US presidential hopefuls face New Hampshire challenge

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Source: CCTV.com | 01-06-2008 15:01

After Thursday's face-off in Iowa, US presidential hopefuls from both parties are facing new challenges in New Hampshire.

Unlike in Iowa, where a small percentage of voters participated in the caucuses, in New Hampshire all registered voters vote directly for their preferred candidates. David Rathbun has the latest.

The New Hampshire primary will be held on Tuesday.

Candidates from both parties spent Saturday trying to garner more support hours ahead of back-to-back debates that could reshape tight nominating races in New Hampshire.

This state is crucial to efforts by Hillary Clinton, the New York senator and former first lady.

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) holds a Maine license plate saying NXT-PREZ given to her by young girls from South Portland Maine at a campaign rally in Penacook, New Hampshire, January 5, 2008. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Clinton said, "I'm running for president because I love this country and I know we can do better. I believe with all my heart that we can take on the challenges that we face and be able to come up with real solutions."

Iowa Democrat caucus winner Barack Obama drew a huge crowd of nearly 3-thousand supporters.

The Illinois senator is continuing his campaign to become America's first African-American president, while Clinton seeks to become the country's first woman president.

A poll on Saturday showed Clinton's lead over Obama in New Hampshire has shrunk slightly down four points, to 28 percent.

The poll shows that among Republicans, John McCain's lead over Mitt Romney, who placed second in Iowa, fell by two points to 32 percent.

New Hampshire's primary is the second battleground in the state-by-state process of choosing Republican and Democratic candidates for November's presidential election.

Three more states will vote in the primaries in January, followed by 20 more states, including New York and California, in February.

Editor:Du Xiaodan