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

In the 1996 New Hampshire GOP primary, four out of 10 voters said they wanted another choice in the primary in which Pat Buchanan beat Bob Dole.

In the Democratic primary, more than four out of five voters said they were satisfied with the candidates, according to preliminary findings of Voter News Service exit polls Tuesday.

Some New Hampshire Republican voters made up their minds a bit earlier this year. Just under half said they made a final decision in the last week. In 1996, about two-thirds waited until the last week. Just under half of Democrats said they made a final decision on their vote in the last week.

In other findings:

REPUBLICANS:

The voters in the GOP primary were upbeat about the New Hampshire economy, with almost nine out of 10 saying it was excellent or good. And they were generally upbeat about their own personal economic situation as well.

In past presidential elections, the state's economic troubles have been a potent issue for presidential candidates such as Pat Buchanan, the winner in the primary in 1996. More than half the voters in this year's GOP primary said their financial situation was better than it was four years ago, and two-thirds said the average American's standard of living will rise over the next 10 years.

The issue that mattered most to voters in the Republican primary was moral values, chosen by a quarter. Tied for second were taxes, world affairs and Social Security-Medicare.

About four out of 10 voters said they saw at least one of the GOP candidates during the campaign.

DEMOCRATS:

Voters in the Democratic primary were upbeat about the New Hampshire economy as well, with nine out of 10 saying it was excellent or good. And about two-thirds said their financial situation was better now than four years ago. Four out of five said they expected the average American's standard of living to rise over the next 10 years.

Education and health care were the two issues cited most often as most important in deciding the vote in the Democratic primary -- each chosen by about one-fifth of the voters.

About three out of 10 voters in the Democratic primary said they saw at least one of the two Democratic candidates.

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.