Romney again settles for silver, forges ahead

BEDFORD, N.H. — It was another silver medal for Mitt Romney Tuesday night as Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., captured the New Hampshire Republican primary.

"Another silver," Romney told disappointed supporters after news organizations Fox News and CNN called the race in favor of McCain just minutes after the polls officially closed. "I'd rather have a gold, but I got another silver. There have been three races so far and I've gotten two silvers and one gold. Thank you Wyoming."

"This has been quite an experience for us," Romney told the crowd, flanked on stage by his wife, Ann, and all his children and grandchildren. "We thought we knew New Hampshire, but now we really know New Hampshire."

Romney repeatedly said in recent days that he wanted to win in New Hampshire but now intends to remain in the race at least until Super Tuesday on Feb. 5 when 22 states, including Utah, hold their primaries.

Downplaying his New Hampshire finish, Romney turned his concession speech into an opportunity to immediately get back on the stump.

"We hear time and time again a similar message, and that is that people are frustrated, they are concerned about the future of our country, particularly our leadership in Washington. They feel that Washington is broken.

"And they heard time and again promises that are unfilled by Washington," Romney said, launching into a laundry list of problems America faces but that government has failed to address — reducing dependence on foreign oil, improving schools, protecting jobs.

He said the country needs to send someone to Washington "who will actually get the job done."

"If people wonder what direction America is going to head if they choose a Democratic leader like Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, all they have to do is look at a state like Michigan where taxes have been going up and jobs have been going out and industries are struggling," Romney said.

Coming off a second-place finish in the Iowa Republican Caucus last week, Romney campaigned hard in the Granite State, stressing to voters his ability to beat Democratic front-runner Obama. Romney added that while he thought Hillary Clinton would be the Democratic nominee, Obama's momentum from Iowa and popularity in New Hampshire could put him over the top.

Earlier on Tuesday, during a stop at a polling place in Salem, N.H., Romney showed he had no quit in him, regardless of Tuesday's outcome.