Clinton's win marked the beginning of a dramatic shift in New Hampshire politics toward the Democratic Party. The state had previously been regarded as a conservative Republican bastion; just four years earlier Bush had carried the state with 62.49% of the vote and had been his second best state in popular vote percentage after Utah. The last time a Democrat had won the state was Lyndon Johnson in 1964 United States presidential election in New Hampshire. But like the rest of New England, New Hampshire began trending hard toward the left in the 1990s, and since 1992 the state has voted Democratic in every presidential election except 2000.
News networks projected the elections in New Hampshire, Georgia, and New Jersey for Bill Clinton before getting results for either of the said states, all of which voted for Bill Clinton by less than 2.5%, which means their projections were nearly inaccurate. In fact, news networks projected the elections in states with a total of 300 electoral votes for Bill Clinton as soon as their polls closed, which was enough to win the whole presidency.
The 1992 New Hampshire Democratic primary was won by Paul Tsongas, but is known for the insurgent campaign of Bill Clinton, who managed a surprising second-place finish. It was held February 18, 1992.
On January 19, The Boston Globe published a poll showing Clinton ahead of the field with 29%, Paul Tsongas with 17%, and Bob Kerrey 16%.[3] Following this poll, reports of an extramarital affair between Clinton and Gennifer Flowers surfaced. As Clinton fell far behind former Massachusetts Senator Paul Tsongas in the New Hampshire polls,[4] Clinton and his wife Hillary went on 60 Minutes following the Super Bowl to deny the charges. The Clinton campaign also weathered attacks concerning alleged draft dodging during the Vietnam War and the case of Ricky Ray Rector.[3]
Tsongas won the New Hampshire primary with Clinton finishing within single digits of Tsongas, despite trailing badly in the polls. Since many expected Tsongas to win anyway, as New Hampshire borders his home state of Massachusetts, the media viewed the results as a victory for Clinton.[3] On election night, Clinton labeled himself "The Comeback Kid"[4] and left New Hampshire with an increase in momentum in the remaining primaries,[5] which helped him win the nomination. Clinton became the first president elected despite not winning the New Hampshire primary, a feat since duplicated by George W. Bush in 2000 and Barack Obama in 2008.
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