Source:
CNNMANCHESTER, New Hampshire (CNN) -- Women pushed Hillary Clinton to victory in New Hampshire's Democratic primary while independent voters pushed Arizona Sen. John McCain to the top spot among Republicans, exit polls show. Women, who accounted for 57 percent of those who voted in the Democratic primary, went for Clinton 47 percent to 34 percent for the second-place finisher, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama; men conversely tilted to Obama, 42 percent to 30 percent.
Clinton also held ground among registered Democrats, topping Obama 45 percent to 33 percent, while Obama grabbed more independents voting in the Democratic primary, 41 percent to 34 percent.
While Clinton edged Obama by 3 percentage points among the 17 percent of voters who decided their votes on the last day, she was helped more by those who stuck with her over the course of the campaign. Thirty-four percent of voters said they hadn't changed their minds in the past month; Clinton topped Obama 48 percent to 31 percent among that group.
Meanwhile, exit polls showed 37 percent of those who cast a Republican ballot Tuesday identified themselves as independents, and McCain got the votes of 39 percent of them, compared with 27 percent for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who finished second Tuesday. Romney and McCain were almost even among those who identified themselves as Republicans, with 33 and 34 percent, respectively. I-Reporter Bob Sinkiewicz, an independent, said he was tempted to cast a Democratic ballot for Obama, but was swayed by McCain's experience and consistent message....
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