Romney Wins G.O.P. Primary in New Hampshire

Mitt Romney swept to victory in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, turning back a
ferocious assault from rivals who sought to disqualify him in the eyes
of conservatives, in a contest that failed to anoint a strong opponent
to slow his march to the Republican nomination.

Mr. Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, won by a double-digit
margin, a validation of his strategy to use his neighboring state to
cement his standing as the front-runner. The candidates who had hoped to
use the primary to emerge as his leading rival fared poorly, leaving a
fractured Republican opposition.

“Tonight we celebrate. Tomorrow we go back to work,” said Mr. Romney,
who strode into his victory party at Southern New Hampshire University
less than 30 minutes after the final polls closed to present himself as
the candidate to beat for the Republican nomination.

Representative Ron Paul of Texas, whose candidacy has never concerned
Mr. Romney, finished second. Former Gov. Jon M. Huntsman Jr. of Utah,
who staked his entire campaign here, placed a distant third but pledged
to fight on.

A week after winning the Iowa caucuses by just eight votes, Mr. Romney
pieced together a coalition of moderate and conservative voters. The
margin was more comfortable than commanding, but he will benefit
handsomely by having five rivals still competing against one another to
emerge as his main opponent as the race moves to South Carolina.

By
Wednesday morning, many  candidates had already moved their campaigns
south, with a full schedule of stops planned throughout the state.

While declaring victory in New Hampshire, Mr. Romney  delivered a
pointed message to his fellow Republican candidates. After struggling in
the final hours of the campaign here to ward off attacks from rivals
portraying him as an elitist who killed jobs during his high-flying days
at a corporate takeover firm, he warned them not to play into President
Obama’s hands by trying to destroy his candidacy.

“In the last few days, we have seen some desperate Republicans join
forces with him,” Mr. Romney said. “This is such a mistake for our party
and for our nation. This country already has a leader who divides us
with the bitter politics of envy.”

His words were directed squarely at Newt Gingrich, the former House
speaker, who accused Mr. Romney of presiding over the “looting” of
companies. The attacks did not seem to help elevate Mr. Gingrich’s
candidacy. He was locked in a close race for fourth place with former
Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, who refrained from adding his
voice to the attacks on Mr. Romney’s business background.

A prevailing sense among New Hampshire primary voters that Mr. Romney is
the Republican candidate most likely to defeat Mr. Obama helped lift
him to victory. He did well among those who consider the economy the
most important issue, according to exit polls, and among Catholics and
more affluent voters.

Mr. Romney moved to quickly set the tone of the night, accepting victory
and delivering a speech with broad themes of the general election, well
before the size of his winning margin was known. It was an attempt to
take control of the race before confronting his biggest test in the
first Southern primary.

“Tonight, we are asking the good people of South Carolina to join the
citizens of New Hampshire and make 2012 the year he runs out of time,”
Mr. Romney said, referring again and again to Mr. Obama, but not
acknowledging any of his Republican opponents by name.

Mr. Romney intends to convey his muscle in the race on Wednesday by
announcing his fund-raising figure from the final three months of last
year, when he raised at least $23 million. He is set to roll out
endorsements and advertisements during the 10-day spring toward the
South Carolina primary, even as he begins his push for the Florida
primary on Jan. 31.

The result of the New Hampshire primary left the rest of the field in
such disarray — particularly given the poor showings of Mr. Huntsman and
Mr. Santorum — that it was hard to see the day as anything short of a
major victory for Mr. Romney. His aides have long made clear that they
would welcome running against Mr. Paul, whose support is largely built
around his libertarian views.