Candidates Promise to Press Forward

MANCHESTER, N.H.--Reacting to results which barely distinguished winners from losers, candidates for the Democratic and Republican nominations yesterday all acted like victors as they promised to build on their showings in the nation's first primary.

Former Mass. Sen. Paul E. Tsongas, the Democratic winner, said his victory was a triumph for economic realism.

"I'm not running to be Santa Claus. I'm running to be president, and there's a difference," said Tsongas, referring to his opposition to the middle-class tax cut proposed by Bush and his Democratic rivals.

Tsongas, speaking before an uproarious crowd at Razzberrys Restaurant, tried to distinguish himself further from his more liberal opponents.

"You can't be pro-jobs and anti-business at the same time," said Tsongas, who admitted he needs a strong showing next week in the South Dakota and Maryland primaries to prove he is more than a regional candidate.

"You cannot love employment and hate employers," Tsongas said.

Tsongas' aides agreed and said his challenge now is to expand his campaign in to the South and the West, where he is relatively unknown.

"He feels very overwhelmed that New Hampshire got behind his message," said Peggy Connolly, Tsongas' press secretary. "And it gives him the confidence to leave New Hampshire and tell it to the rest of this country."

A similar task confronts Republican challenger Patrick J. Buchanan, who won more than 40 percent of the vote yesterday.

"We are going to take our party back," said Buchanan, who plans to campaign in Georgia, Texas and Louisiana later this month.

"And when we take our party back, we'll take the country back," Buchanan told an enthusiastic group of supporters who chanted, "Read our lips, no second term."

But advisers said that regardless of how Buchanan fares in other states, his showing here is a warning to President Bush.

"This is a strong signal to the American public," said Angela Bay Buchanan, the candidate's campaign manager and sister.

At a campaign celebration in Merrimack, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton said he was proud of his second-place showing and of his rebound from recent polls that showed him trailing Tsongas by as many as 20 percentage points.

"I think we know enough to say that New Hampshire tonight has made Bill Clinton the come-back kid," he said.

Clinton also said he had done what he could to counter allegations made last month of extramarital affairs and Vietnam War draft-dodging.

"The hit that I took in this election is nothing compared to the hits the people of New Hampshire are taking each day," he said.

And his campaign aides said they look forward to running nationally against frontrunner Tsongas, whose appeal may be limited outside the Northeast.

"It's now a two-person race," said George Burno, co-chair of the Clinton campaign here.

"We'll go to Maine...but then the campaign moves to the South-Bill Clinton's turf," Burno said.

But late last night, the second tier of Democratic hopefuls were still battling it out for third-place.

Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey, addressing an exuberant audience at the Sheraton Wayfarer in Bedford, assured his supporters that he was committed to continuing his campaign.

"We may not quite be golden yet, but bronze ain't bad," he said.

Kerrey's campaign aides and supporters agreed that their candidate's third place finish was important in the upcoming race.

"Tsongas has had the local advantage, and Clinton has dominated the press coverage," said campaign manager Tadd Levine. "We'll continue to build not only for the nomination but also the general election."

Attacking Bush's health care, economic and educational policies, Kerrey expressed confidence about winning the Democratic nomination and the general election.

"It breaks my heart to see what Bush has done to this country," said Kerrey, strongly New Hampshire Primaries 1992

With 97% of precincts reporting, returns show Paul Tsongas as the Democratic winner and George Bush as the Republican winner in the New Hampshire primaries.

Democratic Party Candidate  Votes  Percentage  Delegate s Jerry Brown  12,784  9%  0 Bill Clinton  38,365  26%  9 Mario Cuomo  5,128  3%  0 Tom Harkin  15,569  11%  0 Bob Kerrey  17,085  12%  0 Tom Laughlin  2,069  1%  0 Ralph Nader  2,445  2%  0 Paul Tsongas  50,903  34%  9 Others  3,499  2%  0

Republican Party Candidate  Votes  Percentage  Delegate s Patrick Buchanan  59,426  41%  9 George Bush  83,415  57%  14 Others  2,754  2%  0 Source: The Associated Press criticizing the president's last term."Buchanan may have bloodied his nose, but we'regoing to knock him out in November '92."

At his campaign celebration in Manchester, IowaSen. Tom Harkin said that his fourth-place finishwas a big victory for an underdog candidate.

Volunteers, senior campaign staffers and Harkinhimself vigorously denied that he would considerdropping out, saying that the candidate expects astronger showing in the Midwest and the South.

"Do I look like someone who's going to tuck histail and run?" Harkin said. "No way."

And Dawn Sweitzer, a senior adviser to theHarkin campaign, attacked Tsongas, Clinton andKerrey, all of whom finished ahead of Harkin.

Sweitzer called Tsongas' platform "warmed-overReaganomics," said Clinton would suffer in theSouth over the draft issue and sharply criticizedthe Kerrey campaign.

"We have an underpinning of support that BobKerrey doesn't have," Sweitzer said. "We can takea punch, but one solid punch and he goes down."

As for former California Gov. Edmund G. Brown,he called his fifthplace finish a victory forgrass-roots politics.

"This is a testament to the people of NewHampshire, taking back their own democracy," Brownsaid.Crimson File PhotoNebraska Sen. BOB KERREY captured 12 percent ofthe N.H. vote.

At his campaign celebration in Manchester, IowaSen. Tom Harkin said that his fourth-place finishwas a big victory for an underdog candidate.

Volunteers, senior campaign staffers and Harkinhimself vigorously denied that he would considerdropping out, saying that the candidate expects astronger showing in the Midwest and the South.

"Do I look like someone who's going to tuck histail and run?" Harkin said. "No way."

And Dawn Sweitzer, a senior adviser to theHarkin campaign, attacked Tsongas, Clinton andKerrey, all of whom finished ahead of Harkin.

Sweitzer called Tsongas' platform "warmed-overReaganomics," said Clinton would suffer in theSouth over the draft issue and sharply criticizedthe Kerrey campaign.

"We have an underpinning of support that BobKerrey doesn't have," Sweitzer said. "We can takea punch, but one solid punch and he goes down."

As for former California Gov. Edmund G. Brown,he called his fifthplace finish a victory forgrass-roots politics.

"This is a testament to the people of NewHampshire, taking back their own democracy," Brownsaid.Crimson File PhotoNebraska Sen. BOB KERREY captured 12 percent ofthe N.H. vote.