WASHINGTON -- John McCain impressed New Hampshire voters -- both independents and registered Republicans -- as a straight shooter who says what he believes, exit polls indicated Tuesday.

NEW HAMPSHIRE RESULTS Republican 98% of precincts reporting McCain 49% Bush 31% Forbes 13% Keyes 6% Bauer 1% Democrats 98% of precincts reporting Gore 52% Bradley 47% Percentages will not necessarily add to 100. FROM THE GLOBE Democrats fight to a close finish Independents turn GOP contest Contrarians speak up, leaders get wake up call Arizona senator has found strength in his weaknesses Independent voters say character was key to decision Why they voted the way they did Result no setback for Bush backer Cellucci Primary shows off NBC synergy Independents seen taking up the insurgents' fight Bauer, Keyes unbowed as they vow to soldier on Forbes hopes to make it a three-way race Bush campaign says it's ready to move on In Granite State diner, a final helping of politics First primary settled, campaigns mull new tactics On campaign trail, it's a frantic pace Vow of tenacity keeps Bradley's spirits high, focus keen For vice president's campaign, no letup in asking for votes NECN VIDEO Forbes praises McCain win, asks for more support Keyes will stay in race, despite big N.H. loss Gore wins the Democratic N.H. primary over Bradley Bradley greets voters at polls Will Bradley triumph? Turnout heavy in Granite State Can McCain pull off a victory? Gore makes a last minute effort These video clips are viewed using RealPlayer. Get RealPlayer | Help EARLIER COVERAGE Gore wins close race among Democrats McCain savors big win over Bush in GOP race True to tradition, N.H. tests front-runners McCain impressed voters as straight shooter GOP voters happier with candidates than in '96 Independents say character was key to vote Granite State voters have their say N.H. Secretary of State again predicts high turnout Keys to reading the New Hampshire returns Bradley, McCain win Dixville Notch, Hart's Location

The Arizona senator not only led 3-1 among independents, but also led among registered Republicans, who had been seen as a source of strength for George W. Bush before the primary.

More voters in the Republican primary, about a fourth, chose moral values as being more important than any other issue. Tied for second were taxes, world affairs and the combination of Social Security and Medicare.

But McCain's push to reform campaign finances evidently struck a chord.

Four out of five voters thought campaign finance reform could help the country, and registered Republicans who felt that way voted for McCain by a 2-1 margin, according to Voter News Service exit polls.

When questioned about which candidate was most likely to say what he believes rather than what people want to hear, half picked McCain and about one in six picked Bush. And the candidate quality picked the most often, by more than a third, was standing up for one's beliefs.

New Hampshire voters' enthusiasm for McCain, who staked his hopes on a victory in the primary after bypassing the Iowa caucuses, was expressed by Charles Baron, a 51-year-old accountant from Manchester.

"I have the sense that he's telling the truth," said Baron, who often votes Democratic. "I just think he'll do what we need done."

In a hard-fought Democratic primary, Bill Bradley drew strength from independents, those who viewed President Clinton unfavorably and voters who thought personal qualities were more important than issues. Al Gore got strong support from registered Democrats, those whose financial situation has improved in the last four years and those who thought issues were most important.

In other findings:

REPUBLICANS:

Almost nine of 10 voters in the Republican primary said they were satisfied with their choice of candidates, far more than expressed satisfaction four years ago, according to the exit polls. In the 1996 New Hampshire GOP primary, four out of 10 voters said they wanted another choice in the race in which Pat Buchanan beat Bob Dole, the eventual nominee.

Voters were split on whether McCain or Bush would have the best chance to win the presidency in November. That blunted one of the Bush campaign's biggest selling points, that he was the Republican with the best chance of winning the general election. Some who felt Bush had the best chance in November still voted for McCain.

Martha Rohan, a 54-year-old Republican from Nashua, said she voted for McCain after making up her mind a few days ago. "I don't think Bush has enough experience nationally," she said.

The voters in the GOP primary were upbeat about the New Hampshire economy, with almost nine in 10 saying it was excellent or good. And more than half said their financial situation was better than it was four years ago.

DEMOCRATS:

More than four of five voters in the Democratic primary said they were satisfied with the candidates. Voters in the Democratic primary were also upbeat about the New Hampshire economy, with nine in 10 calling it excellent or good, while about two-thirds said their financial situation was better than four years ago.

Education and health care were the two issues cited most often in deciding the Democratic vote -- each chosen by about one-fifth of the voters. Bradley won among those who chose health care as the top issue, and Gore won among those who chose education.

Gore led among those who had a union member in their household, while Bradley led among those who made up their mind in the last few days.

The exit polls were conducted by Voter News Service, a consortium of The Associated Press, ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC. For its preliminary findings, VNS surveyed 1,153 voters in the GOP primary and 769 voters in the Democratic primary as they came out of precincts Tuesday. The poll had an error margin of plus or minus 5 percentage points for the overall Democratic sample and 4 percentage points for Republicans, larger for subgroups of each.