy meetings of our campaign."

The two then debated whether debate preparation sessions count as senior strategy meetings.

Romney said, "Has he ever been at a debate session? Sure. Is that a senior strategy meeting? Is that a senior strategy meeting of our campaign? No. Let me go back and complete the point I was making. My campaign is not based on Washington lobbyists. I haven't been in Washington. I don't have lobbyists at my elbows that are arguing for one industry or another industry. And I do not have favors I have to repay to people who have been in Washington for years nor scores I have to settle."

The Globe has reported that in preparing his presidential bid, Romney courted Republican power brokers inside the Beltway. He had a fund-raiser with lobbyists on Capitol Hill and a strategy session at a Washington lobbying firm.

Still, Romney spokesman Kevin Madden made the distinction that while Kaufman, who is a Republican National Committee member, and Romney are friends, he is not paid by the campaign.

"He is not a paid advisor and does not, of course, have a formal role in the campaign's day-to-day operations," Madden said in a statement this afternoon.

John Edwards is going all new media -- and bashing the media -- to press the argument that he's still in the thick of the Democratic nomination race.

His campaign launched a web video (watch it here) that asserts that "celebrity candidates" Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are getting more than their share of attention. It cites a study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism that shows that 25 percent of campaign news stories by major outlets mentioned Clinton and more than 15 percent mentioned Obama, Edwards was mentioned less than three percent of the time.

"And they continue to act as if there were only two candidates in the race, even after John Edwards beat Senator Clinton in Iowa and poll after poll show competitive races in Nevada, South Carolina, and other key states," spokesman Chris Kofinis said in a statement accompanying the video. "Perceptions aside, the race for the Democratic nomination is a three person race, and John Edwards will fight for every vote and every delegate all the way to the convention."

By Susan Milligan, Globe Staff

LAS VEGAS -- A federal judge ruled this afternoon that Nevadans can caucus in casinos on Saturday, delivering a huge boost to Barack Obama, who was endorsed by the powerful union representing the casino workers, and frustrating Hillary Clinton supporters who argued that the special voting sites were unfair.

Members of a local teacher's union had challenged the creation of the nine "at large'' caucus sites, saying they gave unfair advantage to workers on the Las Vegas Strip. The sites were established to ensure that casino workers -- for whom Saturday is the busiest workday -- would be able to get to a caucus and wouldn't have to return to their home precinct. The Democratic caucuses are set to begin at 11 a.m. local time.

The judge refused to grant the teachers a temporary restraining order, effectively allowing the controversial caucus plan to go ahead as planned.

The dispute caused a heated argument among Nevada Democrats, with the state party -- joined by the national party -- arguing that the special caucus sites were necessary to encourage more Nevadans to vote. Historically, voters in this fast-changing and growing state have turned out in very low numbers for the caucuses, but local officials hope that Nevada's new, early role in the presidential nominating contests would bring out more voters, especially Latinos not strongly represented in other early primary and caucus states.

Obama supporters also groused that Clinton backers only tried to change the rules after the 60,000-member Culinary Workers Union endorsed Obama. The Clinton campaign has been officially neutral on the matter, insisting it had nothing o do with the lawsuit. But former President Bill Clinton angrily lashed out at a local TV reporter earlier this week, suggesting that the procedure allowed casino workers to have an exaggerated impact on the results.

The Clinton campaign issued a statement this afternoon that criticized the ruling.

"While we were not involved in this lawsuit, and have always said that we would play by the rules that we're given, it has always been our hope that every Nevadan should have equal access and opportunity to participate in the caucus," the statement said. "Make no mistake -- the current system that inhibits some shift workers from being able to participate, while allowing others to do so, would seem to benefit other campaigns. More importantly it is unfair.

"The Obama campaign has been clear in its belief that whoever wins the culinary union endorsement will win Nevada," the statement said. "We will leave it up to the people of Nevada to make that decision."

Polls show Obama, Clinton and former Senator John Edwards in a virtual three-way tie in Nevada. But because turnout for the caucuses has traditionally been low, political analysts say it is impossible to know who will actually turn out to vote.

On the eve of the Nevada caucuses and South Carolina Republican primary, a watchdog group reported today that Mitt Romney has raised the most in Nevada, while Rudy Giuliani has brought in the most campaign cash in South Carolina, though he's not really competing there.

Giuliani also leads in fund-raising from the casino industry, with more than $177,000, compared to $103,500 for Republican John McCain, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Among Democrats, Hillary Clinton is the top money-raiser from the industry with about $60,000.

In Nevada so far, Romney has raised about $715,000, ahead of Giuliani's $650,000. Clinton leads among Democrats with about $448,000, the center said.

In South Carolina, Giuliani has brought in about $391,000, compared to $329,000 for John McCain. John Edwards, who was born in the state, leads among Democrats with $317,000.

Rudy Giuliani calls on well-known conservatives to vouch for his tax-cutting plans in a new TV ad in his must-win state of Florida.

As martial, upbeat music plays, the ad lists glowing quotations from Grover Norquist, George Will, Steve Forbes, and a leader of the Club for Growth, a Washington anti-tax group that has ripped Mike Huckabee, one of Giuliani's presidential rivals, in TV spots.

The ad also cites Americans for Tax Reform's praise for Giuliani's plan as the biggest tax cut in history.

And it even quotes another Republican rival, Mitt Romney, saying “Mayor Giuliani has a great record of cutting taxes.” The ad, however, does not cite a date or source for that quotation. In a memo sent to reporters, the campaign cited a CNBC report after a debate last October.

During the campaign, Romney has been far more critical of Giuliani's fiscal record as New York's mayor.

Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont is the latest Democratic US senator to pick Barack Obama over fellow colleague Hillary Clinton.

Leahy, who has been in the Senate since 1974 and is now chairman of the Judiciary Committee, endorsed Obama today.

"We need a president who can reintroduce America to the world and actually reintroduce America to ourselves," Leahy said in a conference call with reporters, according to the Associated Press. "I believe Barack Obama is the best person to do that."

Leahy has been an Obama fan soon after the Illinois senator took office in January 2005. "I've been here 31 years and seen a small handful of people that have made as much an impression as he has, and he has done it by working hard," Leahy said in early 2006.

In the last week, Obama has also won endorsements from senators John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, and Ben Nelson of Nebraska.

The Republican National Committee immediately sought to use the endorsement to hit both Obama and Clinton.

"Glowing endorsements from establishment liberals like Leahy and Kerry are indicative of the sort of 'change' Obama would bring," spokesman Alex Conant said in a statement. "It's no surprise that the liberal lions love Obama's plans to raise taxes and increase spending. On the other hand, the Democratic senators' rejection of Clinton is nothing short of stunning. Clinton is running on her record, but those that know it best – her Senate colleagues – are increasingly rejecting her candidacy."

Mitt Romney, who is focusing on Nevada while his Republican presidential rivals battle in South Carolina, picked up the endorsement this morning of the Silver State's largest newspaper.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal said in its editorial that Romney is "the viable candidate most likely to lead Republicans" in the direction so that the GOP "again embraces the ideas and concepts that made this nation a beacon of freedom and economic opportunity."

Romney is scheduled to hold events this afternoon local time in Nevada, including one announcing the endorsement of state Senator Joe Heck.

Romney also plans to spend all of Friday and part of Saturday, when Republicans caucus in the state. He plans to bypass South Carolina, where other Republicans will be awaiting results from Saturday's crucial primary, and go directly to Florida, which votes Jan. 29, according to the schedule his campaign released today.

Romney has conceded South Carolina to John McCain, and is instead going after delegates in Nevada, which the leading Republican candidates have mostly ignored. When Romney lands in the state today, he will be the first major candidate to set foot there in two months, though Nevada will actually award more delegates than South Carolina.

Mitt Romney plays up his outsider fix-it credentials in a new TV ad aimed at Florida voters.

"I keep hearing the same thing, that Washington is broken," he says in the spot that begins airing today. He then ticks off the issues that have gone undone despite lots of talk: universal healthcare, the tax burden on the middle class, illegal immigration.

"If you send the same people back to Washington just to sit in different chairs, nothing will happen," he says. "I will change Washington. I will take it apart and put it back together. I know how to bring change."

Romney had pulled his TV spots from South Carolina and Florida to focus resources on Michigan, but is now returning to those states' airwaves after pulling off a critical win in Tuesday's primary in Michigan.

Romney is running fourth -- behind John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, and Mike Huckabee -- in the most recent polls in Florida, which holds its primary on Jan. 29 and is a key bridge between the contests in Nevada and South Carolina on Saturday and Super Tuesday on Feb. 5.

Giuliani has made Florida his must-win state. Today in two newspapers, the Tallahassee Democrat and the News-Press in Fort Myers, he outlines his tax-cut proposals.

Fred Thompson, making what could be his last stand in South Carolina, has inched up to third in the latest tracking poll leading up to Saturday's first-in-the-South primary.

Thompson has 14 percent in the Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released this morning, sliding ahead of Mitt Romney, who slipped to 12 percent, even though some of the polling was done after he won the Michigan primary on Tuesday.

Romney is chasing delegates in Nevada, whose caucuses are also Saturday, after saying he believes John McCain has South Carolina locked up. McCain held his lead in the new poll, with 29 percent, compared to 22 percent for Mike Huckabee. Ron Paul and Rudy Giuliani were tied at 5 percent, according to the poll.

A Clemson University poll also gave McCain a 29 percent-22 percent edge over Huckabee, who won the leadoff caucuses in Iowa but hasn't finished better than third since.

Thompson, the former US senator from Tennessee, plans to air a 60-second ad during today's evening news across South Carolina in which he talks up his conservative credentials in a folksy way designed to appeal to Southern voters.

"I've been a conservative all my life," he says, then citing his "100 percent pro-life" record and asserting that Americans' fundamental rights come "from God, not government."

McCain, meanwhile, picked up the endorsement today of the Charleston Post and Courier, which also endorsed him in 2000, when he lost to now-President Bush. The newspaper's editorial board said McCain's record in the eight years since only reinforced its belief that the Arizona senator is the best suited for the presidency.

Mitt Romney's camp is sifting through the Michigan numbers to make the most out of its primary win as possible.

So is Ron Paul's, out of his fourth-place finish.

The Romney camp issued a memo this afternoon arguing that he is in a "strong position" to win the Republican nomination with a list of figures:

He leads in delegates; has more total votes than Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Paul, and Fred Thompson combined in the first four contests; and led in Michigan among conservatives, pro-life voters, and evangelicals. If Romney is the nominee, he would make Michigan competitive in the general election. And McCain did far worse in Michigan than eight years ago.

While Paul was a distant fourth in Michigan, with 6 percent of the vote, his campaign manager noted that Paul did better than Rudy Giuliani, whom he also defeated in Iowa, and Fred Thompson, whom he beat in New Hampshire. In the three major races so far, Paul's vote total is 30,000 more than either Giuliani's or Thompson's.

"If I had predicted that result when this campaign started almost twelve months ago, I would have been laughed out of the room by the so-called experts," campaign manager Kent Snyder said in a statement this afternoon. "Currently there is no front-runner and this race is wide open.

So wide open, in fact, that some are already speculating about the first brokered national convention in six decades because no candidate will have enough delegates to clinch the nomination before Republicans gather in Minneapolis-St. Paul in September.

Governor Deval Patrick, who has increased his national visibility as a frequent ambassador for Barack Obama's presidential campaign, is set to take a more prominent role within the Democratic Party this summer as party faithful gather for the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Patrick was recently chosen by Democratic leaders as one of three co-chairpersons of the convention's Platform Committee, which is charged with charting the course for the national party on issues and policy. Patrick will lead the effort along with Patricia Madrid, a former New Mexico attorney general, and Judith McHale, former president and CEO of Discovery Communications Inc.

"These outstanding leaders reflect the great strength, diversity, and energy of the Democratic Party, and I'm confident their efforts will ensure our convention in Denver is reflective of our shared values and our nominee's vision for America," Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean said in a statement.

The Democratic National Convention will be held Aug. 25-28. It's unclear whether Patrick will also get a coveted speaking slot, a decision unlikely to be made until the party has its presidential and vice-presidential nominees. Given his support for Obama, Patrick may be a more likely choice for a prominent speaking role if the Illinois senator wins the nomination.

Since endorsing Obama in the fall, Patrick has campaigned for him in New Hampshire and Iowa, appeared on his behalf on national cable shows, and served as a surrogate in post-debate spin rooms. Patrick is expected to spend this weekend campaigning for Obama in South Carolina, where Democrats go to the polls Jan. 26.

Fred Thompson forcefully dismissed suggestions that he is in cahoots with John McCain against Mike Huckabee in South Carolina.

Thompson sparked such talk by aggressively questioning Huckabee during last week's debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Thompson endorsed McCain in 2000, and is widely expected to do so again if his bid fizzles. Though he has declared South Carolina's primary on Saturday to be his last stand, he is running fourth in the latest poll in the state, behind McCain, Huckabee, and Mitt Romney.

But on Fox News Network this afternoon, Thompson had this to say: "So I've been busting a gut here, for several months, day and night, away from my family as part of a conspiracy to help John McCain to become president, that's the theory?

"This is an attempt by the Huckabee campaign to get me to attack McCain so that they don't have to," Thompson continued, calling McCain's national campaign manager Ed Rollins "a wily old fox who's been around for a quite a bit and if he can goad me into attacking McCain, they won't have to."

File under: fortuitous timing.

Barack Obama's campaign announced today that he will travel to Atlanta Sunday morning to speak at the storied Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached until his death. Obama's 10 a.m. appearance will surely be a prime photo op for the candidate, who often references King in his stump speeches and is making a concerted appeal to black primary voters.

Obama's visit to Ebenezer comes after he and rival Hillary Clinton have cooled a simmering controversy over remarks Clinton made last week about King's legacy. No doubt he and his campaign will treasure the imagery (paging Obama media guru David Axelrod). South Carolina goes to the polls less than a week later, and Georgia does the same two weeks later.

After days spent bashing Barack Obama's record on Iraq and fending off charges of racial insensitivity, the Clinton campaign has apparently decided, at least for now, that it would much rather talk about the economy. Over and over and over.

The campaign released not one, but two, memos today about Hillary Clinton's plans to bolster the flailing economy and avoid recession, with a variety of funds for emergency housing, energy assistance and unemployment insurance.

The candidate is holding a roundtable with Nevadans on the topic in Reno today. And she got on an unusual conference call with reporters -- and with Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm and New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine -- to hammer in her economic stimulus proposals, which she first unveiled last week.

She also says she wants to hear from you, the voter. The main display at HillaryClinton.com invites readers to submit their own tales of economic woe.

Conveniently prompted by a reporter's question, Clinton eagerly accepted the opportunity to suggest that Barack Obama wouldn't know how to handle a recession -- while also comparing him, implicitly, to President Bush.

Referring to Obama's recent comments that he would be a visionary, not an "operating officer," Clinton said, "I believe strongly that the president has to run the government and manage the economy. I don't think you can have a hands-off approach to the presidency of the United States at any time, particularly after the presidency of George W. Bush, who adopted that philosophy, and told us often he'd be the big-picture person and leave it to his advisors to make all the tough decisions."

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

BLUFFTON, S.C. -- Mitt Romney is shifting expectations and ramping up his promise to "fight for every job," a day after winning the primary in his native Michigan.

Making his first stop in South Carolina today, he said flatly that he did not expect to win the primary here on Saturday. South Carolina is called the gateway to the Republican nomination because since 1980 it has picked the candidate who has gone on to become the party's nominee. And Romney invested early here in his campaign. But John
McCain has jumped to the top in the polls

"Senator McCain has a very strong lead here," Romney told reporters after speaking to residents of a retiree community. "He's the clear front-runner. It would be an enormous surprise if he weren't able to win here. I'd like to do better than my current place, which is fourth, but even a strong fourth is better than what some of the other
guys saw in Michigan last night."

Later, he added, more bluntly: "This is a state I'd expect Senator McCain has pretty well wrapped up."

Romney made clear he is focusing on the Nevada caucuses on Saturday -- he noted that Nevada awards 34 delegates to South Carolina's 24 -- and on the Florida primary on Jan. 29. He plans to campaign in Nevada
Thursday and Friday.

"I'm not looking for gold stars on my forehead like I was in first grade," Romney said. "I want delegates, and I'm pleased that I've been able to get delegates. The fact that I came in second in a couple of primaries -- I know something people think that's a devastating thing -- actually, I got delegates. And I'm looking to rack up the
delegates I need to win the convention."

Talking about Florida, where Rudy Giuliani has focused his efforts, Romney said: "Florida looks wide open. Instead of being the firewall for the Giuliani campaign, it's going to be a real contest."

And Romney continued the message of economic optimism that his advisers believe powered him to a win in Michigan, which has been battered job losses in the auto industry. Speaking to the retirees below a banner that read "Washington is Broken," he noted that South Carolina's unemployment rate was 5.9 percent in November, the fourth highest in the nation. He decried South Carolina's declining textile and furniture-making industries.

"I will fight to try to improve the employment anyplace where it's in trouble," Romney told the retirees. "I'll try to help us return a stronger housing market to this country. I will fight to try to reignite our economy and I will fight most importantly long-term to keep America, as it has always been, the most powerful economic engine in the world. "

A day after unveiling two TV ads in Nevada aimed at Hispanics, Barack Obama today is up with two additional 30-second spots in the Silver State. Obama and his Democratic rivals have less than four days left to snatch up votes ahead of Saturday's Nevada caucuses.

The first, called "President," features Obama on the campaign trail promising to bring universal health care, enact tax breaks for working families, and end the Iraq war. Watch it below.

Obama's second ad, "Would," has run elsewhere, and it details Obama's early opposition to the Iraq war and his work passing ethics reform. See it below.

Rudy Giuliani, resting his presidential hopes on Florida, launched a new TV ad today in the hurricane-prone state that proposes a new disaster fund.

"He's the only candidate who'll fight for a national catastrophe fund to reduce insurance rates," the announcer says. Giuliani is holding a news conference today in Gulf Breeze, Fla., with Joe Albaugh, former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to discuss the proposal.

The narrator also says that Giuliani can fix problems with "Taxes. Insurance. Housing. All a mess" because of his record on delivering welfare reform and tax relief as New York's mayor.

The ad also highlights Giuliani's proposals to eliminate wasteful spending and offer the biggest tax cut in the nation's modern history.

John McCain began airing a TV ad today in South Carolina that neatly wraps in two of his strengths -- as POW war hero and budget watchdog.

It shows him at a Republican debate firing off one of the best one-liners of the campaign, a criticism of a budget provision pushed by Democrat Hillary Clinton.

"A few days ago, Senator Clinton tried to spend one million dollars on the Woodstock concert museum," McCain says.

"Now my friends, I wasn't there. I'm sure it was a cultural and pharmaceutical event," he continues over footage of hippies at the 1969 cultural watershed.

"I was, I was tied up at the time," he says as footage is shown of a bedridden McCain recovering from injuries at the "Hanoi Hilton."

"No one can be President of the United States that supports projects such as these," he says, as the ad shows his rivals applauding him, and the audience rising to its feet.

The spot is airing in the populous Greenville/Spartanburg market.

As the Republican presidential hopefuls focus on South Carolina, a new tracking poll shows John McCain in the lead in the state that effectively killed his 2000 campaign.

The Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby survey gives McCain the support of 29 percent of likely voters in Saturday's crucial primary, ahead of Mike Huckabee with 23 percent and Mitt Romney with 13 percent.

The three candidates have split the first three major contests, with Huckabee winning in Iowa, McCain in New Hampshire, and Romney in Michigan.

Fred Thompson, who is making his last stand in South Carolina, was in fourth with 12 percent. Ron Paul had 6 percent and Rudy Giuliani had 5 percent in the poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

Since 1980, no Republican has won the nomination without winning the first-in-the-South primary in South Carolina.

Mitt Romney, basking in the glow of his first gold medal of the Republican nomination race, made the rounds of the six morning TV shows today to claim momentum from his Michigan primary win.

Even as his rivals accuse him of pandering by promising to restore the auto industry's glory, Romney said his message of helping the economy and fixing Washington connected with Michigan voters.

He also denied intentionally stepping on John McCain's post-primary speech. It is traditional political courtesy for the winner to let the also-rans say their piece before giving their victory speech, but Romney started his in Michigan Tuesday night in the middle of McCain's in Charleston, S.C. The TV networks broke away from McCain, depriving him of air time.

In final, unofficial returns, Romney finished with 39 percent of the vote, well ahead of McCain with 30 percent, and Mike Huckabee with 16 percent. Ron Paul ended up in fourth with 6 percent, Fred Thompson in fifth with 4 percent, and Rudy Giuliani in sixth with 3 percent.

It's only a small blurb on the paper's website, but it's an important one: The Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nevada's biggest newspaper, will endorse Obama in tomorrow's edition, the paper announced tonight.

"In Wednesday's Review-Journal, the editorial board recommends Democrats in the Saturday caucuses support the candidacy of Sen. Barack Obama," the paper says on its website. "The board notes he is the most viable of the remaining candidates for the party."

Obama's campaign, which has already won the backing of the powerful Las Vegas-based Culinary Workers Union, certainly welcomes the boost heading into the Democrats' third major contest Saturday.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

SOUTHFIELD, Mich -- Mitt Romney capitalized on his local roots and business experience to win the Republican presidential primary in his native Michigan tonight, securing a victory that revived his campaign and vindicated his decision to more fully embrace economic concerns.

After struggling to connect with voters in Iowa, where he presented himself as a social conservative, and in New Hampshire, where he retooled his message as a fiscal conservative, Romney found more comfortable footing in Michigan. Not only was he familiar with the local culture, he focused on his resume, saying his business background would help him reinvigorate the Michigan economy, by far the most important issue for voters.

Facing what was essentially a do-or-die contest in the state where he was born and raised, he averted another potentially disastrous "silver medal," as he called his second-place finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire. He can now use his win to motivate donors, voters, and campaign staffers as he heads into the South Carolina primary on Saturday. With no clear front-runner for the nomination, he has the most delegates after also winning the Wyoming caucuses earlier this month.

"Tonight marks the beginning of a comeback, a comeback for America," he told raucous supporters in a suburban Detroit hotel ballroom. "Tonight is a victory of optimism over Washington-style pessimism."

Within the campaign, there was a sense that Romney played to his strengths in Michigan.

US Representative Pete Hoekstra, a Michigan Republican who is backing Romney, said the emphasis on economic issues was "a perfect fit for Mitt."

"That is what this guy has done all his life," Hoekstra said today.

In Iowa, Romney tried to edge out Mike Huckabee among evangelical Christians. As a Mormon, Romney sought common ground by emphasizing his opposition to abortion and gay marriage, but confronted wariness about his religion and skepticism about his sincerity.

In New Hampshire, he castigated John McCain as a Washington insider. Romney appealed to fiscal conservatives by promising to cut taxes and spending and fix Washington, but was attacked for changing positions on some issues.

Unlike Iowa or New Hampshire, Romney did not air any TV ads attacking his rivals in Michigan, but he vastly outspent them.

Romney said he felt at home. "You know, somehow everything just seems right here," Romney told hundreds of business leaders at the Detroit Economic Club on Monday.

By turns nostalgic and optimistic, he often invoked his father, a three-term governor and auto executive, as a link to Detroit's glory days in the 1950s and 1960s, when business was booming and jobs were plentiful. He focused so squarely on Michigan, he often sounded more like a candidate for statewide office than the presidency.

"I've got Michigan in my DNA," he told the Detroit Economic Club. "I've got it in my heart and I've got cars in my bloodstream."

Michigan is struggling with the highest unemployment rate in the nation, 7.4 percent in November. But Romney struck a relentlessly upbeat tone, telling a primary-day rally at a warehouse in Grand Rapids yesterday that the future was "every bit as bright as the glorious days of the past."

His prescription called for quintupling, to $20 billion, of federal spending on research into automotive sciences and a pledge to convene business, labor, congressional, and state leaders to confront the auto industry’s problems within his first 100 days in the White House. But more than policy, he sought to convey a passion and compassion for Michigan.

His biggest applause line was his pledge to "not rest" until "Michigan is back." Even his jokes seemed to fly better. One stock anecdote about his children giving him a junky 1962 Rambler for his 60th birthday got bigger laughs in Michigan than anywhere in Iowa or New Hampshire.

Voters seemed to respond well, seeing in Romney a competent businessman and a lifeline to a better future.

"He's been in business, he knows what's going on," said Dave Kutter, 67, a retired manufacturing engineer at a furniture maker, who was at the rally in Grand Rapids. "Michigan is a business state and we need businesses here."

Romney plans to head Wednesday morning to South Carolina, where he will embark on a bus tour and faces a tough challenge from Huckabee, McCain, and, to a lesser extent, Fred Thompson. South Carolina has a large population of evangelicals, who form Huckabee's base, and of veterans, who tend to lean toward McCain.

Political analysts said he can expect a burst of momentum from his Michigan win, but will still have a long way to go to winning the nomination.

"Winning a major state sends a signal to people across the country that Romney is to be taken seriously as presidential candidate," said Arthur Lupia, a University of Michigan political scientist. "I don't know how strong a signal it is."

John McCain, projected to finish second in Michigan, said tonight he's prepared for a long nomination battle.

He told supporters in Charleston, S.C., that while it appeared after his stirring win in New Hampshire last week that if he won in Michigan he might build hard-to-beat momentum, "We don't mind a fight."

McCain is now focusing on Saturday's primary in South Carolina, where polls show he is in a tough battle with Mike Huckabee.

Mitt Romney declared victory in Michigan tonight and vowed to bring change and innovation to Washington.

"Tonight marks the beginning of a comeback, a comeback for America," he told raucous supporters in a suburban Detroit hotel ballroom. "Tonight is a victory of optimism over Washington-style pessimism."

Romney did not wait for John McCain to finish his concession speech before starting his victory speech.

Besides saying he would solve issues such as immigration and taxes, Romney also took time to criticize Democrats, who he said would bring the wrong kind of change.

Mike Huckabee, running third in the Michigan primary, didn't wait long tonight after the networks to project Mitt Romney the winner before turning his attention to the next big contest.

"We're going to win South Carolina," he said at a rally in Charleston, S.C., where he traveled while Michigan Republicans were still voting.

He congratulated Romney, but said he did well in Michigan based on how much he was outspent. He also noted that he won Iowa and John McCain won New Hampshire. Huckabee said the first-in-the-South primary in South Carolina on Saturday would help sort out the field.

He also said that he was talking about the economy, the big issue in Michigan, before his rivals.

NBC, Fox News, and the Associated Press all projected Mitt Romney as the winner of the Republican primary in Michigan, reviving his presidential bid after second-place finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire.

John McCain was projected to finish second, and Mike Huckabee third.

Romney capitalized on his local roots and business experience, after struggling to connect with voters in Iowa, where he presented himself as a social conservative, and in New Hampshire, where he retooled his message as a fiscal conservative.

Romney found more comfortable footing in Michigan. Not only was he familiar with the local culture, he focused on his resume, saying his business background would help him reinvigorate the Michigan economy, by far the most important issue for voters.

The friction between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama over Clinton's words about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. may have ebbed, but Obama today found himself in another delicate situation involving race and a prominent black leader.

In this morning's Washington Post, columnist Richard Cohen took Obama's church, Trinity United Church of Christ, on Chicago's South Side, to task for giving an award last year to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. The church, through its magazine, bestowed on Farrakhan its Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Trumpeter Award -- named for its pastor -- saying Farrakhan "truly epitomized greatness."

"Maybe for Wright and some others, Farrakhan 'epitomized greatness,' Cohen wrote. "For most Americans, though, Farrakhan epitomizes racism, particularly in the form of anti-Semitism."

The column caught the attention of the Anti-Defamation League, which was preparing to publicly press Obama to distance himself from the award and from Farrakhan. But Obama's campaign, before the ADL could act, put out a statement doing just that.

"I decry racism and anti-Semitism in every form and strongly condemn the anti-Semitic statements made by Minister Farrakhan," Obama said in a statement released by his aides. "I assume that Trumpet Magazine made its own decision to honor Farrakhan based on his efforts to rehabilitate ex-offenders, but it is not a decision with which I agree."

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL's national director, welcomed Obama's words.

"Issues of racism and anti-Semitism must be beyond the bounds of politics," Foxman said in a statement. "When someone close to a political figure shows sympathy and support for an individual who makes his name espousing bigotry, that political figure needs to distance himself from that decision. Senator Obama has done just that."

This isn't the first time Obama's church, and his minister, have created a hiccup for his campaign. In February, Obama disinvited Wright from giving the invocation at his campaign kickoff in Springfield, Ill., apparently fearing controversy from Wright's Afrocentric teachings.

Early exit polling from Michigan appears to bode well for Mitt Romney and ill for John McCain.

McCain won the Republican primary in 2000, thanks largely to support from independents and Democrats who crossed over.

But while independents made up 35 percent of primary voters in 2000, they only comprised about 25 percent of voters today, according to the exit poll, conducted by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International for The Associated Press and television networks.

While Republicans made up less than half of primary voters in 2000, two-thirds of GOP primary voters surveyed today said they were registered Republicans, according to the exit poll.

The early exit polls showed Romney leading among Republicans and McCain among independents.

Early reports also suggested low turnout, in part because there was no real contest on the Democratic side. That would also appear to favor Romney.

Not surprisingly, the exit poll showed that the economy is by far the most important issue in Michigan, which is suffering from the nation's highest unemployment rate, 7.4 percent in November. McCain, Romney, and Mike Huckabee, the three leading Republicans in the polls, all focused on jobs during the last days of the campaign.

One of Hillary Clinton's favorite attacks on Barack Obama of late has been to belitle a lobbying reform bill of his that, it turns out, she praised on the Senate floor last February.

Clinton has been mocking Obama lately for the alleged lameness of his ethics reform bill, which prohibits legislators from having lunch with lobbyists, and which he touted at the Jan. 6 New Hampshire debate when asked to name his biggest Senate accomplishment.

"And then, you know, Charlie Gibson said, 'Well, wait a minute. You can have lunch if you're standing up, not if you're sitting down.' " Clinton said Sunday on "Meet the Press." "So if that's his main claim for legislative accomplishment, people deserve to know that."

But as NBC's First Read first reported today, Clinton offered high praise for the "sweeping" bill last January.

"The American public deserves to be certain that their elected officials are not being swayed by lavish gifts offered as quid pro quo for promoting special agendas," she said at the time. "To that end, gifts from registered lobbyists have no place in our legislative process. For that reason, I support the sweeping ban on lobbyist-paid gifts in the Senate bill. This ban includes not just meals but also gifts of travel and lodging, areas that have been the subject of notorious abuse."

With only four days before the next big Democratic presidential contest, the Nevada caucuses, the TV ad battle is starting to ramp up.

Barack Obama started two Spanish-language spots in a state where Hispanic voters are numerous. A 60-second one emphasizes Obama's heritage -- his father was born in Kenya, his mother was born in Kansas -- and shows him calling it a life story that could only happen in America. It also highlights his call for hope with excerpts of speeches with Spanish subtitles.

A 30-second spot draws attention to Obama's proposals on healthcare, education, and jobs.

Meanwhile, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees is running an ad on behalf of Hillary Clinton featuring testimonials from women. Female voters provided Clinton's margin of victory over Obama in her comeback win last week in the New Hampshire primary.

The most recent polls show a tight race in Nevada among Clinton, Obama, and John Edwards. They will debate at 9 tonight on MSNBC from Las Vegas. The ads were first reported by The Page, Time magazine's political website.

Here's an indication of how pivotal the leading Democratic presidential candidates believe tonight's Las Vegas debate could be: Despite the fact that the Nevada caucuses are just four days away, the contenders cleared their schedules today to prepare for tonight's event.

Neither Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton have public events scheduled today leading up to the debate, which begins at 9 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on MSNBC. (Brian Williams and Tim Russert will moderate.) John Edwards has one event scheduled, a meet-and-greet with voters followed by a media availability in Las Vegas.

The last Democratic debate, on Jan. 5 in Manchester, N.H., may well have helped Clinton win over enough undecided voters to pull off what looked like an improbable New Hampshire primary victory. Surely all the candidates tonight will be watching their words -- and their opponents -- very closely.

Barack Obama is echoing Cesar Chavez, the legendary farm worker activist, by saying in Spanish, "Yes, we can!" in reaching out to Hispanic audiences.

But Democratic rival Hillary Clinton is the one who announced the endorsement today of Chavez's brother Richard, who worked with him for 20 years until his death in 1993.

"As someone who has spent a lifetime working very hard to improve the lives of working families, I applaud Hillary's commitment to create quality and affordable healthcare and to create fair wages for every American," Richard Chavez said in a statement from the Clinton campaign. "I have no doubt that as President she will continue to fight tirelessly for all the underserved."

There's been quite a bit of talk about the Nevada caucuses and how it added diversity to the presidential nomination process by holding them earlier in the calendar.

But the Democratic and Republican parties apparently forgot one group in scheduling the caucuses on Saturday morning -- Nevada's Jewish population, which celebrates its Sabbath then.

The GOP caucuses start at 9 a.m. local time, and the Democratic meetings at 11 a.m. Those times directly conflict with services at synagogues, and tradition dictates that Jews don't work or travel all day, further restricting their participation since there is no absentee balloting allowed, unlike in a primary.

Today, the Washington-based Interfaith Alliance criticized the timing and called on the Nevada political parties to make sure the conflict doesn't recur in 2012. There about 70,000 Jews in Nevada, about 3 percent of the state's population.

"This scheduling decision imposes a barrier that will prevent the full participation of the Jewish community in Nevada," the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, president of the Interfaith Alliance, said in a statement. "In a country that values religious liberty, no person should ever be forced to choose between practicing their religion and participating in their democracy. America is the most religiously diverse nation in the world, and the political process should be open to all on equal terms."

Party officials have that said more workers will be able to caucus because the meetings are on a weekend, and that some people unfortunately would be left out whenever the caucuses are held.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. --- Mitt Romney all but predicted a win today in his native Michigan, as he held his final primary day rally in a furniture manufacturers' warehouse, a venue that highlighted his promise to revive the state's crippled economy.

"This is a big day," the former Massachusetts governor told about 100 cheering supporters. "This is a day that's going to change the politics of the nation. I think Michigan is going to vote for a Romney again. I'm planning on it."

Romney was referring, of course, to his late father, George W. Romney, a self-made auto executive who won three terms as Michigan governor. The Romney legacy has been a constant part of Mitt Romney's pitch to Michigan voters, as it was today when he imagined how his father would be cajoling voters if he were alive today.

"I don't know how we could hold him down," Romney said. "He would be going from place to place to place, he'd be arguing with people that had a sticker on for somebody else, going, 'You can't vote for that guy! You've got to vote for my son.' "

"And so I miss him," Romney said. "I think of him here today."

After second-place finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, a win in Michigan is considered crucial to Romney’s chances of capturing the Republican nomination.

With polls suggesting he is locked in a tight battle with John McCain, a decorated Vietnam veteran, Romney has played up his business experience, saying it will help him restore the state's beleaguered auto industry. Michigan has the highest unemployment rate in the nation, 7.4 percent in November. At times, Romney has focused so much on Michigan, he sounds more like a candidate for statewide office than a candidate for president.

"I'll work just as hard as anyone who's ever worked for this great state and make sure that the future of Michigan is bright," Romney said today. "And I will not rest until Michigan is back."

Voters seemed to respond well.

"He's been in business, he knows what's going on," said Dave Kutter, 67, a retired manufacturing engineer at a furniture maker, who was at the rally today. "Michigan is a business state and we need businesses here."

Here's one indication of the relative importance that the Republican candidates are placing on today's Michigan primary:

While native son Mitt Romney will be watching the returns come in tonight at a hotel in suburban Detroit, rivals John McCain and Mike Huckabee will already be in South Carolina, the next big prize on the GOP nomination calendar.

Romney, after placing second to McCain in New Hampshire and second to Huckabee in Iowa, badly needs better than a silver medal in Michigan, where he was born and raised. The most recent polls show Romney and McCain neck-and-neck in Michigan.

McCain and Huckabee, while hoping for strong showings in Michigan, are pointing toward Saturday's primary in South Carolina. Since 1980, no Republican has gone on to win the nomination without winning South Carolina's first-in-the-South contest. The latest polls show McCain and Huckabee battling for first.

Even as they stump across Michigan in a last-minute search for votes in today's crucial primary, John McCain and Mitt Romney put up TV ads in South Carolina, site of the next Republican contest on Saturday.

The spots appeal to two different, but significant, constituencies in the Palmetto State -- McCain appeals to military retirees and active-duty service members, while Romney reaches out to economic conservatives.

In McCain's new ad, he reminds voters of his record as a Vietnam War hero and in the US Senate. "I've served our country all my adult life," McCain says. "I've never lived a day in good times or bad I wasn't grateful for the privilege.

"Now I ask to serve as your president," he continues. "As thousands of South Carolinians risk their lives to defend us, our purpose can't be ours alone. America is our cause, her greatness our hope, her strength our protection, her goodness the hope of mankind."

Romney, who suspended TV ads in South Carolina to focus resources in Michigan, returns to the air with a spot that highlights his record as a successful corporate turnaround consultant -- and that offers hope to a state that has lost thousands of manufacturing jobs.

He addresses China's growing economic power and promises to level the playing field on trade, lower taxes, and invest in research so American companies can compete. "America must remain the world's economic superpower," Romney says.

Democrat John Edwards, trailing in his native state and seeking to jump-start his presidential bid, takes direct aim at rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in a series of bite-sized TV ads.

The four 10-second spots, which begin airing today in South Carolina, each show photos of Clinton and Obama while the announcer poses a question. In one, the query is: "Which Democrat opposed NAFTA and other trade deals that send American jobs overseas?" In the second, "Which Democrat has never taken a dime of campaign money from Washington lobbyists?" In the third, "Who’s the only Democrat who would ban Washington lobbyists from the White House staff?" And in the fourth, "Who’s the only Democrat that beats all the Republicans in the recent CNN poll?"

They all end with, "John Edwards is the only one."

The ads represent a new tack by Edwards, who won South Carolina in 2004, but is a distant third in the latest polls leading up to the Jan. 26 primary. He insists that he will continue on -- win or lose -- through Super Tuesday on Feb. 5, but another third-place finish risks having Clinton and Obama turn the Democratic nomination contest even more into a two-person race.

By Sasha Issenberg, Globe Staff

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – As Michigan Democrats go to the polls today, a Detroit consultant working to keep down Hillary Clinton’s share of the vote -- her only competition on the ballot is “Uncommitted” -- says the results should be seen as a referendum on her campaign’s handling of racial issues.

“If the Clintons don’t get at least 60 percent of the vote, I think it would be a total rejection of her candidacy,” said Sam Riddle, an adviser to Detroit city councilwoman Monica Conyers.

Conyers and her husband John, a U.S. congressman – both backing Obama -- taped radio ads urging voters for “Uncommitted,” which has become a consensus alternative for supporters of Obama and John Edwards. Riddle said a weeklong back-and-forth between the Obama and Clinton camps over the legacy of the civil-rights movement and Obama’s own drug use will galvanize black voters in the urban centers of eastern Michigan to deliver a no-confidence vote to Clinton.

“That type of stuff has no place in the campaign but it shows the Clinton desperation,” Riddle said. “They’re demeaning Obama and folks in Detroit, Flint, Saginaw, Pontiac don’t like it one bit.”

With the campaigns respecting a Democratic National Committee boycott of the primary, the election-day ground game has become a proxy war between local supporters. Clinton has some of the state’s most prominent elected officials working on her behalf, including Governor Jennifer Granholm and Senator Debbie Stanbenow.

“’Uncommitted’ does not the get-out-the-vote apparatus that the Clintons have,” Riddle said. “We did talk radio, hit the churches -- much like you would with a candidate, except the candidate is ‘Uncommitted.’”

Fred Thompson, making what could be his last stand in Saturday's Republican primary in South Carolina, appeals directly for votes in a new TV ad.

"Friends, we're in a fight for our conservative values," Thompson says in the spot.

He then boasts of his consistent, conservative credentials, including his opposition to amnesty for illegal immigrants, support for low taxes, his "100% pro-life" record, and his advocacy of a strong military.

Thompson, a former actor of "Law & Order" fame and former US senator from Tennessee, has been criticized for sleepwalking through the campaign. He showed signs of life in a debate last week in Myrtle Beach, S.C., where he went after Mike Huckabee in particular.

He and Huckabee, a fellow Southerner who won the Iowa caucuses, are targeting many of the same voters. Thompson finished third in Iowa, but dropped to sixth in New Hampshire last week, with barely 1 percent of the vote.

In the latest South Carolina polls, Thompson is running fourth.

A flier Barack Obama's campaign is distributing to voters in Nevada, which votes Saturday.

Among the many questions posed by last week's New Hampshire primary was whether Hillary Clinton's fliers attacking Barack Obama on reproductive rights helped her pick up key women voters in the closing days of the campaign. With votes in Nevada and South Carolina looming, Obama's campaign is trying to preempt further attacks in this vein.

At issue are several "present" votes that Obama cast on abortion-related bills while a member of the Illinois Senate. Clinton's campaign argues that the votes betray a lack of leadership on Obama's part. Obama's campaign says the present votes were part of a coordinated legislative strategy with abortion-rights activists.

On a conference call with reporters today, Ellen Malcolm, president of the abortion-rights group EMILY's List, which has endorsed Clinton, sought to contrast Obama's record with that of Clinton, whom she said had been a strong abortion-rights voice as a US senator. "It's that kind of leadership we're looking for in our Democratic nominee," Malcolm said.

But Obama's campaign released excerpts of a letter Malcolm sent to Obama in 2006 thanking him for speaking at one of the group's events. Her letter, according to Obama's campaign, included this handwritten note: "You were terrific and really lit a fire with our members! Thanks so much!!"

The New York Times last month did a detailed look at Obama's voting record in the Illinois Senate. See it here.

A new poll just out this afternoon shows Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican John McCain ahead in California, the biggest prize on Super Tuesday on Feb. 5.

The CNN/Los Angeles Times/Politico survey shows Clinton with 47 percent support among likely Democratic voters, Barack Obama with 31 percent, and John Edwards with 10 percent.

On the Republican side, McCain leads with 20 percent, ahead of Mitt Romney with 16 percent, Rudy Giuliani with 14 percent, Mike Huckabee with 13 percent, Ron Paul with 8 percent, and Fred Thompson with 6 percent.

More than 60 percent of Democrats, but less than 40 percent of Republicans, said they were certain of their vote. The poll was conducted Friday through Sunday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points among Democrats and 6 percentage points among Republicans.

The California primaries will award 370 Democratic delegates and 170 Republican ones.

Wither John Edwards? Not so fast, his campaign says.

In a memo to reporters today entitled "Still not a two-person race," Team Edwards argues that the primary lesson out of Iowa and New Hampshire is that both front-runners, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, are "deeply flawed." Clinton, this argument goes, is "plagued with questions over electablility and continues to defend the status quo in Washington," while Obama is "too weak to stand up to Republicans."

"In Iowa we saw that America is ready for change and prepared to reject the status quo that Senator Clinton defends," Edwards's campaign says. "In New Hampshire we saw the fatal flaw in Senator Obama's approach - if you don't fight for change, you can't win."

To bolster their point, Edwards aides point to a new Nevada poll by the Reno Gazette-Journal showing a tight three-way race. The poll has Obama at 32 percent, Clinton at 30 percent, and Edwards at 27 percent. Nevada's caucuses are Saturday.

A new Rasmussen poll of Democratic voters in South Carolina, meanwhile, has Obama up a few points over Clinton -- 38 percent to 33 percent. Edwards, who won the South Carolina primary in 2004, is third at 17 percent. Among black voters, expected to make up at least half of the Democratic electorate, Rasmussen shows Obama with a 23-percentage-point lead over Clinton. Clinton, however, holds a similarly wide lead among white voters.

The campaigns of John McCain and Mitt Romney are squabbling over a McCain mailer that went out in South Carolina, where Republicans vote on Saturday.

The mailer mostly lauds McCain's record of fighting wasteful spending in Washington. But part of it also hits Romney for raising $700 million in taxes and fees as governor in Massachusetts and for signing a healthcare reform bill that provided taxpayer funding for abortions.

The Romney campaign has said that Romney managed to close a huge budget deficit without a general tax increase and that court decisions required the health plan to offer subsidies for abortion since it is legal in Massachusetts.

The Romney camp sent the media a report about McCain defending the flier, accompanied with a statement from spokesman Kevin Madden saying, "Senator McCain’s negative attacks, entirely devoid of issue substance, have him on the defensive again."

McCain's campaign says it is only responding to attacks from Romney, as it did in New Hampshire. But Romney has pulled his TV advertising from South Carolina to focus on Michigan, where the primary is Tuesday.

Romney did send out a recent mailing that contrasted his record on fiscal responsibility with that of Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, and John McCain, who is hit for voting against President Bush's tax cuts. McCain has said he voted against them because they were not tied to spending cuts, but does support extending them.

Hunting for young voters, Hillary Clinton's campaign announced today that two young stars of "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" has joined her sisterhood.

Actresses America Ferrera and Amber Tamblyn will serve as national co-chairs of "HillBlazers," the campaign's youth outreach program and are both expected to campaign in Las Vegas this week, in advance of Saturday's caucuses in Nevada.

"This election is too important to stand on the sidelines, especially for my generation. I look forward to rallying young people to use their voices and get involved. I believe that Hillary Clinton can turn this country around," Ferrera said in a statement issued by the Clinton campaign. "I am confident she will be a champion for young women and men across the country."

Ferrera is best known as Betty Suarez on the ABC series "Ugly Betty," while Tamblyn is perhaps best known for the title role in CBS's "Joan of Arcadia."

According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, the youth voter turnout rate in New Hampshire last week set a record, rising to 43 percent from 18 percent in 2004 and 28 percent in 2000. But Clinton's main rival, Barack Obama, won the lion's share of those votes.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

DETROIT -- On the eve of what could be a make-or-break Michigan primary for his presidential hopes, Mitt Romney pledged today to help revive the beleaguered auto industry and save thousands of jobs.

If he wins the White House, "I will roll up my sleeves, and I will personally bring together industry, labor, congressional and state leaders to develop a plan to rebuild America's automotive leadership," he told the Detroit Economic Club, in a closely watched speech in a state with the nation's highest unemployment rate.

Washington, he said, should give the auto companies flexibility on higher fuel efficiency standards for vehicle, as well as increase funding for research from $4 billion to $20 billion and provide new tax benefits for research and development.

Romney said that there is "no one silver bullet," and that he is the only candidate with the business experience to follow through on a multifaceted solution.

"Washington politicians look at Michigan and see a rust belt," he said in remarks prepared for delivery. "But the real rust is in Washington. The pessimist will point to an empty factory and a laid off worker and say they have no future. Instead, I see a vital infrastructure, a skilled workforce, and an innovative spirit all worthy of an optimistic vision and deserving of a leader who will work tirelessly to deliver the power and potential of Michigan and the American people."

Rival John McCain's campaign immediately responded by issuing a statement from Jane Swift, who was acting governor before Romney, then elbowed aside by Romney in the GOP primary.

"Michigan voters shouldn't be fooled by Mitt Romney's latest campaign promises of economic development and job growth," Swift said, accusing Romney of raising fees and presiding over manufacturing job growth that was third worst in the country.

"Mitt Romney even advocated a new SUV tax that would have hurt the same American auto industry in Michigan that he now claims to champion," Swift added in the statement. "Mitt Romney has a reputation of saying anything to win. A comparison of his record versus his rhetoric on the economy shows why."

A new tracking poll released this morning shows John McCain with a narrow edge over Mitt Romney in Tuesday's Michigan primary.

The Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby survey, conducted Friday through Sunday, gave McCain 27 percent to Romney's 24 percent, within the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

Mike Huckabee was third at 15 percent in Michigan, followed by Ron Paul at 8 percent, Rudy Giuliani at 6 percent, and Fred Thompson at 5 percent.

McCain, benefitting from a bounce after winning the New Hampshire primary last week, also holds a slight lead in a new poll in Florida over Giuliani, who has banked his presidential bid on a win in the Sunshine State on Jan. 29.

The Quinnipiac University poll, conducted from Wednesday through Sunday, gave McCain a 22 percent to 20 percent edge over Giuliani, within the survey's margin of error of plus or minus 4.8 percentage points. Huckabee and Romney were close behind at 19 percent, with Thompson in fifth at 7 percent.

Mike Huckabee stands third in the polls leading up to Tuesday's crucial Michigan primary, but said today he hopes to pull off a better finish, fueled by grassroots supporters who believe he is the "only candidate that gets it when it comes to understanding the real economic issues we do face in this country."

Reublican rivals John McCain and Mitt Romney, who are first and second in the polls, have been sparring in recent days over who has the better prescription for what ails Michigan, whose 7.4 percent unemployment rate in November was the highest in the country. On CNN's "American Morning," Huckabee said from Kalamazoo that the country needs to help Michigan.

"There was a time when this country, Franklin Roosevelt called it the arsenal of democracy," Huckabee said. "The heartland of that arsenal is Michigan. Michigan once saved the United States by being able to manufacture in a hurry our capacity to build up our army and win World War II. We owe Michigan something. They once saved us and now it's time for us to look at trying to save them."

He also said that as fears of a recession rise, Washington should look at cutting tax rates, dipping into the strategic oil reserve to keep prices down, and more aggressively enforcing trade agreements.

With a New Hampshire win under her belt, Hillary Clinton is embracing a strategy shift in her pursuit of the White House, notes Thomas B. Edsall of The Huffington Post.

The New York senator unveiled an economic plan to help low-income familes today as the first step in this shift, according to Edsell. The plan, which could top $110 billion, helps focus attention on the sagging economy and away from negatives, such as Clinton's 2002 vote for the Iraq invasion. Edsell writes:

"Clinton's economic policy announcement is a direct outgrowth of the January 8 New Hampshire primary. Clinton's strategists are convinced that the recent rise in unemployment and the manufacturing slowdown, which voters have been paying growing attention to over the winter, played to her strengths in the Granite State. Aides believe that, combined with a surge of support among women, Clinton's 'crying' incident, and the possible role of race in bringing white voters to the New York senator's side, they see the makings of a reconfigured strategy to carry the campaign forward."

Her timing couldn't be better: A CNN/Opinion poll released today shows the worsening economy as the top concern among voters.

While Barack Obama hasn't countered with a proposal or policy shift of his own, Edsall notes the string of high-to-medium profile endorsements the Illinois senator received this week -- Massachusetts Senator John F. Kerry, South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, and Representative George Miller of California -- shows he's gaining allies.

MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. – Some of Hillary Clinton’s top Michigan supporters are gunning for a rival on the Democratic primary ballot: “Uncommitted.”

Former governor James Blanchard and his wife Janet sent postcards to their backers encouraging them to turn out and vote for Clinton in Tuesday’s primary, where her strongest competition is from a none-of-the-above option.

"Make Michigan count," reads the mailer, which arrived today in mailboxes of past Blanchard supporters.

The state hasn’t been expected to count for much since the Democratic National Committee blacklisted the primary for violating the party’s rules by jumping ahead on the calendar. Only Clinton, Dennis Kucinich, Mike Gravel, and the since-departed Chris Dodd are on the ballot, leaving supporters of Barack Obama and John Edwards the common anti-Hillary option of voting for “Uncommitted,” if they bother to vote at all.

The Clinton forces are apparently not taking a victory over “Uncommitted” for granted. The Blanchards are expected to join Governor Jennifer Granholm at a suburban-Detroit event tomorrow that is being described as a “press conference” to elude party sanctions on active politicking in the state. Unable to spend money on ads and other forms of voter contact, event organizers are encouraging Hillary supporters to show up in rally-like numbers to generate enthusiasm before Tuesday’s vote.

National polls are not all that meaningful at this stage in the presidential race.

Still, their comeback victories this week in New Hampshire boosted the numbers for Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican John McCain.

The CNN/Opinion Research poll, conducted Wednesday and Thursday and released this afternoon, shows Clinton with a 49 percent to 36 percent lead over Barack Obama, with John Edwards at 12 percent. Clinton's support rose from 40 percent in the same poll last month.

Among Democrats, the worsening economy has jumped ahead of healthcare and the Iraq war as an issue, according to the survey. Clinton leads among Obama in voters' confidence in how they would deal with those concerns.

On the Republican side, McCain, with 34 percent, vaulted into the lead over Mike Huckabee, who has 21 percent support, Rudy Giuliani with 18 percent, Mitt Romney with 14 percent, Fred Thompson with 6 percent, and Ron Paul with 5 percent. McCain jumped from 13 percent last month, and nearly half of Republicans say they now believe McCain will be the eventual nominee.

Nationwide polls will become more important closer to Feb. 5, when 22 states vote in what is close to a national primary.

Hillary Clinton started airing a new ad today in the next two contested states in the Democratic nomination race that capitalizes on her comeback victory in New Hampshire on Tuesday.

The ad shows her primary night speech to jubilant supporters in the Granite State. "Over the last week I listened to you and in the process I found my own voice," she said. "You helped remind everyone that politics isn't a game. This campaign is about people. About making a difference in your lives. It's time we had a president who stands up for all of you."

The spot ends with the slogan, "It's about people."

It is being shown in Nevada, where Democrats caucus on Jan. 19, and South Carolina, where the Democratic primary is a week later. In the Michigan primary on Tuesday, Clinton has the ballot to herself, after the national party penalized the state for moving its contest earlier, but supporters of Obama and John Edwards are mobilizing to vote "uncommitted."

The new, more accessible Hillary Clinton continued reaching out to young voters today with a web video showing her answering questions from youthful supporters in New Hampshire.

The video opens with glowing, happy talk praising Clinton, then shows her youth outreach coordinator asking questions from her MacBook to Clinton seated next to her on the campaign bus rolling through the Granite State.

To the first inquiry about the crisis in Darfur, Clinton says she supports a "no-fly zone" under which Sudanese planes would be shot down. Clinton then answers questions about college affordability and clean energy "green collar jobs," intercut with more testimonials for Clinton from young backers.

Clinton is seeking to draw young voters away from main rival Barack Obama, who in Iowa and New Hampshire fared better among them.

Mitt Romney is staying positive and staying focused on jobs in his TV ad blitz in Michigan.

His campaign this afternoon unveiled a new spot that will begin airing Saturday in Michigan, a close-to must-win state for the former Massachusetts governor's presidential hopes.

"I grew up in Michigan when Michigan was the pride of America," Romney says in the ad, as footage of the auto industry's heyday, including a red Mustang convertible, appears on the screen.

"It breaks my heart to see us in a one-state recession," he continues. "We can change that. We need new leaders with the experience and energy to turn us around. Let's invest in the future with new technology and innovation and unleash the power of Michigan.

"I'll work everyday to change Washington and bring us back, because Michigan is personal to me," Romney concludes as a snapshot appears of him as a little boy with his father George, a three-term governor of Michigan.

Romney aired attack ads against Mike Huckabee in Iowa and John McCain in New Hampshire, but some analysts believe they might have backfired. Romney finished second in both states, hurting his hopes. Huckabee and McCain are his main rivals in Michigan's Tuesday primary.

Democrat John Edwards, who badly needs a win in South Carolina, the state where he was born, returns to his son-of-a-mill-worker roots in a new TV ad.

The ad shows him giving an impassioned stump speech in which he declares, "I'm not running for president because I read something in a book. I'm not running for president because some political consultant told me what I'm supposed to say. I'm running for president because of 54 years of my life, I have believed to my soul that the men and women who worked in that mill with my father were worth every bit as much as the man that owned that mill."

He was born in Seneca, S.C., and grew up there and in another small town, Robbins, N.C.

Today, Edwards started a three-day "Bringing it Home" bus tour across South Carolina after drawing enthusiastic crowds earlier this week in Columbia and Clemson. He is focusing on the state, which holds its Democratic primary on Jan. 26.

He won the primary in 2004, but is running a distant third in the latest polls behind Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who have eclipsed him in the campaign overall and are turning it into a two-person race.

Rudy Giuliani's campaign confirmed today that several senior staffers are skipping paychecks, but insisted that it is a sign of their commitment, not of money troubles.

"Several members of our staff wanted to work without pay -- including the campaign manager -- as a way to contribute more to our efforts because they feel so strongly about Rudy's run," a campaign statement said. "Some other members of our senior staff were asked on a voluntary basis to forgo their paycheck for the month so all of our resources could be targeted toward Florida....That said, our campaign is not -- and has never been -- living hand to mouth."

The campaign announced this morning that it had $12.7 million in the bank at the end of December, including $7 million that can be used for the primaries. He said Giuliani continues to bring in cash and has several fund-raisers scheduled this week in Florida.

"From day one our campaign has been focused on a national strategy built around the new primary calendar," Mike DuHaime, Giuliani's campaign manager, said in a statement. "As such, we've budgeted conservatively and effectively targeted our resources to win under this new system. We will have the funds necessary to carry out our campaign plan and deliver the mayor's message in Florida and beyond."

The former New York mayor is banking on a big win in the Florida primary on Jan. 29 as the centerpiece of a decidedly unconventional path to the Republican nomination. He finished sixth in Iowa and fourth in New Hampshire, the first two contests.

Mitt Romney claimed endorsements today from two newspapers in Michigan, his native state where he is focusing his wounded presidential bid.

The Grand Rapids Press, in its editorial, says that Romney and John McCain would both offer "solid leadership," but "when it comes to Michigan's challenges and needs, the passion and knowledge of Mr. Romney tip the scales in his favor."

In its endorsement, the Oakland Press also cites Romney's ties to the state and says he "certainly has the credentials to run the country."

McCain, however, has endorsements from the state's two largest newspapers -- the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News -- in his pocket. Today, he launched a TV ad citing those endorsements, highlighting their praise for him as a straight shooter and critic of pork-barrel spending and his appeal to independent voters, who were key to his 2000 primary win in Michigan.

The Arizona senator, Romney, and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee are leading the field heading into Tuesday's Republican primary. McCain and Huckabee are also battling in South Carolina, where Republicans vote four days later, but Romney has pulled his advertising from South Carolina to marshal his resources for Michigan.

By Marcella Bombardieri, Globe Staff

Bringing his fat fund-raising Rolodex and foreign policy gravitas, John F. Kerry, the Democratic nominee for president in 2004, endorsed Barack Obama today, declaring that the Illinois senator has "the greatest potential to lead a transformation, not just a transition."

The junior US senator from Massachusetts was joined in the Obama camp later in the day by Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota and veteran Congressman George Miller of California. After Obama's surprise defeat in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, the flurry of big-name endorsements may help him pick up steam again heading into a long, hard fight with Hillary Clinton in Nevada and South Carolina later this month, and then in 22 states that vote on Feb. 5.

Kerry dwelled on Obama's inspirational power, saying Washington will have "no choice but to listen." He scoffed at the idea -- which Clinton has promoted -- that Obama is offering false hope and is too young and inexperienced for the Oval Office. Thomas Jefferson was just 33 when he wrote the Declaration of Independence, and Martin Luther King Jr. only 26 when he led the Montgomery bus boycott, Kerry noted.

"My friends, when we choose a president, we are electing judgment and character, not years on this earth," he said at a rally in Charleston, S.C.

Kerry has an unparalleled list of three million supporters from 2004, a rich resource for Obama's fund-raisers. He sent an e-mail to them on Obama's behalf yesterday, and Obama is expected to send an appeal today.

Kerry, who lost narrowly to President Bush in 2004, passed over his running mate, John Edwards -- all the more stinging since Kerry made his endorsement public in Edwards' native state of South Carolina, which Edwards won in 2004 and where he needs to vault ahead to revive his flagging campaign.

The two men have been on less-than-close terms since Edwards complained after they lost the White House that Kerry would not let him fight back against the "Swift Boat" attacks on Kerry's record of service in Vietnam. Kerry retorted that it was Edwards who refused to wade into the fight.

Edwards issued a statement this afternoon that was by turn gracious and dismissive. "Our country and our party are stronger because of John's service, and I respect his decision," he said, but added: "I continue to believe that this election is about the future, not the past."

Kerry and Clinton also have bad blood going back to 2006, when Kerry made a gaffe when he suggested that young people who don't do well in school get "stuck in Iraq." Although Kerry aides said he had misspoken and meant to poke fun at Bush, not the troops, Clinton quickly deemed the remark "inappropriate."

By contrast, Kerry did an important favor for Obama by asking the young Senate candidate to be the keynote speaker at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, giving him the national platform to begin establishing his reputation as a rising star.

Kerry is the latest prominent Massachusetts Democrat to join Obama's team, following Governor Deval Patrick and Representative William Delahunt, among others.

Clinton, Obama's main rival for the Democratic nomination, has Representatives Barney Frank, Stephen Lynch, James McGovern, and Richard Neal in her corner.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy has not yet made his pick.

Democrat Bill Richardson, who finished fourth in both Iowa and New Hampshire, withdrew from the presidential race today.

"It is with great pride, understanding, and acceptance that I am ending my campaign for president of the United States," he said at a news conference in Sante Fe, N.M.

He said he made his case during the numerous debates for "change, but guided by an experienced hand." He also urged his rivals to aim their fire at Republicans instead of each other.

Richardson tried to highlight his experience as New Mexico's governor and as a United Nations ambassador and energy secretary, but could not gain any momentum against the better-financed, more-hyped Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Richardson, who was seeking to become the first Hispanic president, did not immediately endorse anyone. His name has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick for the eventual nominee.

But within hours of Richardson's press conference, Clinton trumpted endorsements by two prominent Richardson backers, former Ambassador Edward Romero and Henry Cisneros, the first Hispanic to serve as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

"Hillary Clinton has the right combination of passion, leadership, and heart that will make her the best President," Cisneros, who served in President Bill Clinton's administration, said in a statement issued by her campaign.

Clinton then issued a statement through her campaign, saying, "Governor Richardson is a great public servant and a friend. He waged a hard-fought and substantive campaign, and helped drive the conversation on the great issues facing our nation. I wish him the best of luck as he continues his outstanding work in New Mexico."

Richardson's departure leaves only John Edwards in the top tier of Democratic candidates. Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and former Senator Mike Gravel of Alaska are still in the race, but are not drawing much money or many votes.

Mitt Romney, who appears to be all-in in Michigan, started a new radio ad today that features one of his most prominent supporters in the state.

In the spot (listen to it here), Congressman Pete Hoekstra and his wife Diane say that Romney will cut taxes, lower spending, and create jobs -- a huge issue in the economically depressed state. They also vouch for Romney's Michigan connections.

"Governor Mitt Romney represents the values that are important to us," Diane Hoekstra says. "He will fight for the unborn and traditional marriage."

"Mitt Romney’s values are Michigan values," Pete Hoekstra chimes in.

"They ought to be, he grew up right here, in Michigan," his wife says.

Romney's campaign has suspended advertising in South Carolina and Florida to focus on Michigan, whose primary next Tuesday could mark the end of Romney's presidential bid if he doesn't win.

By Brian C. Mooney, Globe Staff

In a new television ad that begins airing today, Rudy Giuliani's campaign is urging Florida voters to ignore the political pundits when they vote in the Republican presidential primary and "show the world that leadership is what really matters."

Titled "Super Bowl," the 30-second spot features banks of television screens with commentators as a narrator says "With pundits and politicos handicapping the campaign like the Super Bowl, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s at stake."

As images of gasoline prices spinning higher, US troops in Iraq, and a parent and child appear on screen, the announcer says, "An economy in peril. A country at war. A future uncertain."

Over more video of talking heads, he says: "The media loves process. Talking heads love chatter." Then, over footage of Giuliani speaking at a microphone, the narrator concludes: "But Florida has a chance to turn down the noise. And show the world that leadership is what really matters."

The ad is an affirmation of the former New York mayor's highly unconventional strategy that targets the Jan. 29 primary in the Sunshine State as his best chance to move past his GOP rivals, even with a half-dozen primaries and caucuses before Florida. Giuliani's lead in national polls has all but disappeared, he finished sixth in the Iowa caucuses and, despite expenditure of a considerable amount of time and money, placed fourth in the New Hampshire primary. He is not seriously contesting Tuesday's primary in Michigan or the Jan. 19 primary in South Carolina and caucuses in Nevada.

But Giuliani has devoted heavy resources and a lot of time in Florida, as well as several of the more than 20 states that will vote on Feb. 5, when few candidates will have enough money to wage more than token media campaigns and the Giuliani campaign is banking on his high name recognition as a critical asset.

The Giuliani campaign did not disclose the amount being spent, but a service that monitors ad buys of all the candidates reported the weeklong cost at almost $640,000 total in the Tampa, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Jacksonville, and Ft. Myers markets, which when combined reach about 70 percent of the state's electorate.

Giuliani also launched another new TV ad today in Florida, and nationally on Fox News Network, promoting his tax cut proposals.

In that ad, the narrator says, "On his first day in office, Rudy Giuliani will send Congress the largest tax cut in American history," and graphics say it will save taxpayers trillions of dollars.

Giuliani then appears and declares, "I would lower taxes as President of the United States because it's not just an ideology or a theory for me." The announcer then says that as New York mayor, Giuliani "delivered more tax relief than the other Republicans combined."

Giuliani has said he would seek to cut corporate and personal income taxes, index tax rates for inflation, phase out the alternative minimum tax, and repeal the federal estate tax.

His campaign has not produced any data on what the impact of the tax cuts would be on the federal budget, which is already operating at a significant deficit while paying for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Giuliani has also not detailed what cuts he would ask Congress to make in federal spending to pay for the tax cuts or his proposed health insurance plan, which would offer substantial tax incentives for the purchase of individual health insurance policies.

While mayor, Giuliani pushed through 15 tax cuts, all of which took effect during the expanding national economy of the late 1990s. He also takes credit for seven other cuts initiated by the state legislature as well as the largest of the cuts, which was scheduled to expire anyway.

Mitt Romney's campaign announced this evening that it raised about $5 million during a day-long phone-a-thon at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

But only about $1.5 million of the total can be used for the primary race, with the remainder only allowed to be spent during the general election. And the haul was shy of the $6.5 million a similar event raised last January.

About 500 volunteers from across the country secured money from about 10,000 donors, the campaign said.

Lacking the momentum he wanted from New Hampshire, Barack Obama today is boasting of strong fund-raising and support from influential unions as he and Hillary Clinton battle it out in the Democratic primary race.

Obama's campaign today said that it raised $23.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2007, nearly all of it for the primary contest. The campaign said it also added 111,000 new contributors, bringing its 2007 to a whopping 475,000. Through today, Obama's campaign had raised more than $8 million in 2008, including $500,000 online since midnight last night, after Obama conceded to Clinton in New Hampshire.

"We continue to build a grassroots movement that makes us best positioned to compete financially in the primaries and caucuses coming up," campaign manager David Plouffe said in a memo to reporters.

Obama has lacked the same support from labor unions that Clinton and John Edwards have enjoyed, but he picks up three important ones today: the Nevada chapter of the Service Employees International Union; UNITE HERE, the union of textile, hotel, and restaurant workers; and the coveted Culinary Workers Union in Nevada, whose 60,000 members will provide a boost going into what may be pivotal Jan. 19 Democratic caucuses there.

In announcing the culinary workers' endorsement, D. Taylor, the union's secretary-treasurer, referenced the mostly white electorates in New Hampshire and Iowa.

"We're not just Wonderbread here, we got pumpernickel, we got whole wheat, we got rye. We're excited about that. That's America," he said, according to the Associated Press. "That's why Senator Obama excites us and excites the country."

By Brian C. Mooney, Globe Staff

The New Hampshire Union Leader's legendary clout apparently isn't what it used to be in the state's Republican presidential primary. The newspaper editorialized often, at times on its front page, in favor of Arizona Senator John McCain and against Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts who owns a vacation home on Lake Winnipesaukee.

On Tuesday, McCain beat Romney statewide by 13,000 votes, or 5.6 percentage points, but lost to the Bay Stater in the newspaper's core circulation area, which is the city of Manchester and five adjoining suburbs -- Bedford, Goffstown, Hooksett, Auburn, and Londonderry. The combined tally, taken from the Union Leader's website, was 12,131 for Romney and 11,737 for McCain.

McCain narrowly beat Romney, 5,119 to 4,935 in Manchester, 994 to 991 in Hooksett, and 507 to 479 in Auburn. Romney won the bigger, affluent towns of Bedford, 2,479 to 2,148; Goffstown, 1,258 to 1,212; and Londonderry, 1,989 to 1,757.

That's a striking contrast to 1980 when the newspaper waged a similar campaign in favor of Ronald Reagan in his race against George H.W. Bush. It's also indicative of the declining influence of newspaper endorsements in general.

In the 1980 New Hampshire presidential primary, Reagan beat Bush 50 percent to 23 percent statewide, or better than 2 to 1, with five other major candidates in the field. In the same Manchester-area communities, however, Reagan beat Bush by a combined margin of better than 7 to 1, and almost 8 to 1 in Manchester itself.

McCain, however, did liberally use the Union Leader's endorsement of him, and its anti-endorsement of Romney, in TV ads that aired across New Hampshire.

Mike Huckabee, like Republican rivals John McCain and Mitt Romney, is appealing to Michigan voters' worries about the economy.

In a new TV ad he launched today, he says he knows what it's like to struggle financially while growing up, then talks about Michigan's loss of manufacturing jobs. The ad then introduces Huckabee's record as governor in Arkansas cutting taxes and "achieving record job growth." And it ends with the line that he debuted on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" last week: that he believes most Americans want a president "like the guy they work with, not the guy who laid them off."

The unemployment rate in Michigan in November, the most recent month available, was 7.4 percent, compared to 4.7 percent nationally and 4.3 percent in Massachusetts.

Huckabee, who won the Iowa caucuses last week and finished third in New Hampshire on Tuesday, is campaigning in South Carolina today, but is polling well in Michigan, where both McCain and Romney are stumping today. The Michigan primary next Tuesday could go a long way in confirming whether Huckabee as a national candidate, whether McCain's comeback in New Hampshire will last, and whether Romney stays in the race.

By Brian C. Mooney, Globe Staff

New Hampshire Secretary of State William M. Gardner did a much better job than any of the pollsters when it came to making predictions about voting in Tuesday's presidential primary.

The day after the Iowa caucuses, Gardner forecast a turnout of 500,000 voters -- more than 100,000 higher than the previous record set in 2000. As of this morning, with all but one of the state's 301 precincts reporting, the unofficial total was 526,671.

Gardner predicted 260,000 voters would take Democratic ballots -- the latest tally shows 287,821 did. He nearly hit the Republican turnout on the button. Gardner estimated 240,000 voters would take GOP ballots -- latest figures show 238,850 did.

Pollsters are scrambling today to explain how tracking surveys as late as Monday predicted a big win for Democrat Barack Obama, when Hillary Clinton narrowly beat him Tuesday.

CONCORD, N.H. -- One fascinating, if ultimately unknowable, question about last night’s surprise turnaround for Hillary Clinton is whether her moving display of emotion on the eve of the primary was pivotal.

Well, California Senator Dianne Feinstein thinks so.

Exhausted on Monday, facing what looked to be a certain defeat in New Hampshire, Clinton’s eyes grew moist and she choked up talking about how personal this race is to her.

On a conference call with reporters this morning, Feinstein – who is backing Clinton -- waxed about The Moment.

“I think it showed humanity and real warmth,” she said. “I mean, this was Hillary at her core…I think that feeling coming out is really, really important because we all identify with it, and we understand the frustrations of these campaigns and all the knocks that you get.”

“And she does have a steel spine, no one should ever doubt that,” Feinsein continued. “This is one strong woman. But I think for people to be able to see the basic Hillary with the basic feelings was very important.”

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

Former Senator Jim Talent delivered a pep talk and analysis of Mitt Romney's campaign today to supporters gathered in the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center for a national fund-raising phone-a-thon.

He likened Romney's plan to win the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary to a boxer trying to knock out his opponent in the early rounds. Now that Romney has finished second in both those contests, he said the nomination contest will be more like NASCAR's Nextel cup -- in other words a longer race to collect delegates from later states.

"The issue is not primary finishes so much any more," said Talent, a Missouri Republican who is now a Romney adviser. "The issue is delegate count."

Romney, addressing the group, said he was optimistic about the next state. "We are going to win Michigan," he said. "We're going full steam ahead."

"This is the group that's gong to do it!" he cheered. "Well, you've done it before and you're going to do it again."

In a preview of what will likely be his stump speech in Michigan, Romney emphasized that he is a native son and the son of a Detroit auto executive and three-term governor of Michigan. He recalled that he worked as a plant guard at Chrysler in high school and returned there after graduate school to work in Chrysler's marketing division.

"That's part of my DNA," Romney said. "I love that industry. I know that industry."

He decried Michigan's economic woes, saying it is unacceptable that the state has long been suffering a recession before the rest of the country and losing its manufacturing jobs. He blamed in part the state's Democratic governor,
Jennifer Granholm, saying taxes are going up in Michigan and unemployment is rising.

Calling himself, "somebody who knows cares and loves that state," Romney said: "I will make a commitment: if I'm president, that one-state recession is over."

"I recognize that when Michigan is hurting, it's a precursor of what could happen to the nation," Romney said. "For me, Michigan is a state that has to do well."

Talent said Romney was surprised by the rise of Mike Huckabee in Iowa and was then waylaid in the state trying to fend him off, while John McCain campaigned vigorously in New Hampshire, overtaking him.

"We did not foresee Governor's Huckabee's rise in Iowa. The governor got occupied in Iowa, as he needed to be," Talent said. In New Hampshire, Talent said, "We were surging in the end, and I think had the election been two three days later, we would have won."

John McCain, fresh off his campaign-reviving win in New Hampshire, is stumping across Michigan today, hoping he can pull off the double victory -- just as he did in 2000.

He is emphasizing his message of fiscal conservatism and his fight against out-of-control spending. McCain often quotes Republican icon Ronald Reagan saying that Congress spending taxpayer money like a drunken sailor, and he repeated the story of receiving a phone call from a man who said he was a former drunken sailor and was offended by the analogy because Congress is worse.

"You can't blame him, you can't blame him," McCain said.

The Arizona senator said that until spending is brought under control, it will be extremely difficult to deal with huge looming problems, such as Social Security.

If McCain can repeat his 2000 victory in Michigan, it could spell the end of Mitt Romney's presidential bid. Romney hoped to win both the first two nomination contests, but finished second to McCain in New Hampshire and second to Mike Huckabee in Iowa. Romney, who was born and raised in the Detroit suburbs, will be in Michigan later today.

Now, the shoe's on the other foot.

In the wake of Hillary Clinton's unexpected comeback win in New Hampshire, Barack Obama's campaign is the one today citing poll numbers, endorsements, and numbers of volunteers to buck up the troops and spin the media.

In "Daily Talking Points" obtained by The Page, Time magazine's political website, Obama's campaign argues that it is in the strongest position in Nevada, where Democrats caucus on Jan. 19 and where the state chapter of the powerful Service Employees International Union endorsed him this morning.

It also says Obama has the support of black voters in South Carolina, which votes Jan. 26, and has "the best field operation in the history of the state."

And the memo says that Obama has a "huge head start" in the 22 states that vote in the Feb. 5 mega-primary, noting that six of them are holding caucuses like Iowa, which rewards enthusiasm by supporters.

"Barack Obama is our party's best chance of winning in November," the memo says.

Clinton's campaign issued its own rosy-scenario memo, claiming strength in Nevada, South Carolina, and Feb. 5 states such as California.

"Momentum is clearly in our side," said Clinton national campaign Chairman Terry McAuliffe. "Voters across the country are going to see what New Hampshire voters saw.

Hillary Clinton told supporters she wants to give America the kind of comeback New Hampshire gave her, after pulling out a surprise win in the New Hampshire primary.

A beaming Clinton hugged daughter Chelsea and husband Bill before starting to speak just after 11 p.m.

"I come tonight with a very, very full heart," she told ecstatic supporters, who chanted "Hillary! Hillary!" " I listened to you and in the process, I found my own voice....I felt like we all spoke from our hearts."

Her husband Bill first called himself the "Comeback Kid" when he pulled off a second-place finish in New Hampshire in 1992 on the way to the nomination and the White House.

Entering to chants of "Obama! Obama!" Barack Obama congratulated Hillary Clinton on a "hard-fought victory" in New Hampshire.

But he did not concede any diminution of his movement for change.

"There is something happening," he said, talking about long lines of voters of all backgrounds, politics, and ethnicities coming to his events.

"We are ready to take this country in a fundamentally new direction," he said. "...Change is what is happening in America."

"We want change," the crowd chanted in response.

By Scott Helman and Susan Milligan, Globe Staff

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Senator John McCain of Arizona delivered an electric jolt to the Republican presidential contest tonight by decisively capturing New Hampshire’s presidential primary, and Democrat Hillary Clinton apparently revived her White House hopes with a narrow win.

The Associated Press and NBC projected Clinton the winner over Barack Obama of Illinois in a contest that polls suggested Obama would win by a healthy margin. Former senator John Edwards of North Carolina was projected a distant third.

Winning a race that appeared to be drawing record numbers of voters on an unseasonably warm winter’s day, McCain buffeted the presidential prospects of his chief rival, Mitt Romney, who held a sizable lead over the GOP field here just weeks ago and once had hoped the Granite State, where he has a summer home, would put him on the fast track to the nomination.

The victory was a remarkable showing for the 71-year-old senator, whose campaign was deemed all but over last summer after massive spending and lackluster fund-raising left his campaign effort nearly broke. Hammered by conservatives for his advocacy of immigration reform and deserted by independents over his vocal support for the Iraq war, McCain was nonetheless able to claw back into the race.

‘‘Thank you, thank you, thank you,’’ McCain told elated supporters last night, as cheers of ‘‘Mac is back!’’ punctuated his victory speech. ‘‘Tonight, we sure showed ‘em what a comeback looks like.’’

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, coming off his big victory in last week’s Iowa caucuses, came in third, and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and US Representative Ron Paul of Texas were battling for fourth place.

Exit polling data offered some indication of who voted for the winners, and why. In the Republican race, voters appeared to base their choices more on character than on issues. Republican voters, according to a CNN exit poll, said that while they preferred Romney on the issues, but they simply liked McCain better.

Romney’s failure to win either Iowa or New Hampshire puts another dent in his presidential ambitions: His plan had long banked on more than a pair of second-place finishes in the first two states. Tonight, he vowed in an upbeat speech to fight on.

‘‘I want to make sure that the America that this family inherits and your family inherits is an America that remains strong and the hope of the earth,’’ he told supporters.

McCain’s win put the GOP race on an uncertain trajectory heading into important showdowns later this month in Michigan, South Carolina, and Florida. Huckabee and former senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee will battle in South Carolina, and Giuliani is looking to Florida to jump-start what he hopes will be a late surge for his campaign, further fueled by victories in delegate-rich states such as New York and California on Feb. 5.

McCain and Romney now head to Michigan, a newly pivotal state in this year’s accelerated primary calendar where both men claim roots. McCain won the state in 2000 and has a network of influential supporters there. Romney was born in Michigan, where his last name is political gold since his father, George, was a three-term governor. Romney launched his campaign last year from suburban Detroit.

Despite his come-from-behind win here last night, McCain faces tough fights in the South and suffers from a dearth of cash that could imperil his prospects in the broad swath of contests Feb. 5. Huckabee, a Baptist minister still glowing from his win in the Iowa caucuses, appeals to evangelical Christians but is opposed by establishment GOP forces.

The Democratic contest remained close late tonight, capping a seesaw race that had Clinton ahead by as many as 20 points just months ago before she slipped in the polls, trailing Obama by more than 10 points in some surveys just before the primary.

An Obama win would have made him the clear front-runner, though with Clinton — who has raised more than $100 million and who is ahead in many polls in the upcoming states — still very much in the race.

By Globe Staff

John Edwards vowed to cheering supporters that, despite his third-place finish, he is not getting out of the race. He said that he wanted to be “absolutely clear” that he is in the race through the convention and he intends to be the nominee of the party.

“I am in this race until we have actually restored the American dream and strengthened and restored the middle class of America,” he said.

He said that only about one half of one percent of Americans have voted. And the voices of the remaining 99 percent deserved to be heard.

“We have too much in America of people’s voices not being heard,” he said.

“Two races down, 48 states left to go,” he said.

By Michael Kranish, Globe Staff

NASHUA, N.H. -- To cries of "Mac is Back," an ebullient Senator John McCain appeared before a packed ballroom of supporters in celebration of his comeback victory in the New Hampshire primary.

"Tonight we sure showed them what a comeback looks like," McCain said. "When the pundits declared us finished, I told them, 'I'm going to New Hampshire, where the voters don't let you make their decision for them.' And when they asked, 'How are you going to do it? You're down in the polls. You don't have the money,' I answered, 'I'm going to New Hampshire, and I'm going to tell people the truth.'"

Just months after his political obituary was being written, McCain told supporters that he ran a bare-bones grass-roots campaign based on his signature style of straight talk. "I didn't try to spin you," McCain said. "I just talked to the people of New Hampshire. I talked about the country we loved "

McCain used his speech to speak to a national audience that he now hopes to win over. McCain won here in 2000 but soon lost the nomination to George W. Bush, who was the favored establishment candidate.

This time, McCain sees a huge opening because there is no obvious establishment candidate. McCain, while being pilloried by Mitt Romney during the campaign as an insider, sought to persuade voters that he is an outsider and reformer.

"Tonight we have taken a step, but only the first step, toward repairing the broken politics of the past and restoring the trust of the American people in their government," McCain said. He said he will leave tomorrow to compete in the next contest, on Jan. 15, in Michigan.

"We celebrate one victory tonight and leave for Michigan tomorrow to win another," McCain said, eliciting shouts of approval from his supporters.

By Charlie Savage, Globe Staff

MANCHESTER – Mike Huckabee said he was happy to come in third in New Hampshire tonight after having won the Iowa caucuses last week, and he vowed to go on to win the Republican nomination for president.

Huckabee appeared at 9 p.m. to tell his supporters that he had called Senator John McCain of Arizona and former governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts to congratulate them on coming in ahead of him tonight. With about a third of precincts reporting, Huckabee had 12 percent of the vote.

“Tonight we’re going to come out of here with continued momentum,” Huckabee told his supporters. He said that just a few weeks ago, no one would have expected his campaign even to be a contender in the Granite state.

“We just sensed we would do a whole lot better than most people thought this old unknown southern boy could possibly do up here in New England,” Huckabee said, adding: “What you helped us continue will be carried right on through and then right into the White House and onto leading America.”

The former Arkansas governor said he was flying tonight down to South Carolina for a rally in Greenville. Standing beside him on the stage was South Carolina's former governor David Beasley, an early supporter who has pledged to help him win the Palmetto state’s primary later this month.

Huckabee is leading in the polls in South Carolina, which has more social conservatives – the ordained Baptist minister’s core supporters – than New Hampshire.

Showcasing his signature sense of humor, Huckabee was introduced at his post-primary party here to R. Strauss’s dramatic “Thus Spake Zarathustra," the theme from Stanley Kubrick's “2001: A Space Odyssey."

Perhaps ironically, "2001" is concerned with man's evolution, but Huckabee doesn't believe in evolution. On the other hand, "2001" has something of an intelligent designer in the form of the alien obilisque from Jupiter that spurs apes to start using tools.

Huckabee also noted that today is the anniversary of Elvis’s birthday.

By Globe Staff

Mitt Romney gave an upbeat speech to his supporters at his election night party, vowing to continue campaigning.

He said he had heard time and time again from people that they were frustrated and felt Washington is "broken." He portrayed himself as the candidate who would fix it, citing his experience in business, heading the Olympics, and as governor of Massachusetts.

"I believe it is time to send somebody to Washington who will actually get the job done," he said.

In an apparent jab at McCain, he said he didn't think that "insiders" could get things done in Washington.

"I think you have to have somebody from outside Washington who has proven he can get the job done," he said.

He promised to "strengthen America and stand up for the values that we believe in."

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Mitt Romney, unable to refocus his message and prove his authenticity to New Hampshire's fiercely independent and fiscally conservative voters, today suffered a second crippling defeat in six days, leaving his presidential campaign strategy in tatters.

Rather than emerging from New Hampshire with two wins under his belt as he had planned for months, Romney will now be forced to campaign in Michigan and South Carolina amid mounting questions about whether he has the right platform and background to compete for the Republican nomination.

Today's loss to a resurgent John McCain -- the TV networks projected McCain tonight as the winner -- is particularly painful because New Hampshire should have been Romney country. Unlike Iowa, where social issues are paramount and evangelical Christians powered Baptist minister Mike Huckabee to victory last week, New Hampshire voters put a greater emphasis on fiscal issues and the brand of business-friendly conservatism that should have played to Romney's strengths.

Instead, Romney struggled to recast his message after Iowa, where he had spent millions of dollars and countless hours burnishing his image as a social conservative and champion of a greater role for religion in public life.

McCain -- and many of New Hampshire's newspapers -- pounced on Romney, branding him a phony for changing his positions on abortion and other issues to appeal to voters in Iowa. Even a late effort by Romney to recast himself as a change agent and problem-solver -- and McCain as a Washington dinosaur -- fell short.

"It played into this view that people don't know where this guy is, who he is, and what he believes," said Linda L. Fowler, a Dartmouth University political scientist. "He has an authenticity problem and he happens to be running against one of the most authentic politicians we've seen in the last 10 years -- John McCain. Nobody will ever accuse him of being a phony."

Romney said earlier today that he plans to stay in the race at least through Feb. 5, when 22 states hold primaries. He points to his victory in the Wyoming caucuses on Saturday as evidence of his national appeal. With a net worth between $190 million and $250 million, the former venture capitalist has the vast resources needed to keep his campaign afloat. As of Sept. 30, he had outspent his rivals -- dropping a total of $45 million nationwide, including $17 million from his own fortune. He has refused to say how much he is willing to spend.

Michigan, which votes next Tuesday, presents his best chance to begin mounting a comeback, though he will have to meet expectations for a resounding victory. Born and raised in suburban Detroit, Romney is the son of a three-term Michigan governor and he has already been running television ads. He plans to hold two events in the Grand Rapids area Wednesday, after stopping in Boston for a telephone fund-raising event similar to the one that brought in $6.5 million in one day last January.

"I think I can connect with Michigan," Romney said yesterday, before his loss to McCain. "Michigan is very personal for me."

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

At Mitt Romney's election night party at CR Sparks Restaurant and Bar in Bedford, N.H., hundreds of suporters watched glumly as the results scrolled along television screens posted throughout the ballroom.

"The people in this state are foolish," said Vinny Salerno, 75, a retired Navy veteran from Concord. "You've got a governor from Massachusetts. He's got a proven record of being a success in life and they go for someone from Arizona who wants to give amnesty to illegal immigrants. I don't know what they were thinking."

By Michael Kranish, Globe Staff

NASHUA, N.H. -- When Fox News called the Republican race for John McCain moments ago, a huge scream erupted from the room here at the Nashua Crowne Plaza, where hundreds of supporters are gathered in a ballroom.

The supporters were waiting to see if other networks would follow immediately with the same call. They weren't disappointed as others also called the race for McCain. The candidate is expected to appear in the ballroom after 9 p.m.

"We showed the people of this country what a real comeback looks like," McCain told The Associated Press. He said he was "going to move on to Michigan and South Carolina and win the nomination."

By Charlie Savage, Globe Staff

MANCHESTER -- While the main billing tonight is John McCain vs. Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton v. Barack Obama, there is an unexpected sideshow breaking open in the Ron Paul campaign.

In an article published on The New Republic website earlier today, reporter James Kirchick dug up old copies of the Texas congressman's newsletter and found them filled with attacks on Martin Luther King Jr. as "a world-class adulterer" who "seduced underage girls and boys" and "replaced the evil of forced segregation with the evil of forced integration"; what TNR characterizes as "kind words" for David Duke; praise for anti-government militias; and the following discussion of the 1992 Los Angeles riots "Order was only restored in L.A. when it came time for the blacks to pick up their welfare checks three days after rioting began. ... What if the checks had never arrived? No doubt the blacks would have fully privatized the welfare state through continued looting. But they were paid off and the violence subsided." Etc. etc. The website has links to scans of many of the excerpts.

It's not clear who wrote the newsletter articles. Most do not have bylines. In response to the New Republic article, the Paul campaign put out the following statement:

“The quotations in The New Republic article are not mine and do not represent what I believe or have ever believed. I have never uttered such words and denounce such small-minded thoughts.

“In fact, I have always agreed with Martin Luther King, Jr. that we should only be concerned with the content of a person's character, not the color of their skin. As I stated on the floor of the U.S. House on April 20, 1999: ‘I rise in great respect for the courage and high ideals of Rosa Parks who stood steadfastly for the rights of individuals against unjust laws and oppressive governmental policies.’

“This story is old news and has been rehashed for over a decade. It's once again being resurrected for obvious political reasons on the day of the New Hampshire primary.

“When I was out of Congress and practicing medicine full-time, a newsletter was published under my name that I did not edit. Several writers contributed to the product. For over a decade, I have publicly taken moral responsibility for not paying closer attention to what went out under my name.”

By Susan Milligan, Globe Staff

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- There's a certain freedom to be written off as an also-ran in the New Hampshire primary. TV crews don't follow you around, hoping to catch you in a misstep. Political pundits don't dissect your tearful comments, trying to decide if they show strength or weakness.

But there's a fine line between liberation and anonymity, as Duncan Hunter learned.

Hunter, a GOP congressman from California, was leaving a radio interview at a downtown Manchester hotel when he was stopped by a little blonde girl. "Who are you?'' she asked.

"Duncan Hunter,'' the congressman replied.

She peered at him again. "What did you say your name was?''

"DUN-CAN HUN-ter,'' he said slowly and clearly.

The girl's family rushed over to take a picture, bringing a smile to the congressman's face.

"We LOVE you!'' the woman taking the picture gushed, then ran over to Hunter and lowered her voice. "We're voting for Rudy Giuliani,'' she whispered. "But we LOVE you!''

While Hunter -- one of the leading Iraq war hawks in the House -- left to drum up votes for his pro-war campaign, his colleague, Dennis Kucinich, passed him in the hallway with his antiwar entourage.

While Hunter favors a healthy, well-funded military policy, Kucinich supporters carry "Strength Through Peace'' signs and tout the Ohio congressman as the one candidate who will get the United States out of the war immediately.

Kucinich defended one of his rivals, Senator Hillary Clinton, as the victim of what he called a "ridiculous'' analysis of her behavior on Monday, when she began to break down as she talked about her passion for running for president.

Was she showing too-feminine weakness? Was it contrived to elicit sympathy? Was the tough senator finally showing a long-disguised human side?

Who cares? Kucinich said.

"It's a pseudo-event,'' Kucinich said of the media coverage of Clinton's display. "It presents a mythical notion of a debate as to whether she has a heart or not -- of course she does. They're all trying to make her a cartoon character. She's not. She's real,'' Kucinich said.

Voters should still reject her -- but because of her policies, not how whether she showed emotion in answering a question, Kucinich said.

"Will she get us out of Iraq? She won't. I will,'' Kucinich said.

For cable news, today offers a dilemma, albeit a good one: Lots of politics to talk about, and lots of time to fill before official returns come in. So in addition to calling out the talking heads, the cable channels have been venturing far and wide for features. On the Fox News Channel, political correspondent Carl Cameron has been filing grainy, pixellated dispatches, the sort you usually see during reporting from war zones. (It serves as a fitting metaphor.) He's been riding in the network's "ElectionLink" trucks, a two-month-old innovation that allows him to file through a high-powered streambox instead of the standard satellite link.

Meanwhile, a CNN correspondent sent reports this morning from Kenya, where she interviewed Barack Obama's grandmother and uncle. And this afternoon, MSNBC interviewed the real-life "Obama Girl." It goes to show: Anyone can be a pundit these days.

By Charlie Savage, Globe Staff

CONCORD, N.H. -- US Representative Paul Hodes, Democrat of New Hampshire, stood outside a voting precinct at St. Peter's Parish Hall today and predicted that Barack Obama’s expected victory in his state’s Democratic primary would be no ordinary political event.

“I think we are in the middle of a transformational moment,” said Hodes, who has represented this part of New Hampshire since defeating Republican Charlie Bass in the 2006 mid-term election.

Hodes reflected back to July 2007, when he endorsed Obama and became one several “national co-chairs” for the Illinois senator’s campaign just a few months after coming to Washington. At the time, Obama trailed New York Senator Hillary Clinton in polls of both national and New Hampshire Democratic voters.

But the freshman congressman said he had felt no compunction at bucking the apparent choice of the party establishment and instead backing a fellow relative newcomer to the national political scene.

When he ran for Congress in 2006, Hodes said, he had argued that it was time to reduce the “partisan bickering” in Washington and to draw on “good ideas no matter where they were from on the political spectrum to solve the problems we faced.”

“We needed a change in leadership, certainly, but we also needed someone who would change the way politics is conducted,” Hodes said.

Of all the candidates, Obama seemed the most likely to “bring people together,” Hodes said, basking in the snowbank-melting sunlight.

By Sasha Issenberg, Globe Staff

NASHUA, N.H. -- On what could be his last campaign bus ride through New Hampshire, John McCain reflected this morning on the differences between the state and Iowa, where he ended up in a near-tie for third in last week's caucuses

"I thought people in Iowa were very polite, but not as outgoing," said McCain, returning from a visit to the offices of the Union Leader newspaper (which endorsed him) to the hotel here where he will watch primary results this evening.

The Arizona Republican refused to say which state’s personality more closely matched his own, but suggested that there was something more outgoing and less polite in the Granite State about his "enjoyment of, shall we say, exchanges with voters."

"Maybe the Iowans who were against the war didn't want to come to the town hall meeting solely to have an exchange with me," said McCain, who is counting on a win tonight to cement the revival of his campaign. "It was certainly true in New Hampshire."

When the news spread that a pair of young, vaguely-unkempt hecklers shouted "Iron my shirt!" at a Hillary Clinton event last night, the conspiracy theories spread quickly across the Internet. Apparently, some Clinton foes didn't believe she could have come up with her spontaneous quip: "Oh, the remnants of sexism are alive and well!"

But a few intrepid bloggers, cross-referencing video footage and MySpace pages, came up with a new explanation: Boston-based shock radio. Apparently, Nick Gemelli and Adolfo Gonzalez Jr., who were escorted from the Clinton event in Salem, have jobs on WBCN-FM’s "Toucher and Rich Show," which airs from 3 to 7 p.m. (Gemelli, a call-screener, is known on the air as "Intern Nick.")

No official confirmation from WBCN: in an e-mail, the station’s marketing director, Cha Chi Loprete, said he has no comment. But the evidence trail seems solid – and based on the footage, the hecklers seemed pretty pleased with themselves.

By Sasha Issenberg, Globe Staff

NASHUA, N.H. -- Barack Obama's war on old-fashioned party politics continues.

Instead of the conventional election-night party in a hotel ballroom, the Illinois senator is inviting supporters to join him tonight at a rally at Nashua High School South.

Because the event is to be held at a school, attendees will have to do without the great political unifier that brings together Republicans and Democrats, winners and losers.

"There won't be any alcohol, except if you sneak some in," an Obama staffer advised a reporter.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, pulled up to the Jewett Street School in Manchester a little while ago with a thank-you present for his volunteer sign-holders: Some hot coffee and two boxes of treats from Dunkin Donuts. Never mind that given the balmy New Hampshire weather, they probably would have preferred pina coladas.

Obama and his wife shook hands with his supporters, as well as those of other candidates. He thanked all of them for their work. "Obviously, I gotta especially thank my supporters," he said, and then his crew started the Obama chant: "Fired up! Ready to go!" Obama answered the call, and left after a few minutes. "Have a great day!" one of his volunteers shouted.

Obama is expected to do well in the Democratic primary today, but voters at the school were mixed. Several said they preferred Hillary Clinton, including Susan Keleher, a 38-year-old teacher. Keleher said she was voting on health care, because her 12-year-old daughter has a serious disease, and she wants her to live a full life.

"Her plan was the one that I felt would give my daughter the best chance," Keleher said.

Retired nurse Ollie Goumas, 70, described the circuitous path that brought her to vote for John McCain today. She said she was for McCain originally, then thought he was too old, but returned to him after a friend persuaded her. "I think he's been throught it," she said, describing his experience.

Greg Weeden, a 57-year-old retired corrections officer, said Ron Paul was his man. What does he like about him? "Everything," Weeden said.

By Charlie Savage
Globe Staff

CONCORD – As Ward Five voters arrived at the Green Street Community Center, they were greeted by two campaign volunteers handing out free copies of the US Constitution on behalf of two maverick candidates – Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul.

Although the two congressmen – Kucinich is an Ohio Democrat and Paul is a Texas Republican – both oppose the Iraq War and the Patriot Act, they otherwise have very little in common. Paul is an anti-abortion rights libertarian, while Kucinich is perhaps the most liberal candidate in the race.

But the two volunteers – who stood apart from packs of people with signs for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John McCain – today found common ground in their disaffection over the media exposure their candidates have received.

In particular, both were angry at the fact that their candidates were excluded from debates last weekend. ABC News did not let Kucinich participate in its Democratic debate on Saturday, and Fox News excluded Paul from its Republican debate on Sunday.

“The press definitely tried to suppress [Paul’s] message,” said Paul supporter Nathan Balon, a 34-year-old software developer from suburban Detroit who stood on the right side of the sidewalk.

Across from Balon on the left side of the sidewalk, Kucinich supporter David Fallick, a 44-year-old community college teacher from suburban Washington, D.C., echoed that sentiment. He called the exclusion of Kucinich from the recent debate "unconscionable" and said the media, by focusing too much on the top three Democrats in the polls, wasn't doing its job.

“I think the press should run equal coverage to all candidates in the race,” Fallick said, adding that he wanted “equal and substantive coverage of Kucinich’s policies, not just stories about Kucinich’s wife.”

Balon eventually ran out of Constitutions and started handing out Paul campaign DVDs instead. But Fallick still had a large stack of Constitutions with Kucinich’s picture on the inside cover, and he kept offering them to people passing through their gauntlet.

Governor John Lynch predicted a record voter turnout in New Hampshire today as early reports filtered in about some polling places running short on ballots.

Lynch cited Secretary of State William Gardner's projections that 500,000 voters will cast ballots in the primaries, more than 100,000 above the previous record in 2000.

"We're seeing tremendous excitement and enthusiasm across the state," Lynch said on CNN. He said the buzz is particularly strong on the Democratic side, mentioning Gardner's prediction that 150,000 independents will vote, and 90,000 will choose the Democratic ballot.

But voters of both parties like the bipartisan cooperation in New Hampshire and are frustrated with the partisan bickering in Washington, Lynch said.

"I don't really characterize New Hampshire as a blue state or a red state," said Lynch, a Democrat whose wife Susan endorsed Hillary Clinton but has stayed neutral in the race. "....We pride ourselves on our independence."

By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- If the scene at Brookside Congregational Church -- Manchester's largest polling station -- is any indication, today's New Hampshire primary will bring a record turnout -- especially among first-time voters.

"It has been steady heavy all day," said Herb Pence, a church volunteer who has worked on election day at least a dozen times. "It wasn't intense like this before -- on both sides, Republican and Democrat."

A stream of voters has been arriving since the polls opened, and the church parking was packed at midday. Many voters are lingering about after casting their ballots to talk with the large number of reporters and to commiserate with campaign volunteers holding signs for their candidate at the proscribed distance from the polling station entrance.

The turnout in Manchester's First Ward appeared to be especially high for those who have not participated before: while there was a significant line for "registered voters" in the church basement, the line for "new voters" was far longer, snaking around the stairs.

"This is the biggest we have ever seen," said poll worker Kimberly Hardwick.

CONCORD, N.H. – As we all anxiously await tonight’s primary returns, we bring you another report from the two hours we spent with Chelsea Clinton yesterday.

The former First Daughter has been reluctant to do much in public for her mother’s campaign besides shake hands on the rope line. But yesterday, as the campaign’s prospects in New Hampshire looked increasingly grim, a few reporters were invited to watch her make a round of about a dozen calls at the campaign’s phone bank in Dover.

After thanking all the volunteers busy making calls, Chelsea quickly sat down in front of a phone, with a call list and a script (which she did not appear to rely on at any point.)

Chelsea expressed frustration when her first half dozen calls all go unanswered. “I’m not having a lot of luck,” she said to the volunteers and staff around her. “They don’t want to take their vacation days around the Iowa caucues and the New Hampshire primary?”

Finally after about 15 minutes Chelsea reached a real voter. “Oh, Louis, hi this is Chelsea Clinton calling. I was calling to talk to you about voting for my mother tomorrow. This is really Chelsea. Have you made a decision yet? It’s very hard. Do you have any questions?

She nodded as the voter spoke. “I can certainly tell you what she has said about Iraq.”

Chelsea then spent several minutes delivering a nearly exact replica of Hillary Clintons’ spiel on Iraq, the need to plan for withdrawal, and to take care of the 100,000 American civilians in Iraq.

“One thing I’m really proud of her for is saying that we have a responsibility to all of the Iraqis who supported us,” she said. “One of my best friends is a Marine captain. She talks about him sometimes, anonymously, in her speeches. He has told us so compellingly that that he never would have survived without their Iraqi translator.”

After a bit more chatting, Chelsea said, “well, I hope you do let that influence your choice.”

After hanging up, Chelsea reported that the voter was a likely Kucinich supporter.

By Lisa Wangsness, Globe Staff

HOPKINTON, N.H. -- As Dorcas Kirsch walked up to vote at Hopkinton High School this morning, a crew of her neighbors standing around a huge "HOPE" sign for Barack Obama flagged her down.

"Dorcas!" they called. "You're voting for Obama, right?"

Kirsch, a 50-something independent who owns her own landscaping business, looked a bit sheepish.

"I want to go with him, but I don't want Mitt Romney going in, so I'm voting for McCain," she said.

"No!" the cry went up. What about the war? they asked. What about abortion rights?

Kirsch smiled. "I'm going for Obama."

"Yay!" her neighbors yelled.

If that scene is repeated across the state, it would bode well for Democrat Obama and hurt Republican McCain, who are both counting on undeclared voters, who make up more than 40 percent of the electorate.

Turnout has been heavy in Hopkinton; by noon, 1,261 people had cast ballots in a town with about 4,200 registered voters. Poll workers said many were new voters, and townspeople said many young people in town had come home from college to vote.

Secretary of State William Gardner is predicting a record turnout today, as many as 500,000 voters.

By Michael Levenson, Globe staff

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- A buoyant Mitt Romney arrived with his wife at the polling station at the Brookside Congregational Church in Manchester at 7:30 a.m. this morning, talking about victory in New Hampshire.

"I'm convinced that it's going to be a close one today but that Republicans are going to vote for me and independents are going to get behind me and that we're going end up winning this thing," Romney told reporters.

A clutch of supporters broke into a chant: "M-I-T-T! Mitt's the man for me!"

Romney is locked in a tight battle in New Hampshire with John McCain and is trying to rebound from his loss to Mike Huckabee in the Iowa caucuses last Thursday. Since that loss, he has retooled his message, casting himself as an outsider and a problem-solver and McCain as an entrenched Washington politician.

"We got a huge boost from that last debate," Romney said, referring to Sunday's Republican debate, in which he criticized McCain's stance on taxes and illegal immigration. "We've seen that the undecided voters are breaking our way. It's very clear that people that have heard the message that sending back a long-term senator to Washington is not going to get things changed there. "

Romney spent about 10 minutes outside the church, shaking hands with voters and introducing himself with a "Hi! I'm Mitt Romney. I'm running for president."

He makes several more stops at polling stations today and plans to hold an election night rally in Manchester. Even if he loses in New Hampshire, he said he plans to campaign in the next state, Michigan, and will compete at least through the mega-primary on Feb. 5.

"Even if I were to come in second today, which I don't think will happen, but even if that were to occur, I will have received more votes than anyone else on the Republican side for president," Romney said. "That's a good sign. Now, I'm not a Don Quixote. If I got two votes, I wouldn't say 'Oh, let's go on to the next.' There's no reason to do that. But I'm in a position where I'm in a very tight race. I think it's going to be with John McCain."

By Michael Kranish, Globe Staff

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- It is a maxim of politics that campaigns can hinge on the ability to define your opponent. So, with primary day finally here, it is time to look at how the candidates have been defined and the impact that will have on the results tonight.

If Senator John McCain wins the primary and eventually becomes president, a textbook might be written on how he managed to avoid being caught in the definition trap. Mitt Romney worked for weeks to try to define McCain as an amnesty-granting old-timer who opposed the Bush tax cuts and practically lives in a Capitol cloakroom. Yet McCain's favorability rating has remained at about 71 percent. That is a rarely achieved level for a politician. How has he managed to pull it off?

The answer seems to be that McCain is too well-known to New Hampshirites to be subject to the usual efforts of an opposing campaign to characterize him. He is not a blank slate waiting to be defined. Rare is the voter here who does not know that McCain was a prisoner of war in Vietnam and a politician who doesn't like pork barrel spending. He won the primary here in 2000 and, it seems, never stopped campaigning. Months ago, advisers were telling Romney to beware that McCain was the equivalent of being the "third senator from New Hampshire."

Romney, even if he wins tonight, seems to have been hurt by the way he had hurled attacks at McCain and another rival, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. After months of presenting himself as the sunny optimist, with a "Leave It To Beaver" life and an adoring family, Romney spent heavily on ads that struck many voters as especially harsh in tone and questionable in the presentation of some facts.

Romney insisted he was presenting contrasts, not making personal attacks, and that may be the case. But the contrast that many voters may have drawn was between Romney's sunny image and the tough tone of the ads. That strategy may have backfired: Romney's favorability among New Hampshire voters is 39 percent, the lowest of the seven leading candidates in both parties, according to a CNN poll.

On the Democratic side, Barack Obama is, similar to McCain, at the stratospheric level of favorability, at 72 percent, according to CNN poll. Obama's ranking reflects the outpouring of support for him and what many view as his inspirational message of hope. The question is whether that will last if he continues to be a leading candidate. Unlike McCain, Obama has not been the subject of intensive negative advertising by an opponent. Many voters know little about him. Hillary Clinton has hinted at this, saying that she has been fully vetted, implying that Obama has not. If Hillary Clinton or others launch an aggressive negative campaign against Obama, the effort to define him could play a major role in presidential race.

The 2004 campaign provides an object lesson: Senator John Kerry believed that he had carefully honed his image as a Vietnam war hero and national security expert. Then came the group called Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth, which launched an all-out effort to destroy Kerry's image. Fair or not -- and Kerry to this day says the group grossly distorted his record -- the attacks hurt Kerry and may have cost him the election. In the minds of some voters, the definition of Kerry was provided by such opponents. In the 2008 race, the effort by candidates to define themselves is likely to matched by the effort to avoid being defined by others.

SALEM, N.H. – Hillary Clinton just now had about as adept a response as one could imagine to a bizarre disruption during her speech in the Salem High School auditorium.

Fifteen minutes into the event, a 20-something man stood up and started yelling over and over, “Iron my shirt!” as he held up a sign carrying the same message. A second young man in a different area joined him with the same handmade sign.

We were just sitting here trying to absorb the strangeness of the event when she came right back: “Oh, the remnants of sexism are alive and well!”

A minute later, after the police had removed the two men, Clinton said she was going to take questions, “if there’s anybody left in the auditorium who wants to learn how to iron his own shirt.”

Hillary Clinton, seeking a comeback victory in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, reprises much of her caucus-eve message to Iowans in a primary-eve appeal to voters tonight.

The two-minute spot is airing on WMUR-TV's 6 p.m. newscast. (Watch it here).

She promises to "stand up" for Granite State residents in the White House if they'll stand with her on Tuesday.

"And when you vote, I hope you'll ask one question. Who's ready to be president on day one?" she says.

"America is at a crossroads," Clinton continues. We're a nation at war in a dangerous world. We have a faltering economy, an energy crisis, and 47 million people without health care. But, after seven long years of this administration, we finally have the opportunity for a new beginning. Tomorrow, you can take the first step.

"After all the town meetings, it comes down to this," she says, repeating her argument that she is the most well-equipped to bring change. "Who's ready to be president and ready to start solving the big challenges we face on day one?"

By Sasha Issenberg, Globe Staff

NEW LONDON, N.H. -- Memo to Barack Obama: if you can't handle the metaphors, stay out of the kitchen.

In nearly all of his speeches, Obama turns away from the usual sports and war metaphors and opts instead for culinary language when he jokes about anonymous establishment figures who criticize him for being inexperienced and naïve.

"They say Obama has not been in Washington long enough," Obama says, usually to laughs. "He needs to be seasoned and stewed to boil all that hope out of him."

It would be a flawed recipe for maintaining the status quo. Anyone looking to stew Obama -- which would intensify his hope -- should simmer him at a temperature far lower than a boil. Seasoning Obama first would serve only to seal the hope inside, according to Shola Olunloyo a Philadelphia-based chef who blogs about cooking.

"If you wanted to boil the hope out of him, just throw him into a pot of water without any seasoning and boil away," Olunloyo advises.

Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain lead the field in the new CNN/WMUR tracking poll on the eve of Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

The poll, just released on CNN, gives Obama a 39 percent to 30 percent lead over Hillary Clinton, with John Edwards in third at 16 percent.

In the Republican race, McCain has a 31 percent to 26 percent lead over Mitt Romney. Mike Huckabee is in third with 13 percent and Rudy Giuliani and Ron Paul are tied at 10 percent.

The Obama and McCain leads are virtually unchanged from the CNN tracking poll released Sunday.

A Fox News poll released earlier today gave McCain a 34 percent to 27 percent lead over Romney.

By Michael Kranish, Globe Staff

CONCORD, N.H. -- In his final push for a primary victory, Senator John McCain arrived here this afternoon and made a pitch that might have surprised voters: He cast himself as the environmentalist of the presidential campaign.

"I will clean up the planet," McCain said. "I will make global warming a priority."

McCain often says that he wants to reduce dependence on foreign oil and that he wants to increase the use of nuclear power. His usual line is that these efforts also will help reduce global warming. But yesterday, appearing before a crowd of several hundred in this relatively liberal city, he focused solely on the environmental argument. He didn't mention nuclear power. He was appealing directly to the state's sizable environmental community, which includes many independent voters who are taking one last, close look at McCain. The widespread perception is that McCain is battling for the independent vote most strongly with Democrat Barack Obama.

Forty-five percent of the state's voters are registered as undeclared, or independent, making them the biggest bloc of voters. McCain won overwhelmingly among independents in 2000 and more narrowly among Republicans. This year, McCain is once again battling for the votes of both groups.

The environment is a major issue in New Hampshire, a state that attracts new residents not just for its low taxes but also its high mountains. When former President George H. W. Bush ran for president here in 1988, he said he would be an environmental president and he vowed to battle acid rain. The pitch helped him prevail here -- and he did, in fact, win passage of the 1990 Clean Air Act.

McCain, who is far better known for his credential on issues such as campaign finance and national security, said that he learned during his 2000 campaign here that "young people care about climate change."

Speaking outside the statehouse, McCain was cheered by a group of sign-wielding environmentalists. McCain cheered them back: "Way to go, global warming folks!" A hoarse-sounding McCain told the crowd: "I want to assure you I will make this planet clean ... we will hand to you a cleaner planet than the one you were living in before I became president of the United States, I promise you that."

Moments later, as if on cue, a chunk of melting snow from the statehouse roof landed near McCain. Momentarily surprised, McCain assured the crowd he was OK.

"It's just snow, thank you," McCain said. "That's that climate change there."

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. – Chelsea Clinton made a rare foray into the field to campaign without either of her parents today, shaking hands at two coffee shops and even making some campaign calls to voters.

But she’d only been in the quaint Breaking New Grounds café here for about 7 minutes when her moment in the small town spotlight was interrupted by her mother’s competitor, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who played several roles in her father’s administration.

She quickly strode over to him, and the two shook hands warmly. She says something inaudible about “the debate the other night.”

Richardson: “Do you remember when I took you to that Navajo parade?”

Clinton: “I know! That was a great. It was as a long time ago.”

Richardson: “Ten years, maybe more. Fifteen?”

Clinton: “That was ‘92!”

Richardson: “Nice to see you!”

Clinton: “You too!”

Richardson: “You’re the best!”

Chelsea: “I try!”

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- It's like a giant Big Top here on Elm Street, the spine of this politically rabid city for the next 24 hours. The attractions never stop.

A carload of young Barack Obama supporters, waving signs furiously out the windows, drove by in an SUV a little while ago blasting Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered," an expression of confidence if there ever were one. Duncan Hunter, the third-tier Republican hopeful, was walking around, but it was unclear many people knew who he was. And two musically gifted Dennis Kucinich supporters were playing ballads for their man outside the Merrimack Restaurant.

Their performance captured the attention of Democratic candidate Mike Gravel, who stopped, bounced up and down to the music, and smiled at them. ``I really like your song,'' he told them. Gravel then gave the young musicians his card -- with his cell phone number -- and said he'd be in touch.

John McCain's bus, meanwhile, just pulled up to City Hall Plaza, where he has been leading a rally. But as his wife, Cindy, was talking about how New Hampshire "really, truly feels like home," a few youngish Ron Paul supporters decided to quietly crash the party, hoisting sail-sized signs above their heads. One of their compatriots across the street was much less decorous, screaming "No amnesty!" at the top of his lungs.

But for all the politicking, sign-waving, honking, and interviewing clogging up the city's downtown, tomorrow night the spectacle ends, and peace again will dawn on Manchester.

Susan Milligan of the Globe staff contributed to this report

By Charlie Savage
Globe Staff

CONCORD, NH – It was Mike Huckabee's party, but Ron Paul's supporters crashed it.

A group of about 30 Paul supporters surrounded an equal-sized Huckabee rally today outside the Barley House on north Main Street of New Hampshire's capital, where the former Arkansas governor was making a brief appearance to celebrate the launch of a special "Huck-a-burger." *

As soon as Huckabee’s bus pulled up outside the Barley House, the Paul supporters, all waving their own signs, began shouting "Tax Hike Mike!" The Huckabee supporters, waving their signs, tried to drown out the hecklers by instead shouting "We like Mike!"

Huckabee ignored the fans of the libertarian-leaning Texas congressman. He grinned and shook hands as he threaded his way through the crowd to the small restaurant, which was so overflowing that most of his supporters and members of the media had to remain outside.

Meanwhile, the Paul supporters continued to chant slogans about freedom and attacked the former Arkansas governor for supporting the Iraq War and a bill in the Arkansas legislature that would have allowed illegal immigrants to receive in-state tuition.

Several Paul supporters said they decided to take advantage of the many reporters accompanying Huckabee -- who won the Iowa caucuses last Thursday -- because they are frustrated at not receiving the same level media coverage. They were particularly incensed by Fox News’ refusal to let Paul participate in its GOP debate Sunday night.

"The reason we’re so feisty is that we get blacked out in the media," said Paul supporter Adrian Thompson, 22, of Providence, Rhode Island. "Paul placed fifth in Iowa with twice [former New York Mayor Rudy] Giuliani’s vote, yet he wasn’t allowed to participate in the five-man debate on Fox."

Several of Huckabee’s supporters took the confrontation in stride, noting that Paul supporters had the same right to be on the sidewalk as they did.

"They're trying to be antagonistic, but it’s freedom of speech so I can’t bash them for it," said Justin Coache of Bow, New Hampshire, who wore a Huckabee sticker. A freshman at the Christian-themed Liberty University, he added: "They’re passionate, so good for them. Huckabee’s passionate too. It makes for a good atmosphere – it’s exciting."

Indeed, all of Concord's Main Street today resembled a political Mardi Gras. Packs of supporters for different candidates, warmed by unseasonably balmy temperatures in the low 40s, occupied nearly every corner. They waved signs and tried to get drivers to honk their horns -- cheering when they succeeded, even when it wasn't clear which candidate the drivers favored.

The largest mid-day crowd – more than 75 – appeared to be a group supporting Illinois senator Barack Obama. But New York senator Hillary Clinton, Arizona senator John McCain, Paul and Huckabee also had sizable presences here.

By contrast, there was nobody in sight waving a sign for Giuliani or former North Carolina senator John Edwards, and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney had just one supporter in view: 16-year-old Chuck Catania, who stood on a corner by himself and waved a solitary Romney sign.

Catania, of South Windsor, Connecticut, said he thinks the former Massachusetts governor has the best experience and temperament to be president of any of the Republican candidates. But, he said, he wished someone else would join his party of one.

"I think I’m the only Mitt Romney supporter in town," Catania said. "It’s almost embarrassing."

* Designed by Barley House owner Brian Shea, a Huckaburger is a patty of herb-seared bison, tomato, and baby spinach on a whole wheat English muffin, served with deep-fried pickles. Huckabee, who famously lost 100 pounds and now watches what he eats, sampled the burger. Earlier in Concord, the campaign bus had stopped by the Bread and Chocolate pastry shop on south Main Street, where owner Franz Andlinger said Huckabee purchased a white and dark chocolate mousse cake for staffers who are having birthdays. The two brief and food-themed appearances -- along with a morning breakfast meet and greet in Mason --were Huckabee’s only daytime events in his last chance to campaign before tomorrow’s primary, although he was scheduled to give a speech -- and play guitar with a local band, the Mama Kicks -- Monday evening in Rochester.

DOVER, N.H. – Facing the prospect of defeat in tomorrow’s primary, Hillary Clinton just made her strongest suggestion yet that the next president may face a terrorist attack – and that she would be the best person to handle it.

She pointed out that the day after Gordon Brown took office as the British prime minister, there was a failed attempt at a double bombing in London and Glasgow.

“I don’t think it was by accident that Al Qaeda decided to test the new prime minister,” she said. “They watch our elections as closely as we do, maybe more closely than some of our fellows citizens do…. Let’s not forget you’re hiring a president not just to do what a candidate says during the election, you want a president to be there when the chips are down.”

By James W. Pindell, Globe correspondent

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- A day before the New Hampshire primary after a nonstop campaign schedule, Senator Hillary Clinton welled up with tears today 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 and said that "special" days she has some "help" with her make-up. But then her voice broke and she got teary as she talked about what's at stake in the election. (Watch it here.)

"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. Some of them responded well to Clinton's rare show of emotion.

"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."

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- As the candidates emerge from their eye-poppingly expensive primary races in Iowa and New Hampshire, Barack Obama is scheduled to come to Boston Wednesday to refill his coffers.

Governor Deval Patrick and Obama's New England fund-raisers are hosting a $500-and-up lunch at noon for Obama at the State Room downtown. Obama is then scheduled to raise some money in New York Wednesday night.

"On the heels of the New Hampshire primary, we want to make sure that we kick in our part of the resources we need to go not just to Nevada and South Carolina but Feb. 5," said Alan Solomont, who heads Obama's New England fund-raising operation.

With polls showing Obama widening his lead over Hillary Clinton in advance of tomorrow's primary, his supporters are trying to keep a lid on their ebullience. New Hampshire was long thought to be Clinton's fire wall, but that appears to be very much in doubt.

"Whatever happens tomorrow, we're going on," Clinton told CBS's "Early Show" this morning. "And we're going to keep going until the end of the process on February 5th."

That Clinton feels compelled to assure people she would stay in the race after New Hampshire is a testament to just how much the plates under the Democratic race have shifted.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

STRATHAM, N.H. -- Mitt Romney said today that he is hitting his stride with his new emphasis on his business experience and the need for change in Washington. But with the New Hampshire primary less than 24 hours away, the worry, he said, is that he waited too long to make the case. In Iowa, Romney was putting greater emphasis on social issues such as abortion and gay rights.

"There's not a lot of time left and given an extra couple of weeks, that message could be brought home," Romney told reporters after speaking to employees at Timberland headquarters.

"You know it's an unusual experience running for president," he added. "Haven't done it before, and as time has gone on, the most salient messages that I'm trying to get through, I'm able to do a better job delivering."

Nonetheless, Romney said, "I think the message of my campaign in increasingly penetrating, particularly here among here among voters of New Hampshire."

He said he was gaining on Senator John McCain, who narrowly leads Romney in the latest tracking polls, in part because of his performance in Sunday night's Republican debate.

"My wife told me I did real well last night, and if that's the case, we could be closing that gap and perhaps surging ahead," Romney said. "I certainly hope so, in the waning hours. "

He also said a McCain loss in New Hampshire would end the senator's bid for the White House.

"I think it would probably end Senator McCain's campaign if he were unsuccessful here," Romney said. "This is the state he won in 2000 -- handily won."

He also tamped down expectations for his own campaign, saying he would soldier on even if he lost New Hampshire.

"This is not a one- or two-state campaign," Romney said. "This is a 50-state campaign."

He also argued, as he has since Barack Obama won the Iowa caucuses, that it would be disastrous if McCain were to face Obama in a general election.

"There's no way our party would be successful in the fall if we put forward a long-serving senator to stand up against Barack Obama's message of change," Romney said. "It's going to take a person who is himself an innovator, like myself, who has the experience to bring change to Washington, to be able to go head to head with Barack Obama and win."

For those political junkies watching the Republican presidential debate on Fox News Channel or otherwise occupied Sunday night, you missed a hilarious "The Simpsons" send-up of the campaign that made fun of candidates, the political parties, New Hampshire voters, the media -- just about everyone.

Plot summary: Homer, lighting a cigar after finishing one last splurge before starting his New Year's diet, accidentally causes a natural gas explosion that destroys Springfield's fast-food row. Not wanting to go without Krusty burgers, the townspeople decide to hold a bond election as soon as possible -- which means moving up their presidential primary ahead of New Hampshire. The candidates and media hordes descend on Springfield, which is in neighboring Vermont -- if you go by the town the producers picked for "The Simpsons Movie" premiere last year.

Highlight: An animated Bill Clinton character is pounding a "Hillary" sign into a yard and complains to a screaming voice on his cellphone about how many more he has to do. "What did I ever do to you?" he implores. More screeching from the cellphone, apparently including the words Monica Lewinsky. He says something along the lines of, "You're never going to let me forget that are you?"

The people of Springfield quickly grow weary of all the attention, and in rebellion decide to support the most ridiculous candidate they can envision. At Moe's tavern, someone suggests Dennis Kucinich. Ouch, since he's actually a real candidate in the Democratic race. A pint-size Kucinich character happens to be in the bar and complains that he's being dissed.

Finally, they settle on 8-year-old Ralph Wiggum, the not-too-bright son of the police chief. Lisa, of course, is mortified. "Oh, dear God," she exclaims. But eventually she comes around, after Ralph talks about helping people and making sure the US plays nice and doesn't fight anymore with foreign countries.

Both the Democratic and Republican parties also decide to support Ralph, who at show's end is sitting on the knee of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington like he's Santa Claus, telling Honest Abe, "I've been a good boy."

Taking a page out of the leading Democratic candidates' playbook in Iowa, Mitt Romney's campaign announced this morning it will air an extended TV ad tonight on the eve of the New Hampshire primary.

In the 2-minute spot, titled "Tomorrow," (watch it here) Romney embraces change, claims that he's the only candidate who has brought change "in the real world," says he's the one to make things happen in Washington, and interestingly, never says he is a Republican.

"This is an important moment in our nation's history," he says. "There's a tide of change sweeping New Hampshire and America. Everywhere I go people say Washington is broken. And they know that those who've spent their careers in Washington can't change Washington.

"For decades, they've heard Washington politicians say they would reduce our dependence on foreign oil," Romney continues. "They haven't. For years, they said they'd fix our schools. They haven't. For years, they said they'd fix healthcare. They haven't. And for just as many years, they've said they'd secure our borders. They haven't.

"It's long past time to bring real change to Washington. That's never going to happen if all we do is send the same people back to Washington to sit in different chairs. We need new energy, we need new ideas, and we need new leaders. We need people who can turn around Washington.

"I'm the only candidate for president who's done that in the real world. I've done it in business, at the Olympics, and as governor. I'm going to bring that real world turnaround experience with me to Washington.

In the ad, Romney tells voters that their choice in Tuesday's primary is momentous.

"Your vote tomorrow is going to affect your job, your children's schools, and how long you sit in the doctor's waiting room. But it's also going to determine whether America will continue to lead the world as the great superpower it is today. We're going to see more dramatic change in the next decade than we've seen in our entire lifetimes.

"How will all the change affect you? Will someone in China or India take your job? Or will your job be selling American products to them? Will your children fear attack from violent Jihadists? Or will they be safe and secure in a stronger America? America needs to get ready for these and many other new challenges. There isn't a single challenge we can't overcome with the spirit, determination and imagination that has always been at the heart of the American people.

"If you want to change Washington, and get America ready for the future, America needs you now. I'm Mitt Romney, and I not only approve this message, I'm asking for your vote."

Trying to rebut criticism of his votes against President Bush's tax cuts, John McCain late last night announced the endorsement of Jack Kemp, the supply side guru who helped put together President Reagan's tax cuts.

"I am proud to support John McCain for president," Kemp said in a statement issued by the McCain campaign. "John McCain is the only candidate who can be trusted to cut taxes, eliminate wasteful spending, and enact conservative pro-growth policies to expand the economy. John McCain is the best choice to lead America to a more prosperous and secure future."

McCain thanked Kemp for his support, saying, "As an architect of the Reagan tax cuts and champion of pro-growth policies, I value Jack's advice and counsel."

Mitt Romney, McCain's main rival in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, has bashed the Arizona senator for voting against the Bush tax cuts. McCain says he opposed them because they were not tied to spending cuts, but now supports keeping them in place. Kemp, a former congressman from New York, also served as housing secretary under the first President Bush.

By Michael Kranish, Globe Staff

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Illegal immigration or foreign policy? With one day left in the countdown to the New Hampshire primary, one of those two issues could determine the outcome of the Republican primary. The question is, which is more important to GOP voters?

Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, has placed a big bet on the theory that voters care deeply about illegal immigration. He has spent large amounts of money on ads casting chief rival John McCain as a proponent of amnesty and Iowa caucus victor Mike Huckabee as a proponent of providing taxpayer-funded scholarships to children of illegal immigrants. If the attacks work, the Romney campaign could benefit at the polls.

But McCain, the Arizona senator and former Vietnam prisoner of war, is betting just as heavily that foreign policy and national security will be the decisive issue.

McCain has battled Romney on the issue of illegal immigration but has stuck by his basic position that illegal immigrants who have not otherwise committed crimes should be allowed to pay fines and, after getting in line behind legal immigrants, be allowed to seek citizenship. The 71-year-old McCain has staked his campaign on his experience in national security -- and, seeking to rebut arguments that he is too old and set in his ways to be an agent of change, has said his support for the surge strategy in Iraq is an example of effecting change.

On the campaign stump, McCain has mocked Romney for suggesting that a president does not have to be an expert in foreign policy. Romney has said it is more important to be a leader who consults with experts.

McCain has said he doesn't want to run attack ads. Instead, he has aired an ad that quotes The Concord Monitor saying Romney is a "phony." McCain's has produced an Internet-only ad that shows terrorists setting off bombs and ends with a focus on McCain's experience. The ad doesn't mention Romney. If McCain doesn't draw the big vote he needs tomorrow, he might look back and wonder if he should have focused on Romney's acknowledgement that he is not a foreign policy expert.

But McCain's experience argument may be working. A CNN poll released Sunday found that 40 percent of Republican primary voters believe McCain has the right experience, compared to 25 percent for Romney. The poll found no difference on the "change" argument: McCain and Romney were tied among Republican voters as being most likely to bring change.

Huckabee, meanwhile, is closing his campaign on the defensive. After his stunning victory in the Iowa caucuses, which was based heavily on his support from evangelicals, Huckabee has tried to make a more populist pitch in this more secular state. But after being hammered unsuccessfully by Romney in Iowa over his support for scholarships for children of illegal immigrants, Huckabee now is being attacked by Romney on his tax record.

In last night's debate, Romney repeatedly asked Huckabee whether he had raised taxes by a net of $500 million over 10 years. When Huckabee tried to explain that Arkansans approved raising taxes for road construction and a court ordered improvements in education, Romney pounced on him for declining to respond directly. At the same time, Huckabee has been criticized for his statement in Foreign Affairs magazine that the Bush administration has had an "arrogant bunker mentality." Huckabee's background as a minister and governor is not in foreign affairs, so he has followed Romney's lead in saying he will use his gubernatorial experience to be a leader.

Huckabee has sought to focus attention on what many analysts have noted is one of the most far-reaching proposal of the campaign, replacing the income tax with a national sales tax. But while any kind of anti-tax measure is viewed with interest in the Live Free or Die state, it has little chance for passage, and it has not become a central campaign issue.

By Michael Kranish
Globe Staff

MANCHESTER, N.H. _ Mitt Romney sought to seize back the initiative in his presidential campaign tonight, using a final Republican debate and a meeting with voters to hammer at rivals John McCain and Mike Huckabee on taxes and other issues. But with just two days before the crucial New Hampshire primary, McCain struck back, charging that Romney has "changed his position on almost every major issue," while Huckabee said Romney was making misleading attacks.

After a day of campaigning, the Republican candidates held their second debate in two nights and tussled repeatedly over taxes, always a central issue in the first-primary state. Romney charged that McCain opposed President Bush's tax cuts and "continues to believe that was the right vote to take." McCain responded that he wanted to couple tax cuts with spending cuts in order to stop what he called unnecessary spending.

Romney then went after Huckabee on taxing and spending, repeatedly asking the former Arkansas governor to admit that he raised taxes in Arkansas by a net $500 million over 10 years. When Huckabee declined to respond directly, Romney interjected, "You know, Mike, you make facts faster than you talk." Huckabee answered that his record should be put in perspective. He said he cut taxes and that voters approved a tax to pay for roads and that court order on school funding required higher taxes.

"It is not about the politics of saying `I never raised a tax.' It is about `I made government work,' " said Huckabee, who won Iowa's Republican caucuses on Thursday.

The two other candidates also tangled on the issue, with Rudy Giuliani defending his tax record as former mayor of New York City and former Senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee defending his plan to save Social Security, which would cut now-planned benefits for future retirees.

Romney was put on the defensive about his prior statement that he doesn't need to be a foreign policy expert in order to be president. Romney responded that his leadership experience is more important, but McCain said that his work on foreign policy and national security would make him better qualified to lead.

By David Beard, Boston.com

NASHUA, N.H. -- Trying to hold on in New Hampshire's Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton is leaning on tunes from The Boss, Dolly Parton and Big Head Todd.

Songs from all three blasted from Doug Fay's sound system as thousands of people streamed in for a rally here Sunday. The Clinton campaign's 10-song set of "walking music,'' as Fay called it, even shared a touch of Earth, Wind & Fire, a part of Barack Obama's setlist.

"It's a tricky thing to find right music that won't turn off the young people or the old people -- and won't bore them,'' said Fay, who has handled sound at rallies for both Clintons as well as fellow Democratic contenders Obama and John Edwards.

Fay got a CD from a Clinton advance person for Sunday's rally. If Fay had his way, he would have preferred something like "What is Hip?'' from the brassy Oakland R&B group Tower of Power. An assistant, Bob Annecston, wished he could play an old Alan Parsons Project tune that sums up Clinton's precarious pre-primary position: "Damned If I Do.''

Here's the full playlist at Clinton's rally at Nashua North High School:

1. Dolly Parton, "9 to 5''
2. KT Turnstall, "Suddenly I See''
3. Tom Petty, "American Girl''
4. Rascal Flatts, "Life Is A Highway''
5. Bruce Springsteen, "The Rising''
6. Smashmouth, "I'm a Believer''
7. Shania Twain, "Rock This Country''
8. Bachman-Turner Overdrive, "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet''
9. Earth Wind & Fire, "September''

Finally, Clinton took the stage to the lifting words of "Blue Sky,'' from Big Head Todd & The Monsters.

One lyric: "She stands, and she won't back down.''.

Another: "Don't change too late.''

NASHUA, NH -- A crew of allies from south of the border joined Mitt Romney on the campaign trail today.

Among those at an Ask Mitt Anything here today were Romney's former lieutenant governor, Kerry Healey; Ron Kaufman, the state GOP's national committeeman and a top Romney adviser; state Representative Paul K. Frost, a Republican from Auburn; House Minority Leader Brad Jones and Barbara Anderson of Citizens for Limited Taxation.

The Massachusetts crew proved useful in helping Romney use the state that elected him governor as a foil for his conservative platform. Romney declared that if she moved to New Hampshire -- which has no sales, income or capital gains tax -- Anderson might "just die and go to heaven."

Romney also introduced Jones to the crowd.

"Can you imagine being a Republican in the State House of Massachusetts?" he said, as the crowd laughed. "He's my hero; he's the best."

A new tracking poll released this evening appears to show the momentum with Barack Obama, just two days before the New Hampshire primary.

The CNN/WMUR survey, conducted Saturday and early today, gave Obama a 39 percent to 29 percent lead over Hillary Clinton, with John Edwards at 16 percent. That represented a 6-percentage-point jump for Obama and a 4-percentage-point drop for Clinton from a day earlier.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson was fourth with 7 percent.

On the Republican side, the new polling numbers are nearly identical from a day earlier, with John McCain leading Mitt Romney 32 percent to 26 percent. Each is down 1 percentage point.

The more significant change is that Mike Huckabee has moved into third, with 14 percent, over Rudy Giuliani, who has 11 percent. Their numbers were reversed on Saturday.

John Edwards, in his pre-primary TV ad in New Hampshire, embraces the role of underdog and turning it to his populist message, declares, "The real underdogs are the middle class."

Edwards, who is a distant third to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in tracking polls, says in the spot that he knows he's up against two candidates who have raised more than $200 million combined. But he promises, "I will never give up."

The 60-second ad, which is to begin airing Monday, reminds voters of all the key themes of his campaign -- that the middle class is losing out to corporate greed, that replacing corporate Republicans with corporate Democrats in Washington won't bring any change, that it will be an "epic battle" to preserve the middle class, that he is the only candidate who will truly fight on their behalf.

By Charlie Savage, Globe Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. -- Mike Huckabee today calmly handled an angry heckler, turning the confrontation to his advantage and winning applause from a packed crowd that turned out to hear him speak at a local school.

Huckabee had just taken over the microphone from action movie star Chuck Norris, who has been travelling with the former Arkansas governor's presidential campaign, when a man began shouting from the back of the room.

"Why is Richard Haass, the president of the Council of Foreign Relations, your political adviser?" the man demanded at the top of his lungs, repeating the question over and over again.

Huckabee has named Haass as one of the people he has consulted with on foreign policy issues. The Council on Foreign Relations, a nonpartisan think-tank organization whose members include many former government officials, is a favorite target of conspiracy theorists who think it is secretly plotting to create a one-world government.

At first Huckabee ignored the man, but as he continued to disrupt the event, Huckabee first led the crowd in a loud round of applause for "free speech," temporarily drowning him out. Then he joked, "Don't make me send Chuck back there!"

Eventually, as police were working their way towards the man through the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd, he left out the back door. As the man retreated, Huckabee turned the unexpected event to his advantage by praising the man's right to heckle him.

"The great thing about America is that we're not going to take him out and shoot him," Huckabee said. "You don't have to agree with the politicians and you can throw them out of office. But if you do like them, you can put them in office.

"And that's why today I'm asking you not to throw me out -- because I'm not in. I'm not part of what’s wrong; I'm part of what’s going to be right. I've not been part of the Washington scene. That's one of the reason they're going nuts down there right now. They don't know how to figure me out. Of course, they don't know how to figure themselves out and that's why this country is in a mess."

Huckabee, whose insurgent campaign and populist rhetoric has alarmed some in the Republican establishment, then launched into an attack on government spending and the $9 trillion national debt. He said Washington politicians should learn from the Boy Scout rule that one leaves one's campsite in better shape than one found it.

Later, Huckabee returned back to the topic of the heckler while talking about New Hampshire's "Live free or die" motto, which has become a staple of his stump speech since arriving the Granite State the day after his win in the Iowa caucuses on Thursday.

"I want you to understand something: I'm not mad at the guy who came and screamed at me," Huckabee said. "I'm really not, because I value the fact that I live in a great country where he can come and scream at a guy running for president. I'm glad we live in a country where freedom really means something."

Afterward, Patricia Monbouquette, a retired flight attendant from New Boston wearing a Huckabee sticker and an anti-global warming sticker, said Huckabee handled the disruption "beautifully," and that it made her feel like she could trust him.

"He comes across as someone who can very calmly handle any situation," she said. "He didn't let it bother him."

By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Former Senator Fred Thompson is packing it in in New Hampshire after tonight's GOP debate and heading to South Carolina to launch a 11-day bus tour through the Palmetto State state that will take him through the Republican primary there on Jan. 19.

"The plan all along was to take the positive results in Iowa and springboard into South Carolina," said spokesman Jeff Sadosky. "The next dance for us is in South Carolina."

Thompson, who received high marks for his debate performance in Manchester on Saturday night, remains in the back of the pack in recent New Hampshirehire polls and is hoping to fare better in the South after his third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses on Thursday, Sadosky said.

But Thompson, a former movie actor, might want to consider the lesson learned by rival Rudy Giuliani.

The former New York City mayor, with barely a "thank you, you've been a wonderful audience'' to voters, left Iowa four days beforethe caucuses.

Giuliani never made Iowa a key part of his election strategy; the New York pol's pro-abortion rights stance does not sit well with the Christian conservatives who make up a substantial part of the Iowa Republican electorate.

But Giuliani ended up finishing a distant sixth in Iowa, garnering fewer than half the votes won by maverick Representative Ron Paul of Texas.

By Susan Milligan
Globe Staff

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Corporations might be convinced to help stop global warming, be fair in paying for health costs, and keep jobs in the United States. But they might need to be beaten up a little bit first, says John Edwards, who thinks he's just the man for the fight.

The former North Carolina senator, speaking to a standing-room-only crowd at a Manchester town meeting, said his rivals, New York Senator Hillary Clinton and Illinois Senator Barack Obama either don't represent change or aren't ready to go to war against powerful interests.

If the desire for change ``is politically motivated, or academic or philosophical, when the tough fight comes, you will make a deal,'' Edwards said, referring to rivals Obama and New York Senator Hillary Clinton.

``This is not about plans. This is about whether you're personally willing to fight for the change we need,'' Edwards told reporters afterward. As for Obama, ``both of us believe in change,'' Edwards said. But ``he has more of a philosophical, academic approach to it.''

In an emotional display of the battle between a family and a corporation, Edwards introduced as his supporters the family of a young girl who died last month after the family's health insurance company refused to pay for her liver transplant. The insurance company agreed to fund the treatment hours before she died.

``I feel empty inside. My heart is a hole,'' said a tearful Hilda Sarkisyan, mother of 17-year-old Nataline Sarkisyan, who died in December. ``They cannot tell us who's going to live and who's going to die.''

The Edwards campaign said the Sarkisyans had initiated contact with the senator, and offered to come campaign with him.

Edwards' wife, Elizabeth -- who herself is battling breast cancer -- said her husband's willingness to ``fight'' makes him the best of the three leading Democratic candidates on Tuesday.

``The failure to fight doesn't just mean you don't get health care. The failure to fight means people die,'' she said.

By Michael Kranish
Globe Staff

CONCORD, N.H. -- As New Hampshire poll results are being released in the countdown to primary day, keep in mind the story of Fergus Cullen. The 35-year-old Republican has managed to avoid being called by a pollster for months because he has no landline telephone.

Instead, he has only a cellphone -- and pollsters tend not to call cellphones.

Cullen is hardly an anonymous New Hampshirite. He is the chairman of the state's Republican Party, and few have a better sense of the pulse of the electorate. In a recent interview in his office, which is decorated with a picture of one of Cullen's heroes, former President Nixon, Cullen wondered whether the polls are missing thousands of people like him -- and whether that will have a significant impact on the polling results.

For starters, Cullen said, few of the state's thousands of college students have landlines. The same is true the Granite State's younger, non-college population. If these voters turn out in far larger number than in the past, as happened during the Iowa caucuses, then the polls could be undercounting the electorate here. Some analysts believe that is one reason Barack Obama's victory in the Democratic caucuses was larger than anticipated.

As people drop their landlines, pollsters have worried about missing segments of the population in their opinion surveys. Phone directories are rare for cell phones. And many carriers charge the answering party for each call, which makes cellphone surveys problematic.

But Andrew Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, said there are fewer people in New Hampshire without landlines than in many other states. He does not think exclusion of cellphone-only voters will have a statistically significant impact on polls this time around.

Nonetheless, Cullen said that possible under-polling could affect candidates such as Representative Ron Paul of Texas. Many of Paul's voters are young and might be more likely to have only a cellphone. The difference might be small, perhaps just one percentage point in the polls. But it could be significant in a tight race. The question is whether Paul would draw equally from his opponents or take a disproportionate number from one candidate.

"A pollster would tell you that it doesn't matter if you exclude them provided they are voting in the same way as other voters are," Cullen said. "But I personally am not persuaded by that. It seems clear to me that younger voters have different preferences from other voters and that younger voters are disproportionately more likely to have given up their landline."

Paul, a libertarian, won 10 percent of the vote in the Iowa Republican caucuses, a stronger showing than some analysts expected. Paul appeared in last night's debate on ABC, but he has been excluded from tonight's debate on Fox. Cullen believes the decision is so unfair that his party has withdrawn official support for the debate. Fox made its decision even though a UNH poll released yesterday showed Paul with 9 percent. Fox has invited former Senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee, who received only 1 percent in the same survey.

Cullen said Paul "seems likely" to get at least 10 percent of the vote in New Hampshire, which would give him a delegate at the national convention. If so, Paul could have a more significant impact on the GOP race in New Hampshire on Tuesday.

By Michael Kranish
Globe Staff

MANCHESTER, N.H. _ As candidates prepare for tonight's Republican debate on Fox News, the issue of illegal immigration has again become a major point of contention.

Last night's lengthy debate on the issue almost certainly left significant questions about the matter in the minds of New Hampshire voters two days before the New Hampshire primary.

During the ABC News debate, Senator John McCain denounced an ad paid for by Mitt Romney's campaign that characterizes McCain as favoring amnesty for illegal immigrants. McCain, as he has for months, insisted he does not support amnesty. Romney then made a surprising comment.

"I don't describe your plan as amnesty in my ad," Romney said. "I don't call it amnesty."

Minutes later, viewers of New Hampshire's ABC affiliate, WMUR, saw the Romney ad. It featured people describing McCain's plan as "amnesty" and the ad had the standard statement that it was approved by Romney. While Romney himself isn't heard saying the word amnesty in the ad, he uses others to utter the word and it is his ad. As voters watched the ad, they might have wondered how Romney could say in the debate "I don't call it amnesty."

Moreover, Romney is airing another ad that in which an announcer quotes a publication saying "McCain supported this year's amnesty bill."

[UPDATE, 2:40 p.m.: Romney said today on ABC that "I was simply incorrect" during the debate when he asserted that his ad does not accuse McCain of supporting an amnesty bill. He said his staff told him after the debate about an ad that includes the amnesty charge, saying he had not seen the ad. However, the ad includes the standard phrase that he approved the message. Moreover, Romney has run at least two ads that include the amnesty charge.

It is unusual for a candidate to have to acknowledge providing false or misleading information on a central issue in a debate just before the primary. That heightens the possibility that Romney will face questions about the matter in tonight's debate.]

At the same time, McCain may also have some explaining to do on the matter.

At issue is McCain's support for a bill proposed by President Bush, under which illegal immigrants would pay a $5,000 fine, take English classes, and then get in line behind legal immigrants to apply for a pathway to citizenship. Critics said that would in effect grant amnesty to 12 million illegal immigrants. Asked whether he still supports the Bush plan, McCain replied, "Sure."

But he went on to explain all of his caveats: He first wants to secure the border, send back an estimated two million illegal immigrants who have committed crimes, and he wants the nation's governors to sit down and help work out a solution.

"If you have 12 million people here illegally, then obviously you have de facto amnesty," McCain said. "It is a federal responsibility. The federal government's -- government must act. I will act as president."

Making the matter more complicated, Romney, in a 2005 interview with the Boston Globe, described McCain's plan as " very different than amnesty, where you literally say, 'OK, everybody here gets to stay.' It's saying you could work your way into becoming a legal resident of the country by working here without taking benefits and then applying and then paying a fine."

Romney called the plan "reasonable" and, like McCain, said it is not practical to round up 12 million illegal immigrants and send them back home. Romney has since said that he didn't like the details of the plan, which became increasingly unpopular and failed to win congressional approval.

By Bryan Bender
Globe Staff

SALEM, N.H. - John McCain's town hall meeting in the Woodbury Junior High gymnasium was briefly interrupted by protesters in the front row shouting "people with AIDS are dying and you're not even trying."

McCain, locked in a dead heat with Mitt Romney in the GOP primary in several new polls, took the incident in stride. The demonstrators were escorted out by McCain aides while the candidate waited silently. But after they left the gym, McCain admonished the protesters - holding "$50 billion for global AIDS" signs - for not waiting their turn to ask a question.

Another group of anti-illegal immigration protesters awaited him as he arrived for the packed event, some holding placards saying "Stop Mccain's Amnesty" and "McCain=Amnesty." Also outside was a third group, from the American Friends Service Committee, holding anti-war banners noting that the cost of one day in Iraq equals health care for 163,525 Americans.

Inside, the standing room only crowd was pumped up by the school's jazz band, and chanted "Mac is back."

"We are winning this campaign," McCain told the crowd.

NASHUA, N.H. -- Hillary Clinton is stepping up her assault on Barack Obama and John Edwards today, highlighting Obama's past changes in position and taking on both opponents for what she called empty rhetoric.

The Democratic primary race, she said, is about "how will we bring about change by making sure we nominate and elect a doer, not a talker?" She went on to attack Obama and Edwards on specific aspects of their records.

On Obama, she said, "If you give a speech saying we're going to vote against the Patriot Act and you don't, that's not change." Targeting Edwards, she said, "If you say that you passed the Patients Bill of Rights, but forgot to add that it never got signed into law, that's not change." Her crowd picked up the refrain and began saying with her, "that's not change."

Clinton said her capacity for change was evident "in the lives of the people who have been affected by what I've done," ticking off her record expanding health care for children and veterans.

NASHUA, N.H. -- You want crowds, Barack? I've got crowds.

It's often hard, in the heat of this primary campaign, to draw meaningful contrasts among various candidate events. The crowd sizes, the energy, the atmosphere -- all can hinge on the venue, the time of day, and the weather, not to mention the subjective judgments of the political and media class.

But as Hillary Clinton supporters stream into Nashua High School North this afternoon for a rally, there may be a nice opportunity for comparison: Her chief rival, Barack Obama, headlined a rally in the very same place just yesterday -- also on a weekend day, in roughly the same timeframe, and under similar weather conditions.

Obama's campaign counted between 2,500 and 3,000 people here yesterday. Clinton's crowd size is still to be determined, but there were hoardes of people lined up outside the high school to come in; the line stretched far down the road leading to the school. Obama claims momentum, Clinton claims deep New Hampshire support. Only one vision prevails Tuesday.

By Michael Kranish
Globe Staff

MANCHESTER, N.H. _ As candidates prepare for tonight's Republican debate on Fox News, the issue of illegal immigration has again become a major point of contention.

Last night's lengthy debate on the issue almost certainly left significant questions about the matter in the minds of New Hampshire voters two days before the New Hampshire primary.

During the ABC News debate, Senator John McCain denounced an ad paid for by Mitt Romney's campaign that characterizes McCain as favoring amnesty for illegal immigrants. McCain, as he has for months, insisted he does not support amnesty. Romney then made a surprising comment.

"I don't describe your plan as amnesty in my ad," Romney said. "I don't call it amnesty."

Minutes later, viewers of New Hampshire's ABC affiliate, WMUR, saw the Romney ad. It featured people describing McCain's plan as "amnesty" and the ad had the standard statement that it was approved by Romney. While Romney himself isn't heard saying the word amnesty in the ad, he uses others to utter the word and it is his ad. As voters watched the ad, they might have wondered how Romney could say in the debate "I don't call it amnesty."

Moreover, Romney is airing another ad that in which an announcer quotes a publication saying "McCain supported this year's amnesty bill."

At the same time, McCain may also have some explaining to do on the matter.

At issue is McCain's support for a bill proposed by President Bush, under which illegal immigrants would pay a $5,000 fine, take English classes, and then get in line behind legal immigrants to apply for a pathway to citizenship. Critics said that would in effect grant amnesty to 12 million illegal immigrants. Asked whether he still supports the Bush plan, McCain replied, "Sure."

But he went on to explain all of his caveats: He first wants to secure the border, send back an estimated two million illegal immigrants who have committed crimes, and he wants the nation's governors to sit down and help work out a solution.

"If you have 12 million people here illegally, then obviously you have de facto amnesty," McCain said. "It is a federal responsibility. The federal government's -- government must act. I will act as president."

Making the matter more complicated, Romney, in a 2005 interview with the Boston Globe, described McCain's plan as " very different than amnesty, where you literally say, 'OK, everybody here gets to stay.' It's saying you could work your way into becoming a legal resident of the country by working here without taking benefits and then applying and then paying a fine."

Romney called the plan "reasonable" and, like McCain, said it is not practical to round up 12 million illegal immigrants and send them back home. Romney has since said that he didn't like the details of the plan, which became increasingly unpopular and failed to win congressional approval.

Mitt Romney found himself under assault from all sides tonight in the next-to-last Republican presidential debate before Tuesday's primary, and repeatedly urged his rivals to refrain from what he called personal attacks.

In the early portion of the ABC/WMUR/Facebook debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, Romney and Mike Huckabee clashed over a magazine article that Huckabee wrote that called the Bush administration's foreign policy "arrogant."

"I'm not running for George Bush's third term," Huckabee said. "I want to be president on my own terms."

When Romney challenged him further, Huckabee interrupted and asked Romney whether he had read the "Foreign Affairs" article.

"I got a copy the article and read the article," said Romney, appearing annoyed.

Sparring further on foreign policy, Romney told Huckabee: "Governor, don't try to characterize my position."

"Which one?" Huckabee shot back, alluding to his criticism of Romney as a serial flip-flopper.

John McCain accused Romney of lying in ads on McCain's position on illegal immigration, saying, "You can spend your entire fortune on these attack ads, but it still won't be true."

Rudy Giuliani said Romney would have put Ronald Reagan in one of his attack ads, based on Reagan's immigration policy.

McCain then picked up the flip-flopper charge when Romney complained that he had been misquoted in a news story.

"You change your positions often enough and you will get misquoted," McCain said.

And when Romney called himself the Republican best equipped to bring change to Washington, McCain zinged him, saying, "You ARE the candidate of change."

Romney replied, "The continuing personal barbs are interesting, but unnecessary."

Three new New Hampshire tracking polls agree that John McCain is slightly ahead on the Republican side, but diverge dramatically on the Democratic side.

In a new CNN/WMUR poll released this evening, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were tied at 33 percent, with John Edwards at 20 percent. Zogby's survey released earlier today said that Clinton was hanging on to her lead over Obama, 32 percent to 28 percent, with Edwards at 20 percent. But a Rasmussen Reports survey says Obama, capitalizing on his win in Iowa, has leapfrogged Clinton, grabbing a 37 percent to 27 percent lead, with Edwards at 19 percent.

In the Republican primary, McCain leads Romney 33 percent to 27 percent, according to CNN, 31 percent to 26 percent, according to Rasmussen, and 32 percent to 30 percent, according to Zogby.

Mike Huckabee, who won the Iowa caucuses, is fourth in the CNN survey with 11 percent behind Rudy Giuliani, and fourth in the Rasmussen survey with 11 percent behind Ron Paul, and third in Zogby's with 12 percent.

By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- As the candidates prepare for their first major network prime-time debates tonight, armies of campaign staffers and volunteers are fanning out across the state in a town-by-town, block for block struggle to get out of the vote for their candidates on Tuesday.

At Hillary Clinton's headquarters in downtown Manchester, where phone bank volunteers are urged to "dial like a champion," officials are accommodating 1,000 additional volunteers from out of state, including bus loads from Worcester, Boston, and Springfield, and a planeload from Arkansas.

The campaign hopes to knock on 100,000 doors this weekend, officials said, more than a quarter of those it has reached all year.

The New York Democrat, like other candidates, is also bringing in some political star power, including several members of the Kennedy clan, including the late Robert F. Kennedy's children Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

On the Republican side, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is also counting on additional volunteers, many of them from the Bay State.

Craig Stevens, his New Hampshire spokesman, says "we continue to ramp up the volunteers," adding that the campaign now "focused on reaching undecided voters."

He said office space at the campaign's headquarters on Elm Street in Manchester has doubled in recent days to accommodate hundreds of volunteers flowing in from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia, and elsewhere.

Romney's get-out-the-vote phone banks will be operating from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through primary day and his campaign team plans to knock on "tens of thousands" of doors across the state to roust supporters to the polls, Stevens said.

The campaign of Democrat Barack Obama, too, has an "aggressive five day schedule," said Ben LaBolt, the Illinois senator's spokesman in New Hampshire. But while other Democratic and GOP campaigns are bringing in volunteers from out of state for the final push, he said the campaign feels it has enough troops already in-state.

"We have the most expansive field operation," LaBolt boasted,

Aides for former Senator John Edwards said he, too, has a ground operation to rival his two main opponents -- what spokeswoman Colleen Murray referred to as a "neighbor-to-neighbor model."

"The vast majority of our field work is done by New Hampshire volunteers who are reaching out to their own neighbors and friends the most persuasive way to contact a voter," she said.

Edwards's supporters have knocked on more than 309,000 doors since the campaign began, she said.

"To put this in perspective, 220,000 people voted in the 2004 New Hampshire primary. That means our team is capable of reaching every single likely New Hampshire primary voter."

By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- A key message of Hillary Clinton's top supporters in New Hampshire today was not about the New York senator but her main rival for the Democratic nomination, Barack Obama.

"He never had to fight," Emily Malcolm, founder of EMILY's List -- a fund-raising network that supports abortion rights female candidates -- told a wavering Clinton supporter in the Toadstool Bookshop.

Malcolm, campaigning for Clinton across the Granite State along with Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, reminded the young woman that Obama "only beat Alan Keyes" for US Senate in Illinois in 2004 to highlight his lack of experience in facing the kind of determined Republican campaign the Democratic nominee is likely to confront in the general election.

When asked by a reporter to outline her main message to voters, Mikulski also responded by talking about Obama, saying that Thursday's Iowa caucuses, in which Obama beat both Clinton and former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, "was a great victory for democracy."

But while she said Obama "won round one," she insisted that Clinton has the "vision, direction, and know-how" to go 50 rounds, a reference to the multiple primaries that will follow New Hampshire.

"She is ready for change but she is also ready to lead," Mikulski said.

But Mikulski, who endorsed her Senate colleague the day she announced her candidacy, acknowledged that tonight's Democratic debate will be crucial in determining Tuesday's outcome. Clinton and Obama, she said, need to "really duke it out."

PENACOOK – The Clinton campaign appears to be debating whether or not to really go after Barack Obama, but Hillary Clinton did make a few tentative steps in that direction today.

At a high school gym here, in the middle criticizing President Bush’s education policy, Clinton went on a tangent that seemed to have nothing at all to do with No Child Left Behind and quite a bit to do with the man who handily beat her in the Iowa caucuses.

“It’s hard to remember how in 2000 [Bush] said he would be a uniter, not a divider,” Clinton said. “He was going to bring people together and end partisanship, he was going to have people working together. That he didn’t need a lot of experience because of his intuition, he understood people, he was going to go meet with world leaders, look into their eyes and their souls and solve our problems! Remember that?”

She also complained that voters have been getting calls with “misinformation” about her vote to label the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization, a vote of which Obama has been critical.

“Let’s not and politicize and fantasize and make up and exaggerate,” Clinton said.

And Clinton argued that Obama’s health care plan, which does not promise to cover every American, “cedes to the Republicans the argument that we can’t do this.”

In addition to the Obama problem, the campaign also went after a couple of Clinton’s other vulnerabilities today. There’s been anger in New Hampshire for months that Clinton often avoids taking questions. But in Penacook yesterday she took questions for essentially the entire event, which at an hour and 50 minutes was double her average.

After an hour and 15 minutes, voters started screaming out, and the crowd was noticeably thin by the time she finished.

There were very few people between the ages of 15 and 35 in attendance, and that’s another huge problem, since Obama crushed her with young voters in Iowa.

So Clinton took a handful of young people on her bus with her between events in order to hold an-on-the-road roundtable. Chelsea Clinton was unusually talkative.

Then Clinton took questions in a bagel shop near the University of New Hampshire at Durham. And the campaign yesterday launched a new web page, hillaryclinton.com/ask, aimed at Facebook users.

By Dave Beard, Boston.com

NASHUA, N.H. -- Before Barack Obama's rally at Nashua North High School, hundreds of people crammed into its gymnasium stayed upbeat by listening to the O'Jays, to Earth, Wind & Fire, to Michael McDonald and the Doobie Brothers.

By Michael Kranish
Globe Staff

PETERBOROUGH, N.H. -- Attention presidential candidates: Joe Hale and thousands like him will be watching tonight's debates. It might be your final chance to lock in the leaners and persuade the undecideds.

Hale, a teaching assistant from nearby Sharon, N.H., has been closely examining all of the candidates for months. He is proof that there is an Iowa bounce. After he watched Barack Obama deliver his victory speech, he leaned more strongly to Obama. But he intends to watch the debates and listen to all the pitches before making a final decision.

"If I change my mind, it will be because of the debates," Hale said over breakfast at the Peterborough Diner, one of New Hampshire's classic venues for political discussion.

Outside the diner, the presidential campaign could be seen in all its glory in "Our Town," as Peterborough is known. Hundreds of people were streaming through the town, attending a peace rally, listening to Democrat Dennis Kucinich at a local bookstore, or heading to the elegant Town Hall to hear Senator John McCain, the Arizona Republican.

McCain's appearance here demonstrated that a key issue at the debate could be illegal immigration. During an hourlong session, at which McCain was enthusiastically applauded, the senator was asked to respond to charges aired in commercials paid for by McCain's rival, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. The ads accuse McCain of favoring amnesty for illegal immigrants and say he favored Social Security for illegal immigrants.

"That is absolutely false," a visibly angry McCain said. "I have never supported Social Security benefits for people in this country illegally." McCain said that Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, who has endorsed him, has said that "anybody whoever said [McCain] supported amnesty is a liar."

Given the fervor of McCain's remarks, he may directly confront Romney about the charge is the issue comes up at tonight's debate.

By Sasha Issenberg, Globe Staff

NASHUA, N.H. -- Aides to Barack Obama, one of two candidates to travel with Secret Service protection, have a policy of not discussing issues related to the senator's security -- unless the potential threat is conservative talk show host Bill O'Reilly.

Secret Service officials separated O'Reilly and Obama aide Marvin Nicholson after the Fox News Channel personality grabbed Nicholson on a post-speech rope line in a high-school gym here. According to a witness, O'Reilly reached with two hands for Nicholson -- who at 6-foot-8 had a slight height advantage over O'Reilly -- because he stood between O'Reilly's cameraman and Obama as the newsman called out for the candidate's attention.

"He started pushing me and telling me to get out of his shot," Nicholson told reporters afterwards. "Then he said I was 'low-class.' "

"He called me 'low-class' after he started shoving me," Nicholson clarified.

O'Reilly, interviewed afterward by phone on Fox News, said he tried "to gently remove" Nicholson because he was standing in front of Fox's camera, the Associated Press reported.

"We're sorry we had to have that little confrontation, but no one on this earth is going to block a shot on "The O'Reilly Factor." It is not going to happen," O'Reilly said.

Nicholson, Obama's national trip director and a former traveling aide to Senator John F. Kerry known as the "chief of stuff," said he could not recall a similar physical encounter.

"I did the last campaign and I did this one," said Nicholson. "I've never seen a member of the press put their hands on a staffer before."

By Charlie Savage, Globe Staff

LONDONDERRY, N.H. -- Mike Huckabee won the Iowa caucuses largely by appealing to evangelical Christians with a message of preserving traditional values. But in New Hampshire, where there are fewer social conservatives and more libertarian-leaning conservatives, Huckabee has retailored his message.

In Iowa, Huckabee regularly told a long story about the time his son put a cup of salt in a cake because he didn't understand what "dash" meant and so made up his own definition for the word. His point was that it is a "disaster" when people make up new definitions for things -- like allowing gay couples to get married.

But in his first two days of appearances in New Hampshire, Huckabee hasn't told the salty cake story. Instead of emphasizing cultural issues, he is instead talking to voters about individual liberty and the need to avoid big government solutions to problems.

"Your state motto 'Live Free or Die' really exemplifies the very heart of America," Huckabee said.

Huckabee unveiled his new approach in a college gymnasium in Henniker Friday at his first post-Iowa rally in New Hampshire.

America's founding fathers, he said, wanted to "empower people at the most local level" and have "strong states, not an overly strong central government because the danger of that is that whoever gets control of that government has too much power" – both themes that he rarely raised in Iowa.

And at his second post-Iowa rally today, which doubled as a fund-raiser for a Londonderry food bank and a group that sends care packages to soldiers in Iraq, Huckabee called for everyone to donate 10 percent of their incomes to local community and church charities, saying that such a tithe would be enough to end government welfare.

"I dream of the day when we are doing such an efficient and effective job of taking care of our families and our neighbors that the government can do what it does best -- and that's protect us, not have to provide for us," he said.

Huckabee, who is traveling the state with action movie star Chuck Norris, is also spending more time in New Hampshire talking about thanking military veterans for their service.

In Iowa, he often told the story about an Arkansas teacher who taught her students that they owed their education to military veterans. Today, Huckabee told the story again, but expanded it to talk about how a Vietnam veteran was moved to tears by the teacher's lesson because no one had thanked him when he came back from fighting in Indochina.

Huckabee supporter Mark Foster of Auburn, who attended the Londonderry event, said that while he agrees with Huckabee's positions against abortion and gay rights, it doesn't bother him that Huckabee is putting less emphasis on social issues and more emphasis on individual freedom and veterans in the Granite State.

"I think like any good public speaker, he's going to address his remarks to the audience," Foster said. "He can't hit every single issue when he has limited time."

By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff

PETERBOROUGH, N.H. -- Democrat Dennis Kucinich, campaigning across the street from Republican John McCain's town hall meeting, said he plans to take legal action later today seeking a court order allowing him to participate in tonight's presidential debate on ABC.

Kucinich, the only Democratic candidate who voted against the war in Iraq, said "this is not going to be a real debate if I am not in it." "It will just be a number of dittos up there."

The congressman from Ohio, with more than a dozen supporters in tow, spoke outside Harlow's Pub, where he claimed that voters in New Hampshire are being denied a crucial voice in the primary contest.

He railed against what he called the "corporate media" who want "to rig the presidential election."

"They are doing everything to block me out," he said.

Kucinich, who filed a complaint yesterday with the Federal Communications Commission, said he has drawn large crowds in new Hampshire, including 700 people earlier this week in Keene.

He said he has not decided yet whether he will show up to protest at the debate tonight at St. Anselm College in Manchester.

"I am not going to go away," Kucinich implored.

By Sasha Issenberg, Globe Staff

NASHUA, N.H. -- After beating John Edwards in Iowa on Thursday, Barack Obama has decided to join him -- repeatedly poaching his opponent's themes, language, and even jokes.

"We shouldn't just be respecting wealth in this country -- we should be respecting work," Obama told an overflow crowd in a high-school gym today.

Edwards's 2004 presidential campaign was centered around the idea that the Bush administration had launched a "war on work" through tax cuts that offer incentives for investment over labor. "Hard work should be valued in this country, so we're going to reward work, not just wealth," Edwards said in accepting his party’s vice-presidential nomination at the Democratic’ convention in Boston. In this campaign, he has sharpened his populist rhetoric, railing against greedy corporate CEOs who are waging war on working people and the middle class.

Since arriving in New Hampshire Friday, Obama has borrowed Edwards's favorite verb by bragging that he had "fought" as a community organizer and civil rights lawyer, and conceding that "insurance companies and drug companies will not give up their profits" -- which Edwards asserts repeatedly to ridicule Obama's talk of conciliation. Obama repeatedly invoked those interests, as well as "big oil and big insurance," common villains in Edwards speeches.

For months, Obama has been telling crowds, "I know I haven't spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I've been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change."

Edwards gave a similar spin to his short political resume when he announced his candidacy in September 2003, declaring, "I haven't spent most of my life in politics, but I've spent enough time in Washington to know how much we need to change it."

The two candidates share a common strategist -- David Axelrod, the mastermind of Obama '08, helped launch Edwards '04 –- and now a common goal of standing as the reformist outsider against Hillary Clinton.

Even a new Obama laugh line -- joking about pharmaceutical ads that "have all these people running around in the fields and stuff" -- evokes an anecdotal staple of Edwards's 2004 "Two Americas" stump speech used to ridicule the marketing budgets of pharmaceutical companies.

"I love the ads," Edwards said then. "Buy their medicine, take it and the next day you and your spouse will be skipping through the fields."

Obama wins the biggest response when he punches up the Edwards observation with a slyly racy kicker. After observing that the ads are so vague they do not identify the drugs' function, Obama jokes, "Actually, I know what one of them does."

Trying to buttress his case that he will bring conservative change to Washington, Mitt Romney launched a new TV ad today that his campaign is closing his closing message before Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

"This isn't the time for us to shrink from conservative principles," Romney says in a speech shown in the ad. "It's a time for us to stand in strength. America must remain the world's superpower. If we will simply march forward, we can propel America's growth and prosperity to lead the world. Now is the time for us to lead a great coalition of strength for our families, for our future, for America."

The ad also has some of the sweeping rhetoric of Republican icon Ronald Reagan, whom Romney often cities as a model, and seeks to rebut rival John McCain's argument that he is far more experienced and knowledgeable on world affairs.

DERRY, N.H --- Mitt Romney grabbed the mantle of change today, painting John McCain as an ossified creature of Washington and making the case that he alone can harness voters’ desire for change and beat Barack Obama in a general election.

He had a new stump speech, a new blue sign on the wall that read "Washington is Broken," and a new prop - an oversized sign on an easel that read "To Do," with a list of his top priorities and blank spaces, which he asked the audience to fill in with their own ideas.

He was noticeably more animated on the stage, his voice rising and falling and at one point he brought people to their feet in applause -- a rarity at Romney's typically subdued events.

Trying to beat back McCain, the 71-year-old senator and 25-year veteran of Congress, Romney made several references to the problem of "old faces" in Washington, who he compared to "a broken down automobile clunker that you have to push in the station and say, 'Can you fix this for me?'"

"We’ve got to fix Washington," Romney told about 250 people at Pinkerton Academy. "Sending back the same old people just in different chairs is not going to fix Washington. They’ve been saying they’ve been fighting and fighting and fighting for years, they have new ideas. But it’s the same people. Their ideas have not worked. I will get that job done."

"Now is there anybody here who agrees with me that Washington is badly broken?" he asked. "Please show it by your hands," he said, drawing applause as hands shot up. "Looks like we have a pretty good consensus on that."

"You‘ve got the tools!" someone shouted from the audience.

"I've got the tools, I agree," Romney said. " It seems like there's some agreement on that. Now I'm going to turn to you with that in mind and ask you either if you have questions about what I’d do about any one of those or you have some others you think we ought to put on the list and we'll make sure we'll keep adding this list of things that show Washington is broken and how we need new faces and new voices there."

He also sized up the Iowa caucus results as a mandate for change.

"There were a couple of people whose prospects coming out of that election I think took a big hit, and it was a message I read into those votes, and that is Hillary Clinton, who's been around Washington forever, and John McCain, who's been there even longer, those two were handily rejected by people who had messages of change, with new faces and new ideas," Romney said. "Governor Huckabee and myself, people from the outside. Barack Obama talking about change, because the American people recognize we're not going to change Washington by sending back the same old faces and just have them change chairs. We have to have new people."

Romney also took on Obama, saying he did not have the experience to bring about change in Washington.

"We cannot afford Barack Obama as the next president," Romney said. "He's a very nice fellow and he's a well-spoken fellow, but he's never done it. It's one thing to say it. It's another thing to do it. I hear all these folks out here with all these folks with their good talk. I have done it. I will do it again and I will do it for the people of America."

He also poached one of McCain’s favorite issues -- pork in Washington, mentioning McCain’s favorite target, the so-called "Bridge to Nowhere." Without mentioning McCain by name, he said pork "makes a great rallying cry...but somehow it’s always there."

He also likened Washington to a broken down old car.

"It is almost a broken down automobile clunker that you have to push in the station and say, ‘Can you fix this for me?’" he asked. "The difference is we have been pushing that clunker into the same garage year after year after year and the repairmen say, ‘Oh, sure we can take care of that. It's no problem at all,’ but they give it back to us in the exactly the same condition where we got it. Wish we had a lemon law, by the way, that says we can get our money back after the taxes we've sent there for them to fix our problems."

By Michael Kranish
Globe Staff

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- With three days to go to the New Hampshire primary, candidates are toughening their messages and sharpening their attacks. But as Democrats and Republicans prepare for tonight's televised debates, it is interesting to note what they are not saying.

Consider the case of Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor. The Baptist minister won Iowa's Republican caucuses on Thursday by emphasizing his background as a Christian leader, highlighting his opposition to abortion and gay marriage.

But during his appearances in New Hampshire, he rarely mentions abortion or gay marriage and makes little or no reference to his faith. Instead, appealing to voters in a state with a relatively small evangelical population -- and one in which abortion rights are backed by many Republicans and civil unions are legal -- he delivers speeches focused on anti-tax themes and concern about global warming.

Huckabee is hardly alone in downplaying the usual social conservative issues. In recent appearances in New Hampshire, Senator John McCain of Arizona and former Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts also didn't mention abortion.

On the Democratic side, meanwhile, many candidates don't mention what has become the hot-button issue of the campaign, illegal immigration. Many Democrats support the general idea of allowing illegal immigrants to have a pathway to citizenship, a proposal made by President Bush and once backed by McCain. (McCain now says he will come up with a different plan if elected president.)

All of this underscores the significance of tonight's back-to-back debates with Republicans and Democrats. Day in and day out, candidates shape their message with advisers or focus groups. At town meetings, they tend to give canned answers no matter what questions are asked. So a debate can give voters a chance to get beyond the sound bites and 30-second commercials. A wide range of issues can be examined, and candidates must think on their feet.

With that in mind, here are three things to watch for in tonight's debates:

- Will Hillary Clinton make good on her pledge to draw sharp contrasts with her opponents, Iowa victor Barack Obama and John Edwards?

- How will candidates tailor their appeal to New Hampshire's famously independent voters, many of whom are expected to choose between McCain and Obama?

- Will the debates be dominated by discussion of illegal immigration, as has happened often on the campaign trail, or will moderators emulate recent Iowa debates and seek the discussion to other issues?

The Republican debate begins at 7 p.m. and lasts for 90 minutes, followed by a 15-minute break, after which Democrats hold their debate.

By Sasha Issenberg, Globe Staff

What is Hillary Clinton's new message after losing the "change" argument in Iowa?

"READY."

That's the oddly-punctuated, one-word slogan that made its debut today in New Hampshire. It's a shortened version of her "Ready for Change, Ready to Lead" refrain that seeks to rebut her rivals' theme of change and highlight her greater experience.

And it's the latest in a parade of slogans that Clinton has trotted out during the campaign as she searches for just the right message to win the loyalty of Democratic voters.

By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff

SALEM, N.H. -- After speaking this afternoon to a packed audience at the small American Legion post, Rudy Guiliani said he still believes "we are going to do well" in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary and his strategy of focusing more on later primary states won't hurt him in the race for the GOP presidential nomination.

"Nobody is going to win all these primaries," he told reporters before heading to another event at the Elk's Lodge in Nashua. "It's who is going to win the most. Right now we are ahead in more states than anyone."

At the American Legion event Guiliani served up a heavy diet of his signature policy proposals, including going on the offense against radical Islamic terrorists, cutting taxes, increasing the size of the military, and shrinking the overall size of the federal government.

In a subtle attack on the candidates of both parties who say they stand for change, Guiliani said "there is change that is good and there is change that is bad."

He then outlined the changes he made as mayor of New York City to make the case he can make the necessary positive changes as president to "lead this country into a brighter future."

His cited as an example how he made "strategic tax cuts" as mayor that resulted in higher revenues by attracting more businesses and creating more jobs.

By Michael Kranish, Globe Staff

HENNIKER, N.H. -- An ebullient Mike Huckabee arrived in this quaint college town this afternoon and dove right into his message: he is a fun guy.

Before saying barely a word to the audience, the Baptist minister picked up a bass guitar and played three songs with the warm-up band. Then he got in a little dig at Democrat Hillary Clinton with a line that might have been the best received of his appearance here: "Do you really think they have as much fun at Hillary's rallies?"

The crowd in the packed gymnasium at New England College roared its approval.

Huckabee, introduced by his favorite sidekick, actor Chuck Norris, said there was nothing wrong with having fun as long as he was also prepared for the serious work of being president.

Having just defeated the much-better financed Mitt Romney in Iowa's caucuses, Huckabee suggested he hoped to be equally successful in New Hampshire, though he was far behind in the most recent polls.

"In New Hampshire, it is not just about how much money a candidate has raised," Huckabee said. "It is about what kind of future will be raised for the next generation."

"I'm running for office. I know we could do a lot better," Huckabee said.

By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff

SOUTH NASHUA, N.H. -- Senator John McCain renewed his pitch for staying the course in Iraq before a largely sympathetic "town hall" meeting in the plush offices of defense giant BAE Systems this afternoon.

About 300 employees, gathered in the company's small auditorium and an adjacent lobby, provided the top GOP contender in Tuesday's primary a tailor-made opportunity to drive home his message that only he has the national security bona fides to win the war on terror and prevail in Iraq.

BAE's CEO Walt Havenstein introduced the Arizona Republican, telling the engineers and other high-tech workers and support staff that he voted for McCain on his absentee ballot because "nobody embodies character the way our guest does."

Havenstein then ran through a litany of military projects the company has been awarded since the US invasion nearly five years ago, including new armored vehicles able to withstand roadside bombs, saying the company is "building 25 a day" in plants in Pennsylvania and other states.

In his opening remarks McCain credited the recent surge of US troops in Iraq for his confidence that "we are succeeding in Iraq." Yet the troops, he quickly added, "are going to need more of your equipment."

McCain also picked up the endorsement today of former Congressman Charlie Bass, who called McCain "the only candidate with the proven national security experience vital to confronting the challenges facing our nation."

But the first question from the audience was not on Iraq or terrorism but an issue where McCain is seen vulnerable among Republican and independent voters in the Granite State: illegal immigration.

McCain defended himself against charges -- recently leveled in TV ads by his main rival here, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney -- that he supports amnesty for illegal immigrants.

Most of the questions, however, were perfectly suited for McCain -- his opposition as a former POW to torturing terror suspects and the fate of big-ticket weapons programs.

McCain also touched on what he said is the need to expand nuclear power to meet growing energy demands despite safety concerns surrounding the nearby Seabrook nuclear power plant

BAE, formerly British Aerospace, with $27 billion in annual revenues, has hosted other candidates this election season, including Romney and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, officials said.

With the Iowa results in, ABC News and WMUR-TV today set the final lineups for Saturday night's back-to-back presidential debates at Saint Anselm College in Manchester.

Republican Duncan Hunter is out, not having met the threshold of minimum support. So are Democrats Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich. Democrats Joe Biden and Chris Dodd will also be absent, after abandoning their campaigns following poor showing in Thursday night's caucuses.

Republicans Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, and Fred Thompson face off first at 7 p.m. for a 90-minute forum.

After a 15-minute break, Democrats Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Barack Obama, and Bill Richardson will debate for 90 minutes.

By Michael Kranish
Globe Staff

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Iowa is history. New Hampshire’s primary has different kinds of voters, different political dynamics, and, quite possibly, different results.

Welcome to the first entry in Primary Countdown -- in which we will monitor the trends that are expected to shape the results of the New Hampshire primary.

Now that we know the winners of the Iowa caucuses, Republican Mike Huckabee and Democrat Barack Obama, the question is whether they can build on their momentum for victories here, or whether they will run into a granite wall here, as have so many others who left Iowa victorious only to face disappointment in New Hampshire.

History suggests both of the Iowa victors faces serious challenges here.

First, while Iowa and New Hampshire are often lumped together as small states with overwhelmingly white populations, there are many differences. Huckabee won partly because Iowa’s Republican Party is dominated by evangelical Christians who warmed to the Baptist preacher’s message. New Hampshire, by contrast, has a small evangelical population and the Republican Party here is far more moderate.

Here is some history to keep in mind: the Republican winners of the Iowa caucuses in 1996 and 2000, Bob Dole and George W. Bush, were defeated by upstarts in New Hampshire, Pat Buchanan and John McCain, respectively. But here is some more history: both Dole and Bush went on to be the nominees of their party. [Bush was not seriously challenged in 2004.]

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is hoping for a comeback win here to keep his campaign alive. It would be hard for Romney to explain a loss, especially because he is a part-time resident from a neighboring state who spent millions of dollars here. The three previous Massachusetts politicians to run for president here – Michael Dukakis, Paul Tsongas and John Kerry – all won the New Hampshire primary.

While Huckabee is unlikely to win New Hampshire, his surge is expected to help Senator John McCain, who was in a statistical tie with Romney in polls taken before the Iowa caucuses were conducted. As a result, many analysts now see McCain as the favorite here.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton is expected to be stronger here than she was in Iowa because of her strong base of support. But that may not be enough. History shows that Democrats who win Iowa often are able to carry over the momentum to the New Hampshire primary. The question is whether Obama will follow the example of Kerry and use his Iowa victory to win in New Hampshire, or whether Clinton will follow her husband’s script and make a comeback here. (Bill Clinton came in second to Tsongas in 1992 but was perceived as a victor.)

With these thoughts in mind, here are some of the issues that Primary Countdown will be watching over the next several days:

- Will McCain and Huckabee continue to be allies in their fight against Romney, or will they turn against each other?

- Will Huckabee’s support from evangelicals, while much smaller in New Hampshire, be enough to give him a strong finish here in a fractured field?

- Will Hillary Clinton’s vaunted organization, including busloads of volunteers from Massachusetts and elsewhere, be enough to pull her to victory here?

- Will Romney be able to draw upon his support from former Massachusetts residents and others now living here to regain his footing and bring home a victory?

- Not to be forgotten, will Representative Ron Paul draw significant support and, if so, which Republican does he hurt the most?

To contribute to this discussion, click on the comments link.

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

Former President Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton listen to presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at a rally this morning in Nashua, N.H.

By Marcella Bombardieri, Globe Staff

NASHUA, N.H. -- The 9/11 card. The legacy card. The trial-by-fire card. Hillary Clinton just flashed them all today.

Five hours after her chartered flight from Des Moines landed in New Hampshire, Clinton gave what may be the most striking speech of her campaign so far. Reeling from her surprisingly big loss in the Iowa caucuses, she is clearly reaching for a bold new way to combat winner Barack Obama -- though it doesn't appear she has settled on a consistent argument.

Clinton usually only talks about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks when she speaks of her work helping Ground Zero workers cope with medical problems.

But in an airport hangar this morning, she said: "We have people who are plotting against us right now, getting ready to repeat the atrocity of Sept 11. We know it, I see the intelligence reports."

She also said, "I don’t think there has ever been a more important decision for the citizens of New Hampshire."

While Clinton has long campaigned on her and her husband's record in the White House, she sharpened the concept of the Clinton legacy.

"It's kind of interesting that it took a Clinton to clean up after the first Bush. I think it might take another one to clean up after the second Bush," she said.

She also returned to an argument she has not focused on in recent weeks, the idea that she is the most electable Democrat. She said that her previous battles with Republicans ready her for the "blazing inferno" of combat the Republicans will unleash in the general election -- an obvious reference to Obama, whom the Clinton camp says is untested and unvetted.

"Of all the people running for president, I've been most vetted, the most investigated, and my goodness," she said with a laugh, "the most innocent it turns out."

Clinton, who finished a narrow third to John Edwards in Iowa, is in a close race with Obama in New Hampshire, according to the latest polls.

By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Former Senator John Edwards, riding his second-place finish over Hillary Clinton in the Iowa caucuses Thursday night, wasted little time in pitching his message of change in New Hampshire today, telling a dawn gathering of hundreds of supporters that voters in the Granite State "now have two choices" -- between him and Iowa victor Barack Obama

Edwards, calling himself "the people's candidate," said his victory over Clinton showed that voters are yearning for change in Washington. In the populist tone he has struck throughout his second run for the White House, he asked supporters, "Are we willing to fight the corporate greed that has an iron-fisted grip on our democracy?"

Edwards, speaking at a former mill turned office complex, took swipes at both of his main rivals without naming them, saying he was not the candidate of "glitz or glamour."

"I am the candidate who will fight with every fiber of my being, every single step of the way, for you, for your children and for your grandchildren," Edwards said to the energized crowd, largely made up of campaign workers.

Edwards, who is campaigning with his wife Elizabeth and his parents, has a full schedule in the Granite State through Tuesday's primary, including a meeting with voters at 6:30 tonight at the Portsmouth Town Hall. In the latest polls, however, he is a distant third in New Hampshire to Clinton and Obama.

(Mark Wilson/Globe Staff)

Senator Barack Obama attracted a crowd in Market Square in Portsmouth as he landed in New Hampshire, fresh off his win in Iowa.

By Sasha Issenberg, Globe Staff

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- Barack Obama, in his first rally in the Granite State since winning the Iowa caucuses, reveled this morning in the enthusiasm of supporters.

"This feels good," he said. "It's just like I imagined it would be talking to my kindergarten teacher."

That was a sly reference to an essay he wrote while a tyke about wanting to be president. Rival Hillary Clinton's campaign tried to use it to question Obama saying he had only recently thought about running for the White House, but the attack appeared to backfire as petty politics.

Meanwhile, Deval Patrick will help Obama in New Hampshire this weekend try to build on the momentum from Iowa, Patrick's political committee announced today.

The Massachusetts governor, who campaigned with Obama in Iowa, plans to knock on doors in Manchester and speak at house parties across southern New Hampshire. They share a personal history and their campaigns are similar as well. Patrick served in the administration of President Bill Clinton, but said he endorsed Obama because he believes in his ability to unite the country around an agenda for change.

(Mark Wilson/Globe Staff)

Taking a corner of the counter for a standing breakfast, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney pours maple syrup on his pancakes at the Golden Egg in Portsmouth as customer George Armstrong, 85, (center) watches.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- Mitt Romney, trying to recover from a humbling defeat in Iowa, said this morning that he doesn't necessarily have to win Tuesday's New Hampshire primary to stay in the hunt for the Republican nomination.

He told reporters that there will be two tickets out of the Granite State and he expects to hold one of them. Romney and the surging John McCain are locked in a tight battle, according to the latest polls. Romney's strategy had long been to win both Iowa and New Hampshire to build unstoppable momentum toward the Feb. 5 super primary, when 22 states are scheduled to vote.

When he arrived in New Hampshire early this morning, he put the best face on his loss to Mike Huckabee in Iowa.

It was 3:45 a.m., but Romney was standing on the back of a black Ford 350 pickup, shouting hoarsely into a microphone.

"Wow, you guys are crazy! What a welcome! What a welcome!" he boomed to 100 cheering, sign-waving supporters. "Have you guys just gotten up or are you going to bed -- which is it?"

The rally in a Portsmouth airplane hangar was carefully staged to give Romney a boost after his loss in the Iowa caucuses just a few hours earlier.

After flying through the night from Des Moines, with the press in the aft of a chartered JetBlue plane, Romney descended the stairs onto the tarmac. It was dark and cold but there was a crowd of reporters, photographers, and TV crews there to greet him.

Flanked by his wife, Ann, and his two of his five sons, he strode into the hangar to the strains of Elvis's "A Little Less Conversation," and climbed onto the pickup. The crowd of supporters included diehard local Republicans as well as Bradley H. Jones Jr., the Republican leader of the Massachusetts House, and Kerry Healey, who was Romney's lieutenant governor.

"It's so great to be back in New Hampshire!" Romney said. "What a thrill it is to come here to see all of you! I simply can't get over it."

After noting that in Iowa, "we got the silver," he vowed: "In New Hampshire, we're going to get the gold."

He also laid out the argument that will likely fuel his push to Tuesday's New Hampshire primary against McCain, the veteran US senator from Arizona. The main lesson from Iowa, Romney said, is that voters want "change in Washington."

"There are some people who are going to try to convince the voters of New Hampshire and other states that all we need to do change Washington is have the same people go there but just change chairs," Romney said. "That's not our idea. No, what we're going to do to change Washington is to bring someone in -- I'm talking about me -- to bring to Washington the kind of can-do change experience that I've had everywhere I've been."

After the five-minute speech, he mingled and shook hands. Someone handed him an Olympic-looking medal on a red, white, and blue ribbon and he wore it around his neck. It was gold and stamped with the word "winner."

Barack Obama, the clear victor in the Democratic caucuses in Iowa, declared tonight that "our time for change has come" and that voters are "choosing hope over fear."

"They said this day would never come, they said our sights were set too high, they said his country was too divided, too disillusioned to come together for a common purpose," he told screaming supporters. "But on this January night, at this defining moment in history you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do."

Taking the stage with his wife Michelle and his two young daughters, Obama was already pointing to the contests ahead.

"You have done what the state of New Hampshire can do in five days," he said. "You have done what America can do in this new year."

Democrat Chris Dodd, who moved his entire family to Iowa for the last weeks of the campaign, dropped out tonight after his poor showing in the caucuses, CNN and the Associated Press reported.

The Connecticut senator had hoped to finish at least fourth, but was seventh with almost all precincts reporting.

He played up his experience in the US Senate and strongly criticized the Bush administration over what he called an assault on civil liberties during the war on terror, but his campaign never caught fire, overshadowed by the better-financed campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in particular.

Hillary Clinton, though she didn't win the Iowa caucuses, said the results showed that the country is ready for change and a Democratic president.

"We're going to take this enthusiasm and go straight to New Hampshire," she told cheering supporters. "This is a great night for Democrats," citing the record turnout.

Flanked by her husband, the former president, Clinton said Democrats should focus on who is most electable and who is best prepared to take office on "day one," her mantra. And she made clear she has no plans to withdraw from the nomination race before the Feb. 5 super primary, when 22 states vote.

"We've always planned to run a national campaign all the way through the early contests," she said.

John Edwards claimed second place in the caucuses, though the numbers were still too close to call between him and Hillary Clinton.

"The status quo lost and change won," he told supporters. "And now we move on, we move on from Iowa to New Hampshire."

He said Iowa voters showed that Americans responding to his message of standing up against corporate greed and for the middle class.

By Scott Helman and Susan Milligan, Globe staff

DES MOINES _ Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and former governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, two political sensations delivering messages of change and conciliation, captured the first victories of the 2008 presidential campaign on Thursday night, winning the Iowa caucuses after a hard-fought, wide-open contest in both political parties.

Both Obama, the Democratic winner, and Huckabee, his Republican counterpart, had been painted by opponents as inexperienced and not ready to lead the nation. But Iowa voters, despite being wooed by established, well-funded political veterans in both parties, in the end favored the candidates who polls showed they simply liked better.

Obama's victory is the latest success in the Illinois senator's charmed political life, and it puts him in a strong position going into New Hampshire's primary on Tuesday.

Huckabee, with a populist message and a folksy style, pulled together a coalition of evangelical Christians and home-schooling advocates to beat Romney, despite the former Massachusetts governor's huge cash advantage, superior organization and negative ad campaign.

The loss to Huckabee represents a major blow to Romney, whose planned path to the Republican presidential nomination always began in Iowa. Romney had spent much of the past three years courting voters here, building a massive organization, and positioning himself as the electable conservative.

Though Romney remains a front-runner in New Hampshire, the Iowa loss puts him in a perilous position going into Tuesday's primary in New Hampshire. Arizona Senator John McCain, who won the 2000 Granite State primary, is resurgent in polls there, and Romney must now face him with little or no momentum from Iowa.

Romney had put his faith in his volunteers and activists, hoping that the powerful political network he built in Iowa would beat back an unexpectedly strong challenge from Huckabee. But Huckabee, casting himself as the genuine social conservative in a David-vs-Goliath battle for the state's votes, won by running an old-fashioned, grassroots campaign.

Huckabee faces a tougher fight in New Hampshire, where there are few evangelical Christians. But the Arkansas lawmaker, pointing to polls showing him performing well in states like South Carolina and Georgia, hopes to use Iowa to build a national groundswell of support.

Bracing the Iowa cold, voters early Thursday evening began filing into church basements, schools, libraries, and other meeting places in nearly 1,800 locations around the state. The caucuses, which are basically just neighborhood meetings, are polite but serious affairs, with friends and acquaintances often cajoling one another to back their preferred candidate. To do well, a contender needed to muster broad support across Iowa's 99 counties.

The fierce competition for voters now rockets east to New Hampshire, where candidates will have just five days either to capitalize on their Iowa successes or to recover from their disappointments. The dynamic in the Republican contest also shifts to include Arizona Senator John McCain, who was never expected to do well in Iowa but is vying for the lead in New Hampshire, where he needs to finish strong to remain a top contender.

All of the leading candidates will be politicking furiously in the Granite State over the weekend. Several had early-morning rallies scheduled for Friday to greet their arriving planes. On Saturday evening, the Republicans and the Democrats will gather at Saint Anselm College in Manchester for back-to-back, nationally televised 90-minute debates.

By Susan Milligan and Charlie Savage, Globe staff

GRINNELL, IA -- Mike Huckabee's resounding win in Thursday night's Iowa caucuses instantly reshaped the race for the Republican nomination for president, transforming the former Arkansas governor into a legitimate contender ahead of next Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

The Iowa results left former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney needing to scramble to find a way to restore momentum to his campaign.

Huckabee, whose passionate following by evangelical Christians propelled him to the top of Iowa polls, outpaced the better-funded campaign of Romney, the onetime front-runner who barraged Huckabee with negative ads in the closing week.

Romney was on a path toward a second-place finish, with three other candidates locked in battle over who would win third-place bragging rights. Early results showed former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson, Arizona senator John McCain, and Texas congressman Ron Paul bunched in the next tier.

The unexpected twists of the Iowa contest -- including the abrupt rise of the relatively unknown former governor of Arkansas and a late revival in the polls by McCain, who has also surged back into second place in New Hampshire -- left GOP candidates scrambling to figure out their next moves.

At a noon rally in a veterans' hall in Grinnell yesterday, Huckabee told a crowd of several hundred supporters that his likely strong showing would be a "seismic event" in the political world because he had been outspent "20 to 1" by Romney.

"We don't have to finish first here in order to feel like we've been successful, but . . . if we are able to win, it is an incredible testament of the revival of the American political system and the fact that when it gets down to it, individual votes still matter and money can't buy elections," Huckabee told reporters afterward.

Despite his popularity in Iowa, Huckabee faces a less-sympathetic audience in New Hampshire, where the GOP electorate is driven more by fiscal conservatism than social issues. Supporter Dennis Crawford cq yesterday said he hoped New Hampshire primary-goers would take a second look at Huckabee following the caucuses.

Romney, by contrast, needed a good performance in Iowa to keep alive his strategy of securing the nomination by building momentum in the early primary and caucus states. While he enjoys a regional advantage in New Hampshire because of his governorship of next-door Massachusetts, his momentum plan now must become a do-or-die win in the Granite State.

By Charles Savage, Globe staff

GRINNELL, IA -- Mike Huckabee's resounding win in Thursday night's Iowa caucuses instantly reshaped the race for the Republican nomination for president, transforming the former Arkansas governor into a legitimate contender ahead of next Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

The Iowa results left former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney needing to scramble to find a way to restore momentum to his campaign.

Huckabee, whose passionate following by evangelical Christians propelled him to the top of Iowa polls, outpaced the better-funded campaign of Romney, the onetime front-runner who barraged Huckabee with negative ads in the closing week.

Romney was on a path toward a second-place finish, with four other candidates locked in battle over who would win third-place bragging rights. Early results showed former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson, Arizona senator John McCain, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuiliani, and Texas congressman Ron Paul bunched in the next tier.

The unexpected twists of the Iowa contest -- including the abrupt rise of the relatively unknown former governor of Arkansas and a late revival by McCain, who has also surged back into second place in New Hampshire polls -- left GOP candidates scrambling to figure out their next moves.

At a noon rally in a veterans' hall in Grinnell yesterday, Huckabee told a crowd of several hundred supporters that his likely strong showing would be a "seismic event" in the political world because he had been outspent "20 to 1" by Romney.

"We don't have to finish first here in order to feel like we've been successful, but . . . if we are able to win, it is an incredible testament of the revival of the American political system and the fact that when it gets down to it, individual votes still matter and money can't buy elections," Huckabee told reporters afterward.

Despite his popularity in Iowa, Huckabee faces a less-sympathetic audience in New Hampshire, where the GOP electorate is driven more by fiscal conservatism than social issues. Supporter Dennis Crawford cq yesterday said he hoped New Hampshire primary-goers would take a second look at Huckabee following the caucuses.

Romney, by contrast, needed a good performance in Iowa to keep alive his strategy of securing the nomination by building momentum in the early primary and caucus states. While he enjoys a regional advantage in New Hampshire because of his governorship of next-door Massachusetts, his momentum plan now must become a do-or-die win in the Granite State.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

DES MOINES -- Mitt Romney congratulated Mike Huckabee for winning the Iowa caucuses tonight, but noted that he is projected to finish second and that Huckabee is not polling as high in New Hampshire, which holds its primary on Tuesday.

"This is obviously a bit like a baseball game, first inning in a -- well, it's a 50-inning ball game," Romney said on Fox News. I'm going to keep on battling all the way and anticipate I'll get the nomination when it's all said and done."

Romney's supporters were glum tonight as the reality of a defeat sunk in.

At Romney's post-caucus rally at the Des Moines Sheraton, supporters were somber, looking on grimly as the results scrolled across TV screens.

"Take that check off there," exclaimed Al Doan, a volunteer, when he saw a local television station indicate Huckabee's victory with a check mark by his name. "There's no bigger blunder in politics than Mike Huckabee."

Darrell Aldrich, 65, a retired Wells Fargo executive, said the results was "very disappointing. This country needs a leader and Huckabee is not the type of leader we need. I'm a Christian, but I think there are too many people for Huckabee who got wrapped up in the Christian part for this."

By Charlie Savage, Globe Staff

DES MOINES -- A roar went through Mike Huckabee's post-caucus rally party as Fox News, CNN, and NBC all called the GOP race for Huckabee.

Fox's entrance polls suggest Huckabee will get 36 percent, with Mitt Romney a distant second with 24 percent, and Fred Thompson at 18 percent.

It capped an emotional 15 minutes for the crowd watching Fox News on a huge projection TV in the corner of the room. At 7:40 p.m., Fox had begun giving out details of its entrance polls in the GOP race, starting with Huckabee's sizable lead.

The reason why Huckabee crushed the competition was clear: Turnout among evangelicals appears to have been huge: 60 percent of Republicans in Fox’s entrance poll identified themselves as evangelical Christians, versus 40 percent who didn’t.

Also interesting: Late-deciders broke Huckabee’s way 27 percent to 20 percent, suggesting that Romney's barrage of negative ads in the last week didn't work. Huckabee also was most likely to get the votes of people who said that they wanted a candidate who "says what he believes."

With each tidbit, the crowd, clustered around the giant screen, went nuts. Huckabee's campaign manager declared, "Governor Romney's campaign has the best organziation money can buy, but we've got the best volunteers anybody can hope for."

As he exited, the crowd broke into chants of "We like Mike!" Minutes later, Fox called the race for their candidate.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

WEST DES MOINES -- Mitt Romney had just introduced his five sons -- known on the campaign trail as the "five brothers" -- to the employees of Krause Gentle, a West Des Moines firm, when he reflected today on how much time his family has spent in Iowa.

"I was up late last night surfing through the channels and saw an old movie. Have you seen it? 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,' " Romney said. "And I thought, gosh, have we been here so long that Ann and I have two more sons?"

The crowd laughed, but the larger point was not lost. Romney has spent countless hours in Iowa, aired $7 million worth of TV ads, and vastly outspent his rivals as he tries to vault from the Massachusetts State House to the White House.

His biggest challenge: to convince conservative Republicans and evangelical Christians who dominate Iowa’s caucuses that he is their champion.

Tonight, he will find out whether he succeeded.

In the final hours before the caucuses, Romney tried to keep things light. Under assault from Mike Huckabee, who has attacked him as dishonest, suggested he is trying to buy the election, and compared him to everyone's least favorite boss, Romney cracked jokes and showcased his smiling family.

Throughout the campaign, Romney's large clan has helped him defuse concerns about his Mormon faith and respond to critics who say he is out of touch with average Americans. This week, his wife, Ann, has been a near constant presence at his side. And today, his five sons fanned out across the state to speak to caucus-goers. They also invited the media to watch them skate with Dan Jansen, the Olympic speed skater and Romney supporter.

Today, Romney spoke in two venues -- the airy glass-and-steel atrium of Krause Gentle and the wood-paneled auditorium of Principal Financial Group in Des Moines -- that pointed up his background as a successful venture capitalist and consultant. His choice also highlighted the risk posed by Huckabee, who surged ahead of Romney in the final Iowa polls after portraying Romney as the candidate of the financial elite. On "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" Wednesday night, Huckabee said that voters are looking for a presidential candidate who "reminds them more of the guy they work with rather than the guy that laid them off."

Romney used the appearances to cast himself as a family man and an innovator from outside Washington who can find the "new generation of solutions to the challenges we face." He also poked fun at his increasingly bitter battle with Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor and Baptist preacher who has galvanized evangelical Christian voters.

"Tensions are getting high," the impeccably groomed Romney said at Principal Financial. "I saw just yesterday the chairman of Governor Huckabee's campaign said that he would like to knock my teeth out. My only comment on that is -- don't touch the hair."

The crowd laughed.

Ed Rollins, the national chairman of Huckabee's campaign, had told the Washington Post this week: "What I have to do is make sure that my anger with a guy like Romney, whose teeth I want to knock out, doesn't get in the way of my thought process."

The jokes masked what has been a long, methodical campaign that has transformed Romney from a little-known governor of a Democratic state to a front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination.

By Susan Milligan and Charlie Savage, Globe Staff

GRINNELL, Iowa -- Instead of catapulting one candidate toward the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, tonight's Iowa caucuses appear likely to leave the GOP field wide open after a political free-for-all that amounted to not one contest but two.

The top billing was a close fight for first place between former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, whose passionate following by evangelical Christians propelled him to the top of Iowa polls, and the better-funded campaign of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, the one-time front-runner who barraged Huckabee with negative ads in the closing week.

Meanwhile, three other candidates were locked in battle over who would win third-place bragging rights -- and get to ride a wave of positive publicity into Tuesday's New Hampshire primary. In caucus-eve polls, Senator John McCain of Arizona was statistically tied with former Senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee and US Representative Ron Paul of Texas.

The unexpected twists of the Iowa contest -- including the abrupt rise of the relatively unknown former governor of Arkansas and a late revival in the polls by McCain, who has also surged back into second place in New Hampshire -- left GOP candidates scrambling to figure out their next moves.

"Without a convincing win in Iowa, the fight is still on'' for the Republican nomination, said Jeffrey Berry, a political science professor at Tufts University.

At a noon rally today in a veterans' hall in Grinnell, Huckabee told a crowd of several hundred supporters that his likely strong showing would be a "seismic event" in the political world because he had been outspent "20 to 1" by Romney.

"We don't have to finish first here in order to feel like we've been successful, but . . . if we are able to win, it is an incredible testament of the revival of the American political system and the fact that when it gets down to it, individual votes still matter and money can't buy elections," Huckabee told reporters afterward.

Despite his popularity in Iowa, Huckabee faces a less-sympathetic audience in New Hampshire, where the GOP electorate is driven more by fiscal conservatism than social issues.

A win in Iowa by Romney, by contrast, would keep alive his strategy of securing the nomination by building momentum in the early primary and caucus states. A comeback victory over Huckabee would give Romney a boost headed to New Hampshire, where he enjoys a regional advantage because he was the governor of its neighbor.

But Romney is also facing a new threat from McCain, whose campaign appeared to be on life support last summer but has pulled within striking distance of besting Romney in New Hampshire.

DES MOINES -- The first results of the Iowa caucuses are starting to roll in at caucus headquarters in downtown Des Moines, where hundreds of media and campaign operatives have gathered into the evening.

Very few precincts are reporting at this point, but Mike Huckabee is leading Mitt Romney in the early returns, while John Edwards narrowly leads over Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. By all means, though, take these results with a grain of salt. Final tallies are expected by 11 p.m. EST for the Democrats, earlier for the Republicans.

By Marcella Bombardieri, Globe Staff

DES MOINES -- Tonight's Iowa caucuses will not decide who will ultimately be the Democratic presidential nominee, but the shortened window before Tuesday's New Hampshire primary means that the winner can expect a disproportionate boost and the second- and third-place finishers will be burdened with grave worries.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both have the money and national organization to stay in the race through Feb. 5, when almost half the states go to the polls, but the two senators still face the strong possibility that Iowa will create a domino effect. That is, unless they and John Edwards end up essentially tied in Iowa – an unusual outcome but one that polls suggest is a realistic possibility.

"Both have an opportunity to run the table. A good night for Obama will give him momentum, and a good night for Clinton will put her back in the driver's seat," Dean Spiliotes, a political analyst in New Hampshire, said before the caucus results were available. "If the two are neck-and-neck, then all bets are off."

Edwards, in contrast, is far weaker outside of Iowa, has less money, and probably needs to win in order to have a serious shot at the nomination, said Spiliotes and other analysts.

As the top three duked it out, there was what amounts to an entirely separate Democratic contest: for fourth place.

Senators Joe Biden and Chris Dodd and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson have all, in effect, acknowledged they needed to place at least fourth in Iowa to stay in the race.

"We think there are four tickets out of Iowa," said Tom Reynolds, a spokesman for Richardson. "The final four candidates are headed to New Hampshire and will be onstage at the ABC debate [tomorrow night], and we think we'll be one of them."

The Dodd campaign seemed today to be preparing for the possibility the Connecticut senator, who moved his family to Iowa for the final weeks of the campaign, would drop out of the race. He told Fox News that he "may be going to Hartford" Friday, when he presumably would announce his withdrawal.

A tracking poll released today showed Richardson in fourth with 7 percent, Biden in fifth with 5 percent, and Dodd in sixth with 1 percent. The Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll had Obama at 31 percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers, ahead of Edwards with 27 percent and Clinton at 24 percent.

Iowa is particularly important to Obama because it will help him win votes in New Hampshire from independents, said Stephen Ansolabehere, a political scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Clinton is leading in New Hampshire polls, and spokesman Doug Hattaway said that she should do well because "a broader sample of people" participate in the primary compared to the caucuses, which he said are attended by "an activist core."

Ansolabehere argued that Iowa and New Hampshire are less crucial to Clinton because she is polling so well in bigger Feb. 5 states like California and New York.

And what about the fourth ticket out of Iowa? Ansolabehere said it really doesn't matter.

"They don't have the resources, they don't have the organization, they don't have the popular appeal," he said. "So I just don't see any of them being credible right now."

By Charlie Savage, Globe Staff

DES MOINES -- It's 6:45 local time at the Embassy Suites, where Mike Huckabee's Iowa caucuses party will not officially begin for another 15 minutes.

But eight young Huckabee supporters are gathered in the middle of the ballroom floor, holding hands in a circle, as a young woman prays fervently to "lift Mike Huckabee up" and give him "victory tonight oh Lord" so that there can be prayer in schools and acceptance of Jesus Christ and an end to sin in Washington, etc.

She has been praying rapid-fire for at least 15 minutes. The prayer circle is in turn surrounded by a scrum of twice as many members of the media, sticking cameras between the Huckabee supporters' heads and lofting boom microphones into their midst. A campaign aide for the former Arkansas governor, wandering near the press table, said she's a volunteer "giving the media the story they want," he said, sighing.

A few minutes later, the circle sings "God Bless America" and break up. The woman who led the prayer said her name is Rebekah Swicegood, 22 and from Lowell, Ark. She said she plays harp at an area symphony and was home-schooled, as was everyone in her prayer circle.

She tells reporters that "Mike Huckabee is God's last chance for America."

By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Senator John McCain returned from Iowa to New Hampshire this afternoon, vowing that "we will win" Tuesday's primary in the Granite State.

Building on his momentum in recent days -- several polls show him neck-and-neck with Mitt Romney at the head of the pack -- McCain welcomed the late endorsement of New Hampshire Republican leader Ted Gatsas.

Gatsas, who greeted McCain at the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, said he is convinced McCain is the most prepared to handle national security.

McCain was also flanked by his wife and Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, the Connecticut independent, who both spent the day crisscrossing the state on his behalf.

Before boarding the "Straight Talk Express" for several more stops in Derry and Manchester tonight, McCain said he believes that his unexpected rise in the polls is evidence that voters are taking another look for an experienced candidate.

"I am the one with the experience and judgment to lead this nation in difficult times," he told the airport gathering.

The Arizona Republican, who won the New Hampshire primary in 2000, also credited recent newspaper endorsements, including the Boston Globe and Boston Herald, for "the momentum here."

"There are very large numbers of undecided voters here," he added.

Lieberman, waiting for McCain in the Wiggins Airways terminal, called his Senate colleague's rise in New Hampshire "a remarkable comeback."

Voters were "infatuated with one or more of the other candidates but they are coming back to McCain," Lieberman said.

DES MOINES – After barnstorming the state in recent days, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are taking it easy on caucus day, as they prepare for a big night and overnight flights to New Hampshire.

Clinton had lunch at Tursi’s Latin King restaurant today with her husband Bill, their daughter Chelsea, her mother, Dorothy Rodham, and an old family friend, Sarah Ehrman.

Ehrman regailed a pool reporter with the story of how she drove the young Hillary Rodham from Washington to Arkansas to be with Bill Clinton.

"All the way down, I was saying are you nuts? That guy is going to be a country lawyer. He'll never amount to anything. And she said 'I love him.' The rest," Ehrman chuckled, "is history."

Bill Clinton told a supporter about his day: "I took a little bit of a nap and took a walk in the cold."

Earlier, the former president ran into some reporters at Starbucks. According to Politico, he was lowering expectations for tonight, as the Clinton folks have been doing a lot in recent days.

“I didn’t win a race until I got to Georgia,” he said. “You just got to keep going. It is a long process.”

Meanwhile, Obama shook hands in a downtown food court. Although he had a lot of eager well-wishers, he did get one chilly question: is he an atheist?

"I'm a member of the Trinity United Church of Christ," Obama replied, according to a pool report. "Don't read e-mails."

He was referring to malicious rumors that he is either a nonbeliever or a radical Muslim.

"I hated having to ask him that," said the questioner, Zanata Moore-El. "But I heard he was like an atheist. I don't want a president who's an atheist. I'm a firm believer in God. I just really wanted to make sure because I really wanted to vote for him and he has some good topics and everything."

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Kerry Healey, Mitt Romney's former lieutenant governor, flew out to Iowa last night to help give him a final boost in Iowa.

We caught up with her this afternoon at the Polk County Convention Center in downtown Des Moines, where the press is gathering to begin covering tonight's caucus returns, and where Healey was doing a two-hour shift as one of a team of Romney surrogates hanging around to speak to the media.

She said she stopped by the campaign headquarters this morning, and planned to return later this afternoon to make some last-minute phone calls. Tonight, she'll be speaking on Romney's behalf at a caucus in Ankeny, a Des Moines suburb. (Each campaign is allowed to have a representative speak on the candidate's behalf for five minutes.)

Asked how she thought Romney would do tonight, she sought to lower expectations, as most of the campaigns are doing now.

"I'm cautiously optimistic, we have a strong ground game," she said. "I think we would like to win today, but we're also going to be happy with a strong finish one way or another."

And why does she think Mike Huckabee is ahead in the polls, despite the series of foreign policy related gaffes he has made in the last few weeks?

Healey would not speculate, but she said when voters get serious about the race, they will appreciate Romney's attributes -- "the gravitas, the intelligence, the well-informed nature of his foreign policy expertise," she said. "I think that those qualities will emerge as being more valuable than entertainment in the long run."

Healey has been busy since she lost the race for governor last year to Deval Patrick; she served as a fellow at Harvard University's Institute of Politics last spring and as a visiting fellow at Harvard's Center for Public Leadership in the fall. She has worked full-time on the Romney campaign since June, putting together his teams of policy experts on domestic and foreign policy, and, more recently, coming out to stump for him in Iowa several times.

So is she interested in a Washington job, should Romney get elected?

"I would always be honored to serve with the governor, but it's too soon to think about that," she said. "We have to pull out a good performance in Iowa and New Hampshire and the other early primary states before we can start thinking about things like that."

Fred Thompson fueled speculation this morning that a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses tonight might prompt him to drop out of the Republican race when he wouldn't definitely commit to going on to New Hampshire.

"At the end of the evening tonight, things are going to look differently for all of us," he told Tim Russert on MSNBC. "Some of us may get shellacked, some of may get a strong wind to our back. We've got to recognize the signals that we're being given and respond accordingly. I expect a strong win."

Then, there were reports that if he didn't finish at least third behind Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, he would withdraw and endorse John McCain.

But asked about the reports later on CNN, Thompson sought to knock them down.

"Any speculation as to what I may or may not do it's just totally that," he told John Roberts. "I mean, it's obviously some other campaigns thought it to their advantage to put that up. I've never said that. I've never implied that in public or in private, and we should take that for what it's worth.

"I'm not playing into any pessimistic scenario," Thompson continued. "I think we have a great opportunity, and there's going to be better than a lot of the so-called experts think. As I look back in 1980, in '88, to 2004, they were all wrong and some pretty important outcomes and you know, we've been getting big crowds."

In the final poll before the caucus, Thompson, with 11 percent, had passed McCain for third place. McCain is now tied with Ron Paul for fourth at 10 percent, according to the Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby tracking poll released today. Huckabee leads with 31 percent, widening his edge over Mitt Romney with 25 percent.

No matter what happens in tonight's caucuses in Iowa, you can bet the farm on one thing:

The candidates -- win or lose -- will not reprise Howard Dean's scream -- the primal yell by the former Vermont governor at his raucous post-caucus rally in 2004.

Even though he finished third, Dean listed all the states where his campaign would go, and then said it would take back the White House, before letting out that guttural scream. He was widely ridiculed, the scene was shared over the Internet, and the scream was turned into a rap video.

It marked the beginning of the end for Dean, who dropped out in February and whose campaign never made it to many of the states he cited.

He is now head of the Democratic National Committee, hoping that he can help whoever the nominee is reach the White House.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

DES MOINES -- With only hours to go before Iowans flock to caucuses, Mitt Romney is trying to lighten things up with a little humor.

"Tensions are getting high," Romney told employees at Principal Financial Group this morning. "I saw just the other day the chairman of Governor's Huckabee's campaign said he'd like to knock my teeth out. My only comment on that is -- don't touch the hair."

He got a good laugh from the several hundred employees. Romney was referring to remarks by Ed Rollins, the chairman of Mike Huckabee's campaign, who told the Washington Post: "What I have to do is make sure that my anger with a guy like Romney, whose teeth I want to knock out, doesn't get in the way of my thought process."

Romney was back in his element in the wood-paneled corporate auditorium. He talked about his experience as a venture capitalist and consultant and vowed to forge a "new generation of solutions to the challenges we face," particularly economic competition from Asia.

"We're in a battle for the best jobs in the world....It's taken a new twist," Romney said. "Now, we're competing with China and India, large populations, many of them well-educated, hard-working....We're going to have to raise the bar here, were going to have bring new solutions to be competitive."

In the final poll before Iowans caucus tonight, Barack Obama leads among Democrats and Mike Huckabee among Republicans.

The Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby tracking poll released today gives Obama the support of 31 percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers, ahead of John Edwards with 27 percent and Hillary Clinton at 24 percent. Bill Richardson was fourth with 7 percent, and Joe Biden next with 5 percent.

On the GOP side, Huckabee leads with 31 percent, widening his edge over Mitt Romney, who has 25 percent. Fred Thompson, with 11 percent, has passed John McCain for third place. McCain is now tied with Ron Paul for fourth at 10 percent, according to the poll.

The tracking survey combines polling from Sunday through Wednesday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points for each party.

It's game on in New Hampshire for Mitt Romney and John McCain, just hours after the results in the Iowa GOP caucuses are announced tonight.

According to schedules their campaigns released today, Romney plans to fly back from Iowa and arrive in Portsmouth, N.H., at 2 a.m. Friday and have his first of a full schedule of events at the Golden Egg Diner in Portsmouth at 7:30 a.m.

McCain is already stumping today in New Hampshire, but plans to talk to Iowa supporters and reporters about the caucus tonight from Manchester. He also has a full day of events in the Granite State on Friday.

Then both will take part in the debate Saturday night, hosted by Saint Anslem College and sponsored by ABC, WMUR, and Facebook, and another debate Sunday night, also at Saint Anslem, sponsored by Fox News. The primary is on Tuesday. A CNN/WMUR poll released Wednesday showed McCain and Romney tied at 29 percent, with Rudy Giuliani a distant third at 12 percent.

McCain today also began airing a new TV ad in New Hampshire that reminds voters they helped him pull off an upset in 2000 over George W. Bush and that appeals for their assistance again.

"Eight years ago, New Hampshire stunned the political world," he says in the spot, titled "Better Prepared." "You turned convention on its head because you didn't care what the experts or the media said.

"My friends, it's a different time, but it's the same place," McCain continues. "You haven't changed and neither have I. But the issues are tougher and the times more dangerous. I've learned a lot in eight years. And I feel better prepared than ever to lead this country. Once again, I need your help."

Mitt Romney is using surrogates to criticize John McCain, his main rival in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

But instead of elected officials, a new TV ad uses real people.

One man starts out praising McCain's war record in Vietnam, but then others quickly follow with a litany of criticisms: His record in the US Senate leaves "a lot to be desired." He voted against tax cuts. He supported "amnesty" for illegal immigrants. He didn't listen to the American people. He's had his chance in Washington.

The ad marks a departure for Romney's campaign, which has attacked McCain in New Hampshire and Mike Huckabee in Iowa with TV ads where an announcer contrasts their records with Romney's.

Romney, meanwhile, isn't getting a whole lot of love from newspapers. The New Hampshire Union Leader, which endorsed McCain, had another editorial today blasting Romney, this time on his deficiencies on foreign policy experience.

And McCain also won the endorsement today of the Detroit News, a major newspaper in Michigan, where Romney was born and raised. Michigan Republicans vote on Jan. 15.

The endorsement editorial says the next president needs to deal with terrorism without destroying civil liberties, needs to rein in spending, and needs to find bipartisan solutions to immigration, healthcare, and other issues. It says that McCain is the "candidate who is best qualified to lead the nation. ... McCain's long-time presidential ambitions are at last aligned with the needs of the nation."

The News calls Romney "an appealing candidate with considerable depth on key issues. He has Michigan roots and the best understanding of the automotive industry of any candidate. He brings an analytical bent and a business executive's tools to politics, admirable traits that would bring advantage to governing.

"Unfortunately, Romney hasn't campaigned hard enough on those strengths," the editorial says. "Instead, he has panted after the GOP's most conservative values voters, taking hard-line stands on gay marriage and abortion in conflict to his earlier positions as governor of Massachusetts. The result is that many voters will wonder if they're seeing the real Romney."

Today, McCain also launched a new TV ad in Michigan in which he brags about fighting lobbyists and special interests on campaign finance reform, battling with the Pentagon on US strategy in Iraq, and upsetting his own colleagues by railing against pork barrel spending.

"I don't like the business as usual crowd in Washington," he says in the spot, similar to one he has run in New Hampshire. "But I love America. I love her enough to make some people angry."

In the most recent Michigan poll, published by the Detroit News last month, Romney led with 21 percent and McCain was in fourth with 10 percent, behind Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson.

One benefit of going on a late-night show that has no writers? You get treated to a nice, long, nationally-televised interview. Mike Huckabee might have had to face the wrath of picketing Writers Guild of America members on the way to the "Tonight Show With Jay Leno" studio today, but he managed to score a friendly national forum on the eve of the Iowa Caucuses. (According to the Associated Press, Huckabee claimed that he didn't know he'd be crossing a picket line, saying he thought there was "a sort of dispensation given to the late-night shows." There wasn't. But David Letterman, who owns his show, made a separate deal with the writers' guild. So Hillary Clinton didn't cross the writers when she made a brief cameo from Iowa in the opening of "Late Night.")

As for Huckabee? He endured gentle jokes about his weight loss and his rock-band days. He played bass with the band. He dove into a lengthy description of the national sales tax. And he managed to fit in a few swings at rival Mitt Romney. According to a transcript provided by NBC, Leno asked about Huckabee's press conference this week, in which he announced that he wasn't going to air a negative ad. Huckabee said he'd been outspent by Romney, spending $400,000 on ads compared to Romney's "8 or 9 million." (Not all of those Romney ads were negative, but Huckabee didn't distinguish.)

"It's a substantial difference," Huckabee said. "We just kept getting hammered with negative television ads, negative radio ads, and mail pieces. And finally decided, 'We had better answer this, or somebody is going to believe all this stuff."

"So they work, negative ads," Leno said.

"Well, they seemed to," Huckabee said. "Then he started hammering John McCain over in New Hampshire. John McCain may be a rival of mine in the presidential race, but I have nothing but respect for him. He's a great American hero. I think he's a great American and a wonderful man, and a great guy.

The audience applauded.

Huckabee then said that after making the ad, "I needed to go take a shower or something like that or give Romney a shower maybe. I don't know."

"So then you get a little conscience saying not to," Leno asked, "but then why show it to the press at the press conference?"

"Well, they were very cynical about it, but the point is, if we hadn't shown it, they would have said, 'You didn't have an ad. You're just bluffing us,'" Huckabee said. "If I had really wanted to be disingenuous what I would have done is run the ad for three days and then said, 'Oh, I have a conscience now. I think I'm going to pull it.'"

"You did that very well," Leno said, mimicking Huckabee. "'Oh, I have a conscience.'"

DES MOINES -- Iowa voters have no doubt had their fill of candidates' TV ads -- as we write this, a commercial break on the local NBC affiliate had four commercials, all political: an ad for Hillary Clinton, two for Joe Biden, and one from a 527 group on behalf of John Edwards.

But Barack Obama, like Clinton and Edwards, is airing one final spot during the news tonight. The ad is a subdued two-minute plea for caucus-goers.

"You've heard from all of us, and read our plans," Obama says. "You've been bombarded with mailings and phone calls, and you'll be glad to know this is one of the last times you'll hear me say, 'I'm Barack Obama, and I approve this message.'"

He continues, "But the question you have to ask yourself when you walk into that caucus tomorrow is this – who can take us in a fundamentally new direction? I'm running to finally solve problems we talk about year after year after year. To end the division, the obscene influence of lobbyists, and the politics that values scoring points over making progress. We can't afford more of that, not this year, not now."

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- You get the sense that if the Census were taken right now, Iowa would pick up at least a couple Congressmen.

That's because of all the out-of-state activists, media, campaign operatives, and so-called political tourists who have descended on this frigid, friendly state in advance of tomorrow's caucuses. There are thousands of them -- or perhaps we should say thousands of us -- roaming the streets.

Tina Ward-Pugh, 47, came all the way from Louisville, Ky., where she runs a home-repair business and serves on the City Council. She's been here since last week helping Hillary Clinton do whatever is needed -- phone-banking, canvassing, pinning on her many Clinton buttons to chat up voters at diners, pubs, and restaurants. When Bill Clinton appeared the other day in Carlisle, outside of Des Moines, Ward-Pugh directed traffic, which she found amusing given that she had no idea where she was.

Ward-Pugh said this is the most involved she's ever been in a political campaign, because she believes Clinton is the right candidate for the country. It is time, she said, that a woman won the presidency. "This is our shot," she said after a Clinton appearance here this morning at First United Methodist Church.

On Friday, Ward-Pugh will drive back to Louisville to drop off some friends, then head north to New Hampshire for its primary, south to South Carolina for its vote, and then to Tennessee. She hopes that by the time she's back in Louisville, she can say proudly that she helped Clinton win the nomination.

DAVENPORT, Iowa -- If a very unscientific survey of Iowans at Hillary Clinton events around the state today is any indication, computer screens will be glowing across the state late into the night tonight as an incredible number of undecided voters cram in last minute homework about the candidates before tomorrow’s caucus.

The Des Moines Register poll the other day had only six percent of caucus-goers undecided, but the Clinton campaign’s internal numbers suggest it could be as high as 21 percent.

And in interviews with voters who came out to see Clinton today, there was a common refrain: I’m going to go home and do my research.

Kathy Eberlein, a 48-year-old school psychologist, saw John Edward the other day and Clinton this evening. “I think both are great,” she said.

She likes that Edwards doesn’t take money from lobbyists. She thinks Clinton is the most experienced, but worries the country is not ready to elect a woman president.

So Eberlein expects to spend two or three hours online tonight, reading up on the candidates’ websites and looking around for unbiased views and newspaper articles. She’ll be especially scrutinizing their health care plans.

She believes strongly in the importance of caucusing, but just doesn’t know what to do 24 hours from now.

“I just have to think about it more,” she said, a little grimly.

By Brian C. Mooney, Globe Staff

Sagging in the polls, presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani's campaign will air a new television ad designed to focus attention on what may be the Republican's trump card -- his image as a leader willing to take on terrorists.

The 30-second spot (watch it here) invokes the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 on the World Trade Center, when Giuliani was mayor of New York City. It will begin airing nationally on Fox News Channel and on stations in New Hampshire on Thursday, when Iowa voters will be caucusing. Giuliani has aired no ads in Iowa and has campaigned only sporadically there.

Instead, he has campaigned in New Hampshire, which votes Tuesday, and focused on Florida, which will hold its primary on Jan. 29 and where Giuliani is scheduled to attend a rally late Thursday.

The ad features a narrator describing the dangers and chaos caused by terrorism as video clips of fires, explosions, and angry mobs fill the screen.

"An enemy without borders. Hate without boundaries. A people perverted. A religion betrayed. A nuclear power in chaos. Madmen bent on creating it," the announcer says, as an image of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad flashes on the screen.

"Leaders assassinated," the narrator continues, as an image of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto appears. "Democracy attacked. And Osama bin Laden still making threats." Video appears of the Al Qaeda leader, crouching and firing an assault rifle, then a fleeting picture of a lone piece of wreckage standing after the World Trade Center towers collapsed.

"In a world where the next crisis is a moment away, America needs a leader who's ready," the announcer concludes, then a photo of Giuliani looking steadfast appears.

Mitt Romney's campaign gives Chuck Norris, Mike Huckabee's most famous supporter, the same treatment as the candidate in a new web-only ad.

Though it's in the same format as Romney's ads contrasting his stands and record on crime and immigration with Huckabee, it includes humor, or at least attempts at humor.

The spot starts with photos of Norris, the action movie actor, and Huckabee as the announcer says, "Two good men. Both into fitness. Both love Chuck Norris." The fitness reference is a sly aside to Huckabee slimming down dramatically and now training for the Boston Marathon.

But then the ad says Norris and Huckabee differ on crime. While Norris opposes any pardons and "subdues criminal with just an icy stare," Huckabee issued more than 1,000 pardons and commutations as Arkansas governor.

"Now who deserves a round house kick," the announcer ends as a cartoon-like "POW!" appears over Huckabee's face.

DES MOINES – The handmade posters all over a drab Hillary Clinton field office said more than the candidate did herself when she stopped in today with daughter Chelsea to thank staff and volunteers for all their hard work.

One was titled “Components of Persuasion,” and offered some basic advice for canvassers who are knocking on thousands upon thousands of doors this week:

* Listen and be polite

* Find similarities and common ground

* Explain your support for Hillary!

* If they are disinterested, move on. There are plenty of other people to chat with.

Scattered around the room were signs bearing the names of ice cream flavors – chocolate, vanilla, cookie dough and mint chocolate chip. They were left over from a training for precinct captains: each flavor represented a candidate, and the captains were asked to move to the corner of the room for their favorite flavor so as to be properly counted.

Forty percent of Clinton’s precinct captains – organizational leaders at the caucus – have never caucused before or haven’t caucused in years, so many of them will need to dry run.

Sources tell us mint chocolate chip was the victor.

Also indicative of life on a presidential campaign was the “Wish List.” It included “healthy snacks, fruits and veggies,” paper shredder, “cowbell (urgent)”, which had been crossed off, and “wooden stakes!!”

While sprinting to the finish in Iowa, Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Edwards today both launched new TV ads in New Hampshire.

Clinton's spot (watch it here) lists laudatory comments from her newspaper endorsements in the Granite State, including one from the Concord Monitor that says of her: A "unique combination of smarts, experience and toughness makes her the best choice to win the November election and truly get things done."

Edwards counters with an ad showing him making his populist appeal at a campaign rally in New Hampshire.

"Corporate greed has infiltrated everything that’s happening in this democracy," he says in the ad. "It's time for us to say, 'We're not going to let our children's future be stolen by these people.' I have never taken a dime from a Washington lobbyist or a special interest PAC and I'm proud of that."

In a new CNN/WMUR survey, Clinton leads a week before the Jan. 8 primary, with 34 percent support among likely voters. Barack Obama is in second with 30 percent, and Edwards is in third with 17 percent. Each hopes a win, or at least a strong showing in Thursday's Iowa caucuses, will give them a boost in New Hampshire.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

BETTENDORF, Iowa -- Mitt Romney was closing out his campaign in Iowa today, but his mind was clearly on New Hampshire.

Even as he offered paeans to the voters of Iowa and the importance of their caucus on Thursday, he laced into his chief rival in New Hampshire, Senator John McCain of Arizona.

"With regards to Senator McCain, I think he was just wrong to vote against the Bush tax cuts twice," Romney said at a press conference at Bettendorf Middle School, unprompted by a question from the press. "He continues to defend that vote. He continues to believe it was the right thing to vote no on the Bush tax cuts, despite the fact that the Bush tax cuts helped working families, helped people meet their obligations. It also helped rebuild our economy in a time we'd gone into an economic tailspin."

He also criticized McCain for supporting a failed plan last summer that would have allowed illegal immigrants a pathway to citizenship.

"He was the final champion of that last bill that came before the Senate that would have said to every illegal alien in this country, 'You get to stay here forever,' " Romney said, to scattered boos from a few supporters assembled for the press conference. "In my opinion, that's a wrong course."

Romney was making the first stop of a multi-county airplane tour of Iowa today -- part of his attempt to generate momentum before the caucuses and cover media markets across Iowa. Romney said he was excited for Thursday's caucuses.

"It's like Christmas morning and you want to run down and open the present and see what you got and hope it's not a lump of coal," Romney said. "I can't wait for tomorrow at 7:30, as we'll begin to get some early reports."

He also took a jab at his chief rival in Iowa, Mike Huckabee, for flying to Los Angeles today to appear on the "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno.

"I think Mike is more concerned about the caucus in Los Angeles," he said.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

AMES, Iowa -- Doug Gross, the chairman of Mitt Romney’s campaign in Iowa, said today it is focusing on turning out its supporters Thursday night, placing 22,000 phone calls just on Tuesday in an attempt to make sure the more than 50,000 Romney supporters they have identified show up.

"This is all about a ground game," Gross told reporters. "And the bottom line is whoever does the best job at turning out is going to win this thing. And we think we have the best organization… We’ve been working the last year, year and a half, on organization, and we’re very pleased about the way it’s being executed."

Gross said Huckabee is relying more on preexisting networks of home-schoolers and churches to get his supporters to the caucuses. He also expressed serious concern that the latest Des Moines Register poll said about 50 percent of caucus goers will be evangelical Christians. He said Huckabee is likely to capture support from 70 to 80 percent of that group.

"If 50 percent of the turnout is evangelical Christians, it would be very difficult for us to finish first in that kind of situation," Gross said. "In that instance, I’d feel very good about a nice, strong second-place finish."

Democrat Dennis Kucinich, who has all but conceded the Iowa caucuses, is ramping up for the New Hampshire primary.

He told his Iowa supporters Tuesday that if at their precinct on Thursday, they don't reach the 15 percent threshold of all those in attendance, they should back Barack Obama as their second choice.

Today, he is starting to air his first TV ads in New Hampshire, calling himself a "real Democrat" and outlining his views on foreign policy and a government-run healthcare system. Radio versions began airing Tuesday, when his campaign said it also sent more than 200,000 automated phone messages to Democratic and independent voters.

"It is important for voters to know what I stand for, and that my vision and ideas for the future of our great country includes all Americans," Kucinich said in a statement.

While his rivals campaign in Iowa, Kucinich plans to be in New Hampshire the rest of the week, leading up to the Jan. 8 primary. In the new CNN/WMUR poll, the Ohio congressman is in sixth place with 2 percent, far behind the leaders, HiIlary Clinton with 34 percent and Barack Obama with 30 percent.

"We have an opportunity here in New Hampshire in this last week to create genuine excitement among voters looking for a Real Democrat," said Kucinich. "People are finding that I am tough and independent-minded, and that I can't be bought or bossed."

By Michael Kranish, Globe Staff

PEMBROKE, N.H. -- John McCain is 71 years old, but the issue of his age comes up only occasionally at his town meetings. That is why a query this morning at Pembroke Academy was striking. A woman asked whether McCain had the stamina to serve as president for eight years.

McCain responded by leaving open the possibility that, if he is elected, he might not seek re-election.

"If I said I was running for eight years, I'm not sure that would be a vote getter," McCain said shortly before leaving New Hampshire for Iowa.

While no candidate wants to suggest he is looking past the upcoming election, McCain's response fell into a different category because it suggested that a focus on his age might hurt him politically. If McCain wins, he would be the oldest person ever inaugurated as president.

McCain at times likes to joke about his age, saying, "I am older than dirt and have more scars than Frankenstein." Today, he reminded voters about his vigorous 95-year-old mother, which he said "shows how good my genes are."

"My health is good, my campaign schedule is heavier than anybody else's, and I’ve said many times I can out-campaign anybody," McCain said. "I think the decision as to whether to run for re-election has to do with the circumstances at the time. I really do. You shouldn't run for eight years. Because then you think you've got eight years to get these things done."

Asked in a press conference to elaborate on his comment about not running for eight years, McCain said that every president evaluates his progress after two or three years and that he would be no different.

McCain's performance on the campaign trail leaves no doubt that he remains a vigorous candidate. He often starts campaigning early in the morning, spends hours on his bus talking with reporters, and attends several town meetings, where he stands on his feet for an hour at each appearance.

McCain's relentless campaigning has paid off in New Hampshire, at least if the polls are an indication. He has surged from back in the pack. A new CNN/WMUR poll shows McCain tied with long-time front-runner Mitt Romney at 29 percent, with Rudy Giuliani in third with 12 percent, a week before the Jan. 8 primary.

McCain plans to fly later today to Iowa, where a Des Moines Register poll published Tuesday shows him in third place, behind Mike Huckabee and Romney. After the Iowa caucuses on Thursday, he plans to return to New Hampshire on Friday. Asked yesterday whether he has to win New Hampshire, McCain said that he needs to win the expectations game. He said that a second-place win could be perceived as a win if the media focuses on his comeback from last summer, when his campaign was declared dead by some analysts.

John McCain -- or at least his surrogates and endorsers -- continued the assault on Mitt Romney today.

Lindsey Graham, McCain's US Senate colleague from South Carolina, called Romney "naive" for saying on Fox News last weekend that foreign policy experience isn't a prerequisite for the next president.

"The next president of the United States will face some of the most monumental foreign policy challenges in our nation's history," Graham said in a statement issued by McCain's campaign. "Because of this, I believe foreign policy experience matters. For Governor Romney to say otherwise is naive."

McCain also launched a new web-only ad (watch it here) that calls itself a "Mitt Romney issue alert" on foreign policy.

It shows Romney saying, "Well, if we want somebody who has a lot of experience in foreign policy we can simply go to the State Department."

Then the announcer says, "Is he serious? We live in a dangerous world. And these are serious times. America needs a President who is serious about foreign policy. John McCain is he one man prepared to lead America in a time of crisis."

Romney's campaign responded by issuing a statement from US Representative Pete Hoekstra of Michigan, the top Republican on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, who has been campaigning with Romney in Iowa.

"Senator McCain is an honorable man but his recent attacks on Governor Romney are a stretch," Hoekstra said. "In challenging times, we need a leader who can guide America and chart a course to overcome the threats our country faces today. Governor Romney is the only presidential candidate who has outlined a comprehensive strategy for leading America forward and defeating the global jihadist threat. He will build a stronger military, develop a new counter-terrorism force, and work with our allies and partners around the world to help nations reject jihadism."

The New Hampshire Union Leader, whose endorsement of McCain helped resurrect his campaign, hit Romney again in a front-page editorial that accused him of running dishonest ads about McCain's stand on immigration, specifically Social Security benefits.

"With gloves off, Romney distorts," says the headline on the web version.

Romney has been slashing McCain in ads on taxes and spending, as well as immigration, and arguing that the former Massachusetts governor is the true conservative in the race.

A new CNN/WMUR poll shows Romney and McCain tied at 29 percent, with Rudy Giuliani in third with 12 percent, a week before the Jan. 8 primary.

In her closing pitch to Iowa Democrats, Hillary Clinton will argue that she is the most ready to be president and tackle the pressing problems facing the country.

"After all the town meetings, the pie and coffee, it comes down to this: Who is ready to be president and ready to start solving the big challenges we face on day one?" Clinton says in the unusual two-minute message, which will air during the 6 p.m. local newscasts on TV stations across Iowa. Her campaign released it this morning.

"I'm not running for president to put Band-aids on our problems," she says. "I'm running to solve them."

America is at a crossroads, she said, on issues such as ending the Iraq war, enacting a new energy policy, rebuilding the middle class, and bringing affordable quality health care to all Americans.

She thanks Iowans for sharing their stories, then closes with a direct appeal to them, saying, "If you stand with me for one night, I will stand up for you every day as your president."

Clinton's principal rivals, Barack Obama and John Edwards, have both said she isn't the best positioned to bring real change because she is too polarizing and too tied to the Washington establishment.

And the Republican National Committee quickly weighed in with its own retort:

"Hillary Clinton closes her campaign in Iowa by claiming that she will solve problems. What Clinton won't tell Iowans is that her proposed 'solutions' would result in devastating tax hikes, socialized medicine, and a weakened national defense. At the end of the day, voters -- including increasing numbers of Democrats -- know that they can't trust Senator Clinton to be honest and upfront about her flawed policy proposals."

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – Hillary Clinton has been in good form today, whipping up crowds all around the state with energy she hasn’t shown in awhile. But the real action at this point is not in the conference halls and auditoriums, but on frigid doorsteps across the state.

Sixty percent of Clinton’s committed Iowa supporters have never been to a caucus before. That’s a huge number of people who have no track record with Iowa’s quirky and arduous political system.

If a high percentage of them turn out, they could well carry Clinton to victory. But if many of them decide that it’s too cold out, or that the idea of standing up for a candidate in front of their neighbors is intimidating – reasons that have probably held them back from caucusing in the past -- she could easily lose.

Clinton’s traveling press secretary, Jay Carson, just handed out what he called a “treat” to the press corps, a thick, glossy paper door hanger, which he explained campaign volunteers are carrying to the doors of all of Clinton’s committed supporters and many of those who still seem susceptible to their pitch – to try to keep them locked in.

That’s “thousands and thousands and thousands” of people, he said, although to give an actual number would be to reveal a trade secret.

“In Iowa, the contest for the Democratic nomination is as close as it has ever been,” the flier reads. “If just one out of every three Hillary supporters decides not to participate in the Iowa caucuses, we won’t be successful.”

Then there’s a space for the volunteer canvassers to write in the location of the Iowan’s caucus.

New York Senator Hillary Clinton campaigns with her mother and daughter Tuesday at the Sioux City Art Center in Sioux City, Iowa. (Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images)

DES MOINES -- As a new poll showed Senator Barack Obama opening up a modest lead over his rivals, the Democratic presidential candidates today kicked off 2008 by making their final pitches to voters across Iowa.

Though Obama's opponents questioned the accuracy of The Des Moines Register survey, which gave him a seven-percentage-point edge over Senator Hillary Clinton, Obama was buoyant as he charged up his troops at a morning rally in Des Moines. But he also warned against complacency.

"The polls are not enough," the Illinois senator told a crowd of 1,000 at Roosevelt High School, as supporters hoisted the Register's front page over their heads. "The only thing that counts is whether or not you show up to caucus."

That is the challenge for all the Democratic campaigns as they head into Thursday's caucuses, where the results will hinge on organization, turnout, and even the weather. The forecast: Sunny, windy, and a relatively balmy 31 degrees for a high.

While Obama was claiming momentum from the Register poll, his opponents, including former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, who placed third, tried to discredit the results. They argued that the survey relied too heavily on first-time caucus-goers, and that it reflected an unrealistic expectation of how many Republicans and independents would participate in Democratic caucuses.

Campaigning in Ames today, Clinton expressed confidence in her chances, saying, "I don't know about you, but I am feeling great!"

Later, at an arts center in Sioux City, she turned her platform into a rallying cry, shouting, "Are you ready for change? Are you ready for universal health care for every single American? Are you ready for home-grown energy that is going to put Americans to work right here? Are you ready to end the war in Iraq and bring our troops home as quickly and responsibly as we can?"

Edwards was also in Ames, kicking off a 36-hour "Marathon for the Middle Class" tour and highlighting 36 proposals – such as raising the minimum wage to $9.50 and strengthening labor laws -- to help working families.

Marcella Bombardieri of the Globe staff contributed to this report.

Even as he stumps across Iowa in search of every possible supporter in Thursday's caucuses, Mitt Romney today launched a new TV ad in New Hampshire.

Like his latest ad in Iowa, the new Granite State ad is positive, and it is more forward-looking than other Romney ads.

"No one votes for yesterday," Romney says in the spot. "We vote for tomorrow. Every election is about the future. Many are pessimistic. I'm not. In the next ten years, we'll see more progress, more change than the world has seen in the last ten centuries.

"Our next president must unleash the promise and innovation of the American people," he continues. "I'm ready for the challenge. The future begins now."

It's another example of how the accelerated, truncated nomination calendar -- which brings the New Hampshire primary just five days after Iowa -- is forcing candidates to fight a two-front battle. Romney, in particular, is going up against Mike Huckabee in Iowa while competing against John McCain in New Hampshire.

McCain, meanwhile, unveiled a new web-only ad that contrasts his experience on foreign policy with Romney's.

After complaining about Romney's attack ads on him, the spot is hard-hitting. It features images of victims of terrorist attacks, then shows Al Qaeda militants, guns raised in the air.

"Mitt Romney says the next president doesn't need foreign policy experience," the announcer says, citing a comment that Romney made on Fox News Channel on Saturday. "John McCain for president."

The McCain campaign today also sent to reporters, via e-mail, a copy of the opinion piece in today's New York Times by conservative commentator David Brooks, who says that Romney, by "earnestly and methodically" reshaping himself to appeal to key Republican constituencies, has made himself unpopular with young voters, middle-class voters, and independents and cannot win the general election.

"In turning himself into an old-fashioned, orthodox Republican, he has made himself unelectable in the fall," Brooks writes. "When you look inside his numbers, you see tremendous weaknesses."

Romney hit back this afternoon with his own web-only ad, highlighting his endorsement by the National Review, which said Romney is the "full-spectrum conservative" in the Republican race.

"The National Review had it right," an announcer says. "Senator McCain is 'a hero' and a strong supporter of the war in Iraq. But McCain 'is not as conservative as Romney.' "

By Charlie Savage, Globe Staff

DES MOINES -- Misstatements about the crisis in Pakistan by Mike Huckabee, the leader in polls of Republicans heading into Thursday's Iowa caucuses, have been a major focus in the GOP race during the past week. Today Senator Joe Biden of Delaware tried to inject the same issue into the Democratic side of the campaign.

Making his closing arguments before a packed crowd at a downtown bar, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman argued that he, alone among the Democratic contenders, has the experience and knowledge "to know exactly what to do" from his first day in office about tough foreign policy issues.

To underscore his point, Biden took a swipe at rivals for recent statements which he said showed they aren't ready to deal with problems in Pakistan -- the nuclear-armed Muslim nation where last week's assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has unleashed chaos -- as well as he is.

"We have a number of candidates who are well-intended, but don't even understand Pakistan," Biden said.

Biden did not name his rivals, but made clear that his main focus was Senator Hillary Clinton of New York.

"One of the leading candidates said -- God love her," Biden began. The crowd laughed -- Clinton is the only woman in the race -- prompting Biden to say, "Good people are running!" before continuing:

"But to say Musharraf is up for election! Musharraf was elected --fairly or unfairly -- president six months ago. It's a parliamentary election" that is coming up in Pakistan, Biden said.

The Biden campaign later supplied two instances to the Globe in which it said Clinton mistakenly suggested that President Pervez Musharraf is on the ballot in upcoming elections in Pakistan.

On Dec. 28, during an interview on CNN, Clinton said, "If President Musharraf wishes to stand for election, then he should abide by the same rules that every other candidate will have to follow."

And on Dec. 30, during an interview on ABC's "This Week," Clinton responded to a question about whether Musharraf should step down by saying, "He could be the only person on the ballot. I don't think that's a real election."

Biden added yesterday: "To say there hasn't been a peaceful transfer of power and that it's always bloody -- not true! The last 19 years in Pakistan there has been a peaceful transition of power. How can you lead immediately if you don't know these basic facts?"

Clinton, who has repeatedly argued that her experience makes her "ready to lead from day one," stated that Pakistan is "not a country that has had a history of peaceful successions" during the Dec. 30 "This Week" appearance.

The Clinton campaign quickly fired back, arguing that in a Dec. 27 appearance on MSNBC Biden made a similar mistake. He said that "Bhutto, I'm convinced, would have won a significant majority" in the upcoming election, when he instead should have said "Bhutto's party."

Biden also attacked "another one of my colleagues, a good friend, a good man" for saying that the US should send Vice President Cheney to Pakistan to persuade Musharraf to step aside and let a coalition government take over.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Biden said, as the Democratic crowd laughed at the mere mention of Cheney's name. "The architect of the failed policy with Pakistan and we're going to send him to sit down with Musharraf to work this out?"

The suggestion that Bush should send Cheney as a high-level envoy to Pakistan was made last week by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who has also touted his foreign policy experience. Richardson noted that Musharraf might listen to Cheney because they two "are buddies."

In the Des Moines Register poll published today, Biden was in fifth place, with the support of four percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers.

Ron Paul said today his presidential campaign raised nearly $20 million in the last three months of 2007 from 130,000 donors.

His haul is far above the campaign's $12 million goal for the fourth quarter, Oct. 1-Dec. 31. And while his Republican rivals have not disclosed their fund-raising totals, Paul's total is nearly double the most any of them raised in the third quarter -- about $10.5 million for Rudy Giuliani and $10 million for Mitt Romney. Paul brought in nearly $5.3 million that quarter.

Paul's campaign said that more than 107,000 donors were new and the average donation was about $90. More than half of the total came from two 24-hour online fund-raising events organized by supporters -- one on Nov. 5, and the second centered in Boston on Dec. 16.

"Only Dr. Paul has the ability to inspire Americans to contribute and take action that is necessary if Republicans want to defeat the Democrats in November," campaign manager Kent Snyder said in a statement.

Paul's fund-raising success, however, has not translated into the polls. And his low standing is freezing him out of a Fox News debate Sunday in New Hampshire, though he and his supporters are protesting that decision.

John McCain has moved ahead of Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton has widened her lead over Barack Obama, according to a new poll of New Hampshire voters.

The 7News/Suffolk University survey released today says McCain leads among likely Republican voters with 31 percent, ahead of Romney with 25 percent and Rudy Giuliani with 14 percent. Among Democratic voters, Clinton leads 36 percent to 22 percent over Obama, with John Edwards in third with 14 percent.

The poll was conducted Thursday through Monday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.65 percentage points. Other recent polls in New Hampshire have shown closer races on both sides before the Jan. 8 primary.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

JOHNSTON, Iowa -- As a new Des Moines Register poll showed him trailing Mike Huckabee in Iowa, Mitt Romney also launched a fresh attack, criticizing the former Arkansas governor for suggesting that President Bush did not read the National Intelligence Estimate for four years.

"That's obviously completely inaccurate and wrong.," Romney said, unprompted by a question from reporters. "The president has kept us safe over these last six years and is extraordinarily well-versed in matters of foreign policy. I'm not sure whether Governor Huckabee did the attack as a joke, but this is not a time to be mocking our president. And it was, I think, in bad taste. I think we should come together and recognize the great work our president is doing and not take on our rhetoric or our plays from the Democratic playbook."

Romney was seizing on a report in today’s Quad City Times, in which Huckabee defended himself against accusations that he lacked familiarity with the National Intelligence Estimate last month that suggested that Iran ended its nuclear weapons program in 2003.

"The whole perception was based on an ambush question on the NIE report," Huckabee told the newspaper Monday. "From there, it was like, 'Wow.' That was released at 10 o'clock in the morning. At 5:30 in the afternoon, somebody says, 'Have you read the report?' Maybe I should've said, 'Have you read the report?' President Bush didn't read it for four years; I don't know why I should read it in four hours."

Kicking off a series of house parties, Romney has been casting himself as the serious alternative to the wisecracking former Arkansas governor. He has talked repeatedly about the weighty matters facing America -- radical violent jihad, the war in Iraq, the assassination last week of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Romney, who only Monday was talking about victory in Iowa, was more circumspect about his prospects today.

"There are a lot of polls going in different directions as you know," Romney said. "There's the CNN poll, the Zogby poll, the Register poll. They all say different things. It just points out that this one is just too close to call and I think it's going to get decided on Thursday in a way that will probably surprise all of us. I anticipate either getting the gold or the silver. I'd like the gold."

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

JOHNSTON, Iowa -- Mitt Romney said today that he donated more of his personal fortune to his campaign in the fourth quarter, which closed yesterday, but he refused to disclose the amount.

"I'm sure I made additional contributions in the fourth quarter, but I don't have any numbers for you," Romney said in a news conference in the basement of a home, where he had just held a house party. "And we're not going to get into the numbers probably until some time in the middle of the month. Right now, we're focused on voters."

As of Sept. 30, Romney reported loaning his campaign $17.4 million, far more than any of his Republican rivals. The former head of Bain Capital is worth between $190 million and $250 million. He reported spending about $45 million through the third quarter.

Peppered with questions after the press conference, Romney spokesman Eric Fehnrstrom challenged the notion that Iowans want to know how much money Romney has spent.

"We've had dozens and dozens of town hall meetings in Iowa -- not one question about how much money," Fehrnstrom said.

John Edwards, pressing his populist anger in the final days before the Iowa caucuses, is returning to a familiar tale in a new TV spot and newspaper ad -- layoffs at the Maytag plant in Newton, Iowa.

The TV ad is to begin airing Wednesday, while the newspaper ad appeared in today's Des Moines Register. They both feature Doug Bishop, who lost his job in September 2004 and who relates his story of meeting Edwards.

"This is something I'll never forget -- he grabbed my seven-year-old son by the hand, he dropped to one knee, and he looked him straight in the eye and he said, 'I'm going to keep fighting for your daddy's job, I promise you that.'

"You know, that stuff sticks with you," Bishop continues. "That's the kind of thing we need in a leader in this country. Not somebody that's going to go to a big fund-raiser and say, 'Write me a check for $2,300, and I'll let you know you have my support.'

"I want a guy that's going to sit down and look a seven year-old kid in the eye," Bishop says, choking up, "and tell him, 'I'm going to fight for your dad's job.' That's what I want."

And if enough Iowa Democrats agree on Thursday, Edwards's presidential hopes will take a huge step forward.

The Hillary Clinton campaign is questioning the validity of the new Des Moines Register poll that shows Democratic rival Barack Obama widening his lead just days before the crucial caucuses.

In the Register's final Iowa Poll before Thursday's contest, Obama led with 32 percent, while Clinton stayed at 25 percent and John Edwards stood at 24 percent. Obama rose from 28 percent in late November and had the largest lead of any Democrat all year, thanks to support from likely first-time caucus-goers, including large numbers of independents.

And that's the rub.

The Clinton camp argues that the Register's model of who will turn out for the caucuses is different than in 2004 by including far more independents. If the same model was used in 2004, Clinton would be in the lead. Other recent polls show a virtual dead heat among the three Democrats.

"The Des Moines Register poll adopts an unprecedented new turnout model for the caucuses, and its new poll is out of sync with the other polling done in the race," Mark Penn, Clinton's chief strategist, said in a memo posted on a campaign website late Monday.

"So we do not see this poll as accurately reflecting the trends we are seeing in other polls, on our nightly canvasses or in our own polls, and voters should understand this is a very close race, and that their participation on caucus night could make all of the difference."

The Register poll was conducted Thursday through Sunday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.