It was 3 A.M., but Arizona senator John McCain was pumped. He had just scored a stunning win over Texas Governor George W. Bush in New Hampshire's Republican primary. "We should have all of our rallies at 3 in the morning," McCain told a cheering crowd in Greenville, South Carolina. "We just came down from making history in New Hampshire."
For months, experts predicted that Bush would be a shoo-in for the Republican presidential nomination. After all, he has raised the most money--$70 million!--and has the support of key members of the party. Now it looks as if McCain may give Bush a run for his money.
McCain spent 65 days in New Hampshire, and voters there responded to his fresh-sounding approach to politics (his campaign bus is called the Straight Talk Express). When the final tally was in, McCain had nabbed 49% of the vote; Bush got 30%.
On the Democratic side, Vice President Al Gore squeaked out a win, with 50% of the votes, over Bill Bradley, who received 46%. Bradley, a former basketball pro, insists he's not out of the game yet. "We're smarter and better prepared," he told fans, "and ready to continue the fight."
In presidential races, no one has time to lick his wounds or savor a victory. And that's why McCain was in South Carolina only hours after his New Hampshire win. South Carolina's primary is just around the corner, on February 19.
Lucky Charms
McCain likes to stuff his pockets full of good-luck charms--the lucky compass one of his supporters gave him, the lucky pen, the lucky feather. Those charms seem to be working their magic in South Carolina. Before the New Hampshire win, Bush was leading in South Carolina polls. By last Friday McCain was surging ahead.
Still, Bush and his advisers are sure he can squash McCain. They believe South Carolina Republicans will favor Bush's more conservative positions on tax cuts and other issues. Says Bush: "South Carolina is Bush country."
Bush and McCain must continue to fight off the other Republican presidential hopefuls. After getting only 1% of the vote last week, Gary Bauer dropped out of the race. But radio host Alan Keyes and millionaire Steve Forbes promise to hang tough.
A Long Road
For Democrats, the next round takes place on "Super Tuesday," March 7. Gore and Bradley will vie for 15 states, including California, New York and Missouri. Gore leads in California, but Bradley could take New York and Missouri, where he was born and raised.
At his victory rally in New Hampshire, Gore promised to "crisscross this continent again and again." By Friday, both he and Bradley had traveled to California and back to the East Coast at least once.
The Republicans, who are also holding primaries on Super Tuesday, face the same grueling schedule. "The road to the Republican nomination and the White House is a long road," said Bush. "Mine will go through all 50 states."