New Hampshire Primary Elections

Former Vice President Dan Quayle, seeking to revive his stuttering presidential campaign, is pulling significant staff and resources out of Iowa and other states to narrow his focus to the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary. Quayle also will work to sharpen his political message for the fall by drawing starker contrasts to Republican presidential front-runner George W. Bush.

Hours after Al Gore's slim Democratic primary victory over Bill Bradley, the bitter asides over character that emerged in New Hampshire flared Wednesday as Bradley demanded an apology for the alleged mistreatment of a prominent supporter and Gore sought to protect his flank on the abortion issue.

New Hampshire set off another scramble to the front of the election calendar Tuesday by moving its first-in-the-nation primary to Feb. 1, a week earlier than expected. But the surprise action immediately triggered a series of interstate negotiations that left the ultimate schedule for selecting next year's presidential nominees far from certain.

For the two insurgents whose rise has reshaped the race for the presidency, this is crunch time. The next seven days leading to Tuesday's New Hampshire primary are likely to determine whether Democrat Bill Bradley and Republican John McCain can seriously threaten the front-runners in their campaigns, most analysts believe.

Vice President Al Gore has surged past Bill Bradley in New Hampshire while George W. Bush and John McCain remain locked in a step-for-step dead heat there, a new Times Poll has found. After trailing Bradley in most New Hampshire polls earlier this winter, Gore has consolidated his hold on traditional Democrats while cutting into Bradley's support among less-partisan voters, such as independents, the survey found.

For the two insurgents whose rise has reshaped the race for the presidency, this is crunch time. The next seven days leading to Tuesday's New Hampshire primary are likely to determine whether Democrat Bill Bradley and Republican John McCain can seriously threaten the front-runners in their campaigns, most analysts believe.

John McCain is sweating. He has just downed an entire bowl of three-alarm chili and half a bottle of fizzy water. Twenty Manchester firefighters are lunching with the Republican presidential hopeful at a long table in the central station's glassed kitchen, called the fishbowl. It would be a cozy respite from the freezing cold if not for 100 reporters crammed in a corner, staring.

Hours after Al Gore's slim Democratic primary victory over Bill Bradley, the bitter asides over character that emerged in New Hampshire flared Wednesday as Bradley demanded an apology for the alleged mistreatment of a prominent supporter and Gore sought to protect his flank on the abortion issue.

The Los Angeles Times exit poll illuminates how various demographic groups voted in Tuesday's New Hampshire presidential primary elections. The columns at right should be read horizontally. For example: Of all men who voted in the Democratic primary, 46% cast their ballots for Al Gore, 50% for Bill Bradley.

John McCain is sweating. He has just downed an entire bowl of three-alarm chili and half a bottle of fizzy water. Twenty Manchester firefighters are lunching with the Republican presidential hopeful at a long table in the central station's glassed kitchen, called the fishbowl. It would be a cozy respite from the freezing cold if not for 100 reporters crammed in a corner, staring.

Vice President Al Gore has surged past Bill Bradley in New Hampshire while George W. Bush and John McCain remain locked in a step-for-step dead heat there, a new Times Poll has found. After trailing Bradley in most New Hampshire polls earlier this winter, Gore has consolidated his hold on traditional Democrats while cutting into Bradley's support among less-partisan voters, such as independents, the survey found.

New Hampshire set off another scramble to the front of the election calendar Tuesday by moving its first-in-the-nation primary to Feb. 1, a week earlier than expected. But the surprise action immediately triggered a series of interstate negotiations that left the ultimate schedule for selecting next year's presidential nominees far from certain.

Former Vice President Dan Quayle, seeking to revive his stuttering presidential campaign, is pulling significant staff and resources out of Iowa and other states to narrow his focus to the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary. Quayle also will work to sharpen his political message for the fall by drawing starker contrasts to Republican presidential front-runner George W. Bush.