Romney finishes first in New Hampshire primary

The New Hampshire Republican primary unfolded as expected on Tuesday night, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney coming in first, garnering 39.3 percent of the vote.

Romney, who won last week’s Iowa caucuses with a slim eight-vote margin, saw his support in New Hampshire slip in recent days. However, he still held a commanding lead over the other candidates in the runup to the primary.

Romney’s victory “was really accepted” even before the primary occurred, said Wharton junior and College Republicans president Laura Brown, a Daily Pennsylvanian staff member.

It was the fight for second place between Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., a 1987 College graduate, that had been the subject of more speculation.

Huntsman came in third with 16.9 percent of the vote — well behind Paul, who received 22.9 percent.

“It’s probably not looking as good as [Huntsman] wanted it,” Brown said. “This is a pretty far third for him.”

Huntsman had foregone campaigning in Iowa, where he finished last among the major candidates, counted on finishing strong in New Hampshire and was enjoying an 11th-hour surge in popularity before his third-place finish.

In addition to strong debate performances over the weekend, the candidate was endorsed by The Boston Globe, his largest newspaper endorsement so far.

“[Huntsman is] a really great, hard-working candidate,” said Kerry Marsh, New Hampshire state director for Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s campaign. “He has to be admired for spending the time here. [But] his message just didn’t spark any flame.”

Despite the less-than-stellar performance, Huntsman said on Tuesday night that he would continue his campaign in South Carolina, the site of the next primary. “I’d say third place is a ticket to ride,” he said in a speech.

English professor Dick Polman — a national political columnist at The Philadelphia Inquirer — predicted a tough road ahead for Huntsman in an online chat hosted by the Inquirer on Monday.

It’s “tough to see how Huntsman survives long term,” Polman wrote, “especially because the next set of primaries are in the South, where he’d clearly be viewed as too liberal.”

Brown said she was surprised by the second-place finish by Paul, who also had a strong third-place showing in Iowa. “I didn’t think Ron Paul was going to do this well,” she said. “His views, when you really get down to the nitty-gritty, are extreme.”

Following Huntsman were former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who garnered 9.4 percent of the vote each, and Perry, who barely registered with 0.7 percent of the vote.

Romney is currently the frontrunner in the South Carolina primary, which will be held on Jan. 21.

“Tonight, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we go back to work and take our message to South Carolina,” Romney wrote in a campaign email on Tuesday. “Two states have made their voices heard — 48 more are anxiously waiting.”

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