McCain Wins New Hampshire Primary; Romney OK With Silver

With 82 percent of precincts reporting in New Hampshire, Arizona Senator John McCain led the pack. With a little under 11,000 votes more than primary competitor, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, McCain held steady at a 5 percentage point lead over Republican presidential candidate rival Romney, reports FOX News.

In a speech at his campaign headquarter, former Mitt Romney conceded a second place finish to McCain. Romney said he had hoped for a first place finish, but was content with his silver place finish.

Romney congratulated McCain, saying he "did a good job" and "out-competed us," reports FOX News. He continued to thank New Hampshire and his numerous campaign assistants. He then went on to spread his personal view of change: "I believe it's time to send somebody to Washington who will actually get the job done." He also said he would fight for America, taking him through many more states, including Nevada and Michigan. These and more than 20 other states will be holding primaries in the coming 30 days.

"I'll fight to be back here in November," Romney vowed to the crowd. He also vowed to "strengthen the economy."

According to FOX News estimates, with a over 80 percents of precincts reporting, McCain led with 37 percent of Republican votes, including those registered Independents who voted Republican. Romney was holding at a steady 32 percent, and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee took 12 percent vote. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani yielded 9 percent of the vote.

On the Democrat's side, Barack Obama came in at second place to Senator Hillary Clinton, who won 39 percent of the vote, reports FOX News. Clinton gave a speech thanking New Hampshire voters for her win.

Michael Barone of U.S. News and World Report had earlier reported on FOX News that early on, there was a "real possibility" that a Clinton victory was in the cards.