Candidate Jon Huntsman, at his primary night party in Manchester, N.H., now must prove he is more than a one-state candidate.
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Jon Huntsman, finishing third in yesterday’s New Hampshire primary, declared last night he will remain in the race and go on to South Carolina.
To cheers from his supporters, Huntsman took the stage around 9:30 p.m. and vowed to continue competing. “I’d say third place is a ticket to ride,’’ he told the crowd. “Hello, South Carolina!’’
Huntsman paid homage to the voters in New Hampshire, where he was propelled from behind in the polls through a strong campaign of retail politics.
“We have pounded the pavement. We have shaken hands, had conversations, won people over person by person,’’ the former Utah governor said.
“This is the old way to get politics done in New Hampshire. My confidence in the system is reborn because of the people of New Hampshire,’’ he added.
With 78 percent of precincts reporting last night, Huntsman had grabbed 17 percent of the vote.
Several supporters said they were disappointed in a third-place finish, given the intense effort Huntsman put forth in the state.
“I was hoping it would be second place,’’ said Karen Schmidt, a stay-at-home mother and independent from Hollis.
Schmidt said she remains hopeful that Huntsman will continue fighting.
Jim Rubens, former New Hampshire state senator and a Republican, said he believes Huntsman is still the most electable candidate because of his appeal to independent voters.
“He showed up in the state in June and moved very significantly in this complicated, crowded field,’’ Rubens said. “I’m happy.’’
A strong showing was critical for Huntsman, who bypassed campaigning in Iowa and elsewhere to concentrate on New Hampshire.
He hoped his more-moderate positions on social issues, such as supporting civil unions for gay couples, would resonate with a GOP electorate that is less socially conservative than in other states.
Now, Huntsman must prove he is more than a one-state candidate.
After spending more than $2 million of his own money - and relying heavily on an independent group to buy ads for him in New Hampshire - he will face considerable hurdles to compete in South Carolina, where he travels today. He has failed to get his name on the ballot in Virginia and Arizona.
Huntsman’s biggest challenge will be proving he is conservative enough to win over the GOP base.
To do that, he is relying on his conservative fiscal principles. He talks about his record cutting taxes and promoting job creation as Utah governor.
Huntsman is a former ambassador to China and Singapore. His foreign policy focuses on economics over military might, and he supports withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.
He has also recently taken a populist tack, speaking about the lack of trust people have in government, vowing to support congressional term limits.
From day one, Huntsman made New Hampshire central to his strategy, visiting three times before he launched his campaign June 21, and flying to New Hampshire the day of his announcement.
In September, after gaining little traction in the polls, Huntsman moved his national headquarters from Florida to New Hampshire. But he surged only in the last week, suddenly attracting hundreds, if not thousands, of new supporters.
Huntsman drew backing from independents and moderates seeking a candidate other than Romney who has executive experience, the ability to work across party lines, and a focus on fiscal rather than social conservatism.
Steve Bykowski, an independent voter from Derry who works at State Street Bank, said he voted for Huntsman yesterday. “I like his economic policies, that he will tackle the too-big-to-fail banks,’’ Bykowski said. “He knows China, which is a big plus. He seems sincere.’’
Romney criticized Huntsman over the weekend for serving as ambassador to China under President Obama. Huntsman fought back, arguing that while he made his country a priority, Romney puts politics first. He unveiled a new slogan: “Country First.’’
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.