"I know that at the end of the night I will have almost certainly received more votes for president than anyone else on the Republican side," Romney said during a stop Tuesday at a polling place in Salem, N.H. "So win or lose, we are on to Michigan, and we are going to win some more primaries, and we are going to be able to win this nomination."

Those words were echoed later in the evening by New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg, who told Romney supporters that it had been an honor campaigning with the Romney family and that "this strong second means they are going to be back here in November."

Despite record voter turnout that some experts predicted would help Romney, McCain still held on to his supporters in the state. He had been leading Romney in polls and had received the backing of the state's largest newspaper, the Union Leader.

Tuesday's victory marks a huge comeback for McCain, who had been written off by many earlier this year when his candidacy stalled after he had difficulty raising money and was forced to lay off staff.

Of course, New Hampshire has been kind to McCain in the past, presenting him with a huge win over President George W. Bush in the 2000 Republican primary.

"My friends, I am past the age when I can claim the noun, 'kid,' no matter what adjective precedes it. But tonight we sure showed them what a comeback looks like," McCain said summing up his victory.

Romney said he called to congratulate McCain and said the senator ran a "first-class race."

Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., a McCain supporter who has actively campaigned for him, praised the Arizona senator's victory Tuesday night. "I congratulate Sen. McCain on a hard-fought campaign, a well-deserved victory and a Lazarus-like recovery," Huntsman said.

Professor Scott McLean, chairman of the political science department at Quinnipiac University, Hamden, Conn., said a second-place finish is not detrimental to Romney, because he has the resources to continue through Feb. 5, when 22 states, including Utah, hold primaries.

But it does put a lot of pressure on Romney, said McLean, who was in New Hampshire with students this last weekend leading up to the primary.

He called it a "crude oversimplification" that a campaign is over if a candidate does not win Iowa or New Hampshire, although winners do benefit from the "bandwagon" effect where voters in others states will vote for them because of a win in a previous primary.

"There is a perception of being a loser," David E. Johnson, a Republican consultant with Strategic Vision, said. "It is hard to shake that loser persona."

But Romney is having none of that yet. Tuesday night he stressed to his New Hampshire supporters that the race is not over, and that he will "fight across this nation" onto Michigan, South Carolina, Florida and Nevada.