In a rousing speech to his supporters a little after 9 p.m. on Tuesday night after placing second in the New Hampshire primary, Ron Paul talked about the case for freedom, free markets, and “a sensible foreign policy so we don’t waste our resources.”
As supporters thronged around him at his Manchester, New Hampshire, headquarters, the 76-year-old Texas congressman said that he had called Governor Mitt Romney to congratulate him on his win in the primary (as Rick Santorum told his supporters that he did as well). “He [Romney] certainly had a clear-cut victory. But we’re nibbling at his heels,” added Paul with a grin as his enthusiastic supporters nearly drowned him out.
“There was another victory tonight,” said Paul as the din cleared for a moment. “We have had a victory for the cause of liberty. There is no doubt that this whole effort that we are involved in will not go unnoticed. And I think the intellectual revolution that is going on now to restore liberty to this country is well on its way and there’s no way they’re going to stop the momentum we have started.”
At a little before 10 p.m., returns from the first 48 percent of the New Hampshire precincts indicated that Romney had 37 percent of the vote, followed by Paul with 23 percent of the vote and Jon Huntsman with 17 percent. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum each had 10 percent.
During his speech, Paul went out of his way to thank his many supporters across the country, “because you have done the work. And the donors, and the excitement on the campuses – it’s just unbelievable,” he said, in a pointed reference to the groundswell of support he’s received among college students. He then mentioned that while the media and others haven’t always given him the “coverage” other candidates have gotten, “when they do finally get around to us, I have to chuckle when they describe us as being dangerous. That’s one thing they are telling the truth [about]. Because we are dangerous to the status quo in this country! And we will remain a danger to the Federal Reserve system as well.”
Paul pledged that monetary policy would remain a “dominant issue” in the campaign. “There’s a worldwide financial crisis going on,” he said. “And it’s only sound money and personal liberty that can solve the crisis that we have today.”
Consistently popular among Libertarians and many Tea Party conservatives, Paul recited some of the core beliefs he’s stated since the beginning of his campaign for the presidency: The U.S. needn’t “police the world” and “it’s time to bring them [our troops] home! Bring ‘em home!”
Here are additional excerpts from Paul’s speech on Tuesday night:
* “We have been less safe because of all the money we have spent overseas. This is the issue now. I think it’s an issue that’s crucial… If you cut the military industrial complex, you cut war profiting, but you don’t take one penny out of national defense. Besides, we’re flat-out broke … But if we [bring the troops home] calmly and deliberately, we can save our economy here at home.”
* “Our national debt is going up in real terms … We have to cut. We have to live within our means if we want to be able to take care of the people who have been made to be so dependent on the government.”
* “What should the role of government be in a free society? The role should be very simple: the protection of liberty.”
* “The Constitution was not designed to restrain the individual. It was to protect your liberties… But liberty has to be reemphasized. Liberty means you have a right to your life and your privacy… and you have a right to keep and spend your money as you want to.”
* “Economic freedom should bring people together… You don’t have to compromise. What you have to do is emphasize [to] the coalitions that people want their freedoms for different reasons, and bring them together.”
Former Massachusetts  Mitt Romney won the first-in-the-US New Hampshire Republican  on Tuesday with 97,600 votes (39.3%). This follows his narrow victory in the  last week.  Congressman Ron Paul, who finished third in the Iowa Caucus, came in second with 56,872 votes (22.9%).  Former Utah  , who spent a great amount of resources on the primary, came in third place with 41,783 votes (16.8%).
Romney in December 2011..
The New Hampshire primary, the first primary of the election, is the second in a series of state elections that help to assign delegates to candidates to determine the presidential nominee of the Republican Party. Delegates can also be assigned from members of the , though these are unpledged and subject to change. To win the nomination, a candidate must accumulate 1,144 delegates. 

With his victory, Romney claimed seven delegates to increase his total to 25 with unpledged delegates included. Paul won three delegates for his finish to total ten delegates, placing him second overall to Romney. Despite his third place finish, Huntsman is currently sixth overall in delegates with only the two he won in New Hampshire. He currently trails former Senator Rick Santorum who has compiled eight delegates overall, followed by Texas governor Rick Perry with four, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich with three.

In his victory speech, Romney criticized President Barack Obama, saying he "wants to turn America into a European-style entitlement society," countering that he himself wants "to ensure that we remain a free and prosperous land of opportunity." Romney received a call following the results from Paul, who offered his congratulations. Paul mentioned afterwards that "He certainly had a clear-cut victory. But we’re nibbling at his heels." Paul, a , added, "I have to chuckle when they describe us as being dangerous. That’s one thing they are telling the truth about. Because we are dangerous to the status quo in this country!" 

Though some Huntsman supporters were disappointed with their candidate's third place finish, Huntsman stated his "confidence in the system is reborn because of the people of New Hampshire". He announced he would remain in the race and head to South Carolina for that state's primary on January 21.

Gingrich finished in fifth place with 23,291 votes (9.4%) slightly behind Santorum who won 23,408 votes (9.4%) despite the surge from his strong showing in the Iowa Caucus. Perry, who did not focus on New Hampshire after the Iowa Caucus, finished with 1,764 votes (0.7%).

The campaigns now head to South Carolina, where all six major candidates still in the race will compete. The latest ''We Ask America'' poll from South Carolina shows Romney with 26 percent, ahead of Gingrich with 21 percent and Santorum with 13 percent.