McCain stuns Bush in N.H.; Gore edges Bradley

McCain wins by 18 points in GOP primary; Gore by 5 The Associated Press MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Arizona Sen. John McCain scored a landslide victory over George W. Bush yesterday in New Hampshire's leadoff primary, puncturing the aura of inevitability that had buoyed the Texan's drive for the Republican presidential nomination. Vice President Al Gore staved off a toe-to-toe challenge from Democratic challenger Bill Bradley. ''We have sent a powerful message to Washington that change is coming,'' McCain told cheering supporters. He watched returns with his teary-eyed wife, Cindy, who put a trembling hand to her mouth and said, ''It really happened.'' With returns from almost all New Hampshire's 300 Republican precincts, McCain had 49 percent of the vote compared to 31 for Bush. Millionaire publisher Steve Forbes was a distant third at 13 percent and former ambassador Alan Keyes was at 6. McCain's 18-point margin recast the GOP race for the larger states ahead. He won 10 of the 17 GOP delegates at stake, Bush five and Forbes two. Of necessity, Bush took the long view, telling the AP, ''New Hampshire has long been known as a bump in the road for frontrunners and this year will be no exception.'' After calling McCain with congratulations, Bush told supporters, ''I am a better candidate for having come to New Hampshire and waging this campaign and because of this competition.'' Gore was winning 52 percent of the Democratic vote and 13 delegates, Bradley 47 and nine. ''We're going to march all the way down the field -- from state to state, from coast to coast -- all the way to victory in November,'' the vice president told supporters, as Democrats and Republicans alike looked to upcoming primaries that could determine the nominees by mid-March. The night's winners, Gore and McCain, were flying from New Hampshire for middle-of-the-night victory rallies -- Gore in New York, McCain in South Carolina. Bradley lost badly in Iowa last week and surrendered the lead he once held in New Hampshire polling, but last night he found solace in the narrower margin and he vowed to continue his challenge. ''We're moving forward,'' Bradley told the AP and indeed he has enough money to remain competitive in an expensive sprint of followup primaries, a luxury McCain could not have afforded. The vice president cast his victory as a bad omen for Bradley, whose laid-back style and pledges of political reform were tailor made for the independent-minded voters of New Hampshire. ''If he cannot win here, then that's a devastating blow to him,'' Gore told reporters. Bradley shifted strategy immediately. For weeks he refused and ridiculed Gore's request for frequent debates, but now faltering last night he proposed weekly debates starting Sunday through March 7, Gore aides said the vice president would look at the proposal. McCain credited his agenda of political and campaign finance reform for his victory. ''The Republican Party recovered its heritage of reform. And it's the beginning of the end of the truth-twisting politics of Bill Clinton and Al Gore,'' he said. Social conservative Gary Bauer barely registered in the returns and was struggling to survive. ''I'm a fighter but I'm not delusional,'' Bauer said, before flying home to Virginia to take stock of his candidacy. Forbes had to be disappointed, too, finishing little better than he did in 1996, after investing four years and millions of dollars for a second GOP bid. Yet Forbes said he would stay and fight for conservative voters who might be tempted to peel away from the suddenly vulnerable Bush. ''I make this appeal to those who may have backed others because of inevitability, I plead with you, please come home,'' he said. ''I will congratulate John McCain on his victory,'' Keyes said, ''but I cannot agree with the stands he has portrayed on the issues in this election.'' Specifically, he claimed, ''His heart is not pro-life,'' though McCain says his voting record has been exactly that. McCain's gargantuan victory was certain to raise questions about Bush's strategy, relying on photo opportunities and scripted speeches while McCain held dozens of free-wheeling town hall meetings, appealing to finicky New Hampshire voters who expect a personal touch. Bush aired TV ads that said he was the most likely candidate to be elected president, but voter interviews showed that less than 10 percent of GOP voters in New Hampshire said they considered a candidates' ability to get elected a top factor in their decision. Voter interviews showed that the top quality sought by yesterday's GOP voters was a candidate who ''stands up for what he believes in.'' Nearly as many voters were looking for a ''strong and decisive leader.'' After New Hampshire, Democrats turn their attention to an unprecedented mountain of primaries from New York to California on March 7. Republicans will compete in several states before March 7, including Delaware on February 8, South Carolina on February 19 and Arizona and Michigan on February 22. Bush has held a wide lead in South Carolina polls, but McCain has more than two weeks to chip away at the lead and hoped to marshall support from military veterans among Republican voters. The Arizonan invested most of his pre-primary time and money in New Hampshire, gambling that the state's independent-minded voters would be drawn to his reform agenda. Though his campaign is more national in scope, Bush also invested millions of dollars in hopes of winning New Hampshire and stopping McCain's insurgent candidacy. Bush brought in his parents, former White House residents George and Barbara, for a sentimental rally that apparently did not resonate. The tangible primary yield was 22 delegates to the Democratic convention and 17 delegates to the GOP convention, a tiny fraction of the totals needed to win the nominations.

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