John McCain is defined both by adversity and opportunity. Would it have been great to ride the Straight Talk Express both to the nomination and to the White House? Of course, but that is rarely how things work. McCain has come back from a horrible summer politically to be basically right back where he was in May and June. Why? Because he keeps talking and people…more and more people keep listening.
MANCHESTER, N.H. -- The Republican race for president has tightened up with three candidates now toward the top in New Hampshire, according to a new poll.
The latest WMUR/CNN NewCNN’s Political Ticker Blog: Romney, Giuliani Locked In New Hampshire
Hampshire Primary Poll shows that among likely Republican voters, Mitt Romney has dropped to 23 percent support, down from 33 percent in July. Rudy Giuliani is right behind at 22 percent, up from 18 percent.
Sen. John McCain was third at 17 percent, surging up from 12 percent in July. That represents a rebound for the early leader in the race, and with a margin of error of 5.4 percent, McCain has pulled back to striking distance.
But in the crucial early states of Iowa and New Hampshire, Romney has placed first in most polls. Other recent surveys showed a slight deterioration of Romney's lead and the CNN/WMUR new poll continues that trend.
Sen. John McCain finishes third in our poll, with 18 percent. The Arizona Republican gained 6 points since CNN/WMUR's July survey.
"This is an indication that McCain is back on message," says Paul Manuel, Director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics. "John McCain is showing some significant improvement. He had been left as a has been and now he's back in the game."
New Hampshire was the site of McCain's biggest primary victory in his unsuccessful bid for the White House in 2000.
Manuel says McCain's numbers in our poll are on the rise because he's redefined his message and connected with voters in the Granite State the past four weeks.
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