NH Primary exit polls will likely show Mitt Romney in the lead.



Mitt Romney with 33%

Jon Huntsman with 33%

Newt Gingrich 16.7%

Ron Paul 16.7%

Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum speaks during a "Faith, Family and Freedom" town hall at the Rivier College football field January 9, 2012 in Nashua, New Hampshire. Republican candidates have one final day of campaigning before New Hampshire holds its first in the nation primary tomorrow. (Getty Images) more pics

Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) speaks in the Fox News/Google GOP Debate. (Getty Images) more pics »

Republican presidential candidate, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich speaks at a Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH) town hall meeting on January 9, 2012 in Manchester, New Hampshire. Gingrich and the rest of the Republican field have taken aim with sharp attacks at front runner Mitt Romney with the New Hampshire primary only one day away. (Getty Images) more pics »

Paul is looking for a strong second place finish but it does not really matter that much to him. He has no chance of winning the Republican nomination, being too far on the party fringes. His strategy is a long-term one, taking advantage of the Republican switch to proportional representation by picking up a share of delegates in each state. He has the money, the organisation and a fervent band of supporters in each state to fight a protracted campaign.

Mitt Romney will win the New Hampshire primary, but not with anything like the nearly 40 percent that he’s been getting in the latest polls. I think 30 percent will be more like it, maybe even the 25 percent that he was getting in all the Iowa polls and that he wound up with in the end. He wins, but he doesn’t kill.

Romney is a shoe-in to win with over 37 to 40 percent of the vote. Paul will finish in second in the low 20’s or high teens. On the strength of non-Republican voters, Huntsman will come in third. Santorum (on the strength of his debate performances) is likely to edge out Gingrich for fourth. Perry will end up sixth in low single digits and make his last stand in South Carolina. The lemming pundits will describe the results as either disappointing for Romney, a comedown for Santorum or the beginning of a Huntsman surge (maybe all three). None of these will be true.

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has gone all in on New Hampshire, with more than 170 appearances since spring, and is showing signs of late life in the polls. But his mixed message—Is he a moderate, appealing to independents, or a bedrock conservative?—has left many Republicans confused. A back-in-the-pack showing would add to doubts about his chances in other states

Poll: Should Barack Obama fight to legalize same-sex marriages? Click to vote: No, marriages is between a man and a woman 64%

Yes, it's the civil rights cause of our time 36% (View Results) See More Polls »

Related Articles:

The New Hampshire primary election kicked off a few hours ago, and already Dixville Notch has completed the election and tallied its votes. Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman each won 2 votes (of 9 registered voters in the town... yeah, it's a small town). Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul each received 1 vote. Three Democratic votes were cast for President Barack Obama.So in Dixville, among the GOP voters, here're the results:We'll have to wait another 24 hours to get definitive results from the rest of the state. Even NH exit polls will only hint at the actual results.Polls suggest that Mitt Romney (a local from nearby Massachusettes) will win the NH primary by a wide margin. If he doesn't, it'll be a major political upset. Put it this way, if it is even close it'll be a major upset for Romney. The guy owns a home in New Hampshire, and even if he does wear 'mom jeans' , he's very likely to win the NH primary by more than 10%.Second place is up for grabs in the Granite State. Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich , and Rick Santorum are all in the mix.Santorum has momentum from his strong Iowa results, and he's considered by many to be the best 'Anyone Except Mitt Romney' candidate, but he's less known in New Hampshire. If he does secure second, conservative voters may start to consolidate and rally around him.Given early polling, Ron Paul seems to have a slight lead over Santorum and Gingrich in NH. Paul needs a strong showing in NH if he hopes to make a serious run for the GOP nomination - so his team is putting on a full court press.Gingrich is behind both Ron Paul and Rick Santorum in the polls, but is within striking distance. He will likely have broader appeal in South Carolina and Florida, but a strong showing in New Hampshire could give him much needed wind in his sails.Jon Huntsman and Rick Perry are far behind in NH polls. Huntsman may surprise us, but ultimately it's unlikely that he'll land in the top 3. Rick Perry has already thrown in the towel in New Hampshire and moved on to South Carolina.Yes, the NH primary results will stir up even more press than we experienced in Iowa. CNN and FOX are geared up (to the hilt) for the event. Newspapers, magazines, blogs, and websites will all be covering the election in detail. Ewen MacAskill of the Guardian: Richard Cohen for the Washington Post: Jennifer Rubin , also for WashPo: Patrick O'Connor for WSJ:Mitt Romney "Every vote counts. Every call you make counts. Help us get out the vote in New Hampshire: http://mi.tt/rXB0o6 Rick Santorum "Game On! I need your help to raise $1MM in the next 2 days, and keep us going to SC & beyond. Pls donate today"Newt Gingrich "Honored to be endorsed by Todd Palin. President Obama has failed. We need a Bold Reagan Conservative in the WH."Ron Paul "I'm the only one for REAL cuts, that's what the GOP used to stand for!"The NH Primary election is scheduled for Tuesday January 10th, 2012. If you are in NH, please get out and vote.