McCain defeats Bush in N.H. primary

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Arizona Sen. John McCain scored a convincing win over George W. Bush in New Hampshire's leadoff primary Tuesday, puncturing Bush's self-styled aura as the Republican's inevitable

Tuesday, February 1st 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Arizona Sen. John McCain scored a convincing win over George W. Bush in New Hampshire's leadoff primary Tuesday, puncturing Bush's self-styled aura as the Republican's inevitable nominee. Bill Bradley, the Democratic underdog, battled Vice President Al Gore in a high-stakes race of their own.

It was a typical New Hampshire primary, with voters delivering a lecture to front-runners in both parties. Gore and Bradley were in a close race, according to voter interviews that showed McCain winning easily in his showdown with Bush.

"We beat him amongst everyone, men and women, Republican and independent, young and old," McCain said in an interview with The Associated Press. He credited his agenda of political and campaign finance reform for his victory, and said New Hampshire voters had provided the momentum he needed heading into South Carolina and states that vote later.

"When I pointed out that I would be the one to be able to tell Al Gore that I'm going to make what he did illegal, I think that was one of the turning points in the campaign," he said.

McCain invested most of his time and money in the nation's leadoff primary, gambling that New Hampshire'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.

"New Hampshire has long been known as a bump in the road for front-runners and this year will be no exception," Bush told The AP. He congratulated McCain and pledged to campaign hard against the Arizonan in follow-up primaries, starting with South Carolina on Feb. 19.

"The road to the Republican nomination is a long road. Mine will go through all 50 states and I intend for it to end at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue," Bush said.

McCain's victory was projected from interviews conducted by Voter News Service as voters left their polling places. VNS, a consortium of The AP and major television networks and cable news outlets, showed conservatives Steve Forbes, Alan Keyes and Gary Bauer in the back of the back and fighting to remain viable.

The interviews showed McCain winning in every age, income and education group. He won among men and women, Protestants and Catholics, young and old, rich and poor. Most tellingly, he was well ahead among independents in a state that allows its non-partisan voters to cast ballots in either primary.

And he defeated Bush among Republican voters, a constiuency that Bush had expected to dominate. McCain advantage over Bush among GOP voters bodes well for their next confrontation in South Carolina, a state that tends to back establishment candidates like Bush.

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. The true rewards of New Hampshire are momentum or simply validation of a candidate's campaign.

New Hampshire's primary is the springboard to a five-week stretch of campaigning that could determine the presidential nominees. Fourteen states have contests on March 7 and half-a-dozen more on March 14.

Voting began just after midnight in the tiny burgs of Hart's Location and Dixville Notch, where McCain and Bradley were awarded early leads among the 56 votes cast.

Nearly four out of every 10 New Hampshire voters do not declare a party affiliation, and they were a potent attraction to insurgent candidates Bradley and McCain in a state that has a history of knocking front-runners offstride.

The Democrats were philosophical about their showdown. In advance of the vote count, Bradley said, "I feel like I'm ready for the verdict." Said Gore: "I have really done everything I know to do to get my message out."

Voter interviews showed that the top quality sought by New Hampshire voters was a candidate who "stands up for what he believes in." Nearly as many voters were looking for a "strong and decisive leader."

Half of Republican voters said abortion should be legal all or most of the time. Democratic voters said education and health care were their top concerns. The interviews were conducted by Voter News Service as voters left their polling places. VNS is a consortium of The Associated Press and major television networks and cable news outlets.

McCain needed a victory here and practically guaranteed it in the runup. He had led the two-term Texas governor in most polls here for eight weeks, though the margin narrowed as Election Day neared and Bush continued to pile up an enormous advantage in fund raising.

Bradley, staggered by a lopsided defeat in Iowa, sought to recover his footing against Gore. Advisers said he planned to challenge Gore to weekly debates through March 7, after refusing for weeks the vice president's long-standing request for more frequent debates.

In the past two weeks, the Democrats shed almost any talk of issues to exchange bitter personal attacks. Bradley accused the vice president of stretching the truth on abortion. Gore, a hard-knuckle campaigner himself, indignantly accused the former New Jersey senator of breaking his promise to run a clean campaign.