It’s a draw in the race to win the Democratic Party’s nomination for the U.S presidential elections in November, after Senator Hillary Clinton managed to stage a come back in New Hampshire over night. Clinton won 39% of the vote against her main challenger, Senator Barack Obama, who won 36% of the vote. Former Vice Presidential candidate, John Edwards, continues to trail in third place, winning 17% vote.

It is thought that Clinton’s show of emotion at a diner when asked what it was like running in the tough race helped win women voters back over to her after Obama had picked substantially more women’s votes in Iowa. Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, has been noticeably more low key over the last few days, perhaps suggesting his wife’s team recognise the dangers of being linked with the past, given the success of Obama’s “change” message.

The next big test for the Democratic candidates is in the South Carolina primary on 26 January in a just over a fortnight’s time. Obama is presently averaging a 13 point lead over Clinton there and it remains to be seen what affect the New Hampshire result will have in that state.

Between then and now there are less significant primaries in Michigan on 15 January and Nevada on 19 January – Nevada only sends a small number of delegates to the Democratic Party’s national convention which chooses their presidential candidate, whilst Michigan has been excluded from sending delegates for breaking the rules on when it is holding its primary.

Commenting on Clinton’s victory, Obama said,
“I want to congratulate Senator Clinton on a hard fought victory here in New Hampshire. She did an outstanding job, give her a big round of applause.”