By Jill Zuckman, Globe Staff, 1/25/2000

ANCHESTER, N.H. - Now, it gets intense.

IOWA CAUCUS RESULTS Republican 97% of precincts reporting Bush 41% Forbes 30% Keyes 14% Bauer 9% McCain 5% Hatch 1% Democrats 98% of precincts reporting Gore 63% Bradley 35% Percentages will not necessarily add to 100. MORE COVERAGE FROM THE GLOBE Bush, Gore wrap up Iowa The votes tell the contentment Lesson of Iowa: Counterattack quickly Candidates have one goal remaining: closing the deal Tight-three way race in New Hampshire envisioned Gore plays it cool and girds for battle Hatch to announce he's quitting race Small-town USA sees big time turnout at polls On the road in N.H., McCain dismisses Iowa Sharing quarters, but ever so briefly EARLIER NEWS Gore, Bush easy winners of Iowa caucuses Voters say Bush best choice on moral values, can win in November Democrats: Iowa picks fighter Gore over Bradley's fresh start Republicans: Bush aims to use caucus victory to set up showdown with McCain Fiery Keyes gets strong caucus support Down-home politics shape Iowa Iowa's only the first step in picking nominee With a final flury, candidates focus on turnout Former president waits nervously as son competes in Iowa caucuses After Iowa: On to New Hampshire ABOUT THE CAUCUSES How Iowa caucuses work Why they are important ABOUT IOWA Population: 2.85 million. Registered voters: 1.8 million -- 36 percent unaffiliated, 32 percent Republican, 31 percent Democrat. Percentage of voters attending GOP caucuses in 1996: 17 percent. Race: 97 percent white. 2 percent black. 1 percent Asian. 2 percent Hispanic origin. Median age: 36.3. Median household income: $33,877. Poverty rate: 9.4 percent. Unemployment rate: 2.7 percent. Abortions: 9.8 per 1,000 women in 1995, compared with the national average of 22.9 per 1,000. 1996 vote: 50 percent Clinton; 40 percent Dole; 9 percent Perot. Average life span: 77 years, compared with the U.S. average of 75. Housing: Just over 72 percent of Iowans own their own homes, national average 66.3 percent. Crime rate: 3,816 victims per 100,000 people in 1997, vs. national average of 4,923. Tax burden: On a per-person basis, Iowa paid $4,530 in federal taxes in 1997 and got back $4,661 in federal spending.

As he arrives today on the heels of losing the Iowa caucuses, former senator Bill Bradley plans to spend his week fighting back against Vice President Al Gore. In a speech today in Hudson, in a television ad featuring Niki Tsongas, and through congressional surrogates such as Senator Bob Kerrey and Representatives Anna Eshoo and Luis Gutierrez, Bradley will be drawing contrasts and getting aggressive during the last week before the New Hampshire primary.

''Bill will be talking about the lessons he's learned in Iowa, that you've got to fight back,'' said Mark Longabaugh, Bradley's state director. ''You will see that in a very aggressive fashion in the next seven days. He will take that campaign to the people in a very assertive fashion.''

In the week before the primary here next Tuesday, each of the Republican and Democratic candidates will be making his final sales pitch, trying to close the deal with the voters. Some will stick to themes they have been laying out for the last year, while others, like Bradley, will try to shake up the race with a new line of attack.

''This is the week when, after all the buildup, the electorate really goes into its buying mode,'' said Thomas D. Rath, who is advising Governor George W. Bush of Texas. ''This is the week when we stop kicking the tires and start making selections. Candidacies and political futures are very much on the line here.''

Not surprisingly, voters will be paying more attention, the media will be swarming after the candidates like locusts, and volunteers will be knocking on doors and dropping off literature like lemmings.

''It's going to be bedlam,'' predicted Mike Dennehy, the New England director for Senator John McCain, the Arizona Republican. ''This is when everyone living in New Hampshire, ages 2 to 92, is paying attention.''

On the Republican side, Bush will continue to talk about taxes and education, appealing to registered Republican voters; McCain will talk about leadership and foreign policy, revisiting towns where he has strong independent support; and Steve Forbes will use his second-place finish in Iowa to try to carve into Bush's lead.

For the Democrats, Bradley will be trying to pull out of his downward slide in the polls with sharp words for Gore and a barnstorming tour to each of the state's 10 counties. Gore, on the other hand, will emphasize education, the economy, and health care as he travels to such heavily Democratic areas as Portsmouth, Concord, and the Connecticut River Valley.

''The last week is going to be a more frenetic week than any week that has preceded it,'' said Douglas Hattaway, a Gore spokesman. ''We're trying to cover as much of the state as we possibly can within the confines of the schedule, which includes the debate and the State of the Union, not to mention the Super Bowl.''

Most candidates will spend their time pumping up known supporters and still trying to convert the fence-sitters. That last category, however, is dwindling rapidly.

Of those planning to vote in the Republican primary, only 3 percent are still undecided, said Andy Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire survey center. For the Democratic primary, only 8 percent have yet to make up their mind.

But Smith said there is still some flux in the race.

On the Republican side, 67 percent of voters said they are certain about their decision, while 33 percent said they may change their mind. On the Democratic side, 72 percent of the voters said their decision is firm, while 28 percent may have a change of heart.

While most candidates will be talking about issues, Patrick W. Griffin, a Bush adviser, said the Texas governor will still be introducing himself to voters as he plays catch-up to McCain.

''The message is really to say to people, you need to know more about me as a person,'' Griffin said. ''Not only know what I think, but how I deal with this, how I respond to the week between Iowa and New Hampshire.''