"It's a night we made history," said Romney, who narrowly won the Iowa caucuses a week ago. "Tonight we celebrate," he told backers. "Tomorrow, we go back to work.
It looks like Romney is going to cruise to a double-digit victory in New Hampshire, and more evidence to argue that he is inevitable Republican nominee.
With 92% of the state reporting, Romney has 39% of the vote, followed by Ron Paul (23%), Jon Huntsman (17%), Newt Gingrich (10%) and Rick Santorum (9%).
"When the two legitimate non-Romney alternatives -- Santorum and Gingrich -- finish behind Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman, this is over," e-mails Republican strategist Rich Galen. "We'll go through the motions for the next month or so, but practice saying: 'Republican candidate for president, Mitt Romney.' "
But former senator Bob Smith, a Gingrich supporter, told Fox News that more contests are needed: "Sixty to 70% of Republicans are still voting for someone other than Mitt.
As polls persistently showed Romney dominating in the New Hampshire contest, the primary over the last few months evolved into a hard-fought race among his competitors for second place. Paul, who placed third in Iowa, claimed that prize on Tuesday night.
Paul frequently has been dismissed by some of his opponents as an arch-liberal on foreign policy whose views on shrinking the country's global military footprint are dangerous for America. Paul dismissed that charge, but agreed at his post-election celebration Tuesday that "we are dangerous to the status quo."
Touching on his trademark issues, the Texas congressman went on to trumpet the virtues of "sound money" and "personal liberty" and to rail against the Afghanistan war.
Paul said Romney had a "clear-cut victory" in New Hampshire, but added: "We're nibbling at his heels."
Huntsman, meanwhile, tried to rally supporters after his third-place finish. The former Utah governor had staked his campaign on New Hampshire, ignoring the Iowa caucuses in favor of a wall-to-wall push for Granite State votes. Though he is polling poorly in South Carolina, Huntsman said Tuesday he's "on the hunt."
"I think third place is a ticket to ride, ladies and gentlemen," Huntsman said. "Hello, South Carolina."
Gingrich's camp announced early Wednesday that the candidate will deliver a "major" speech they described as "populist" at 9:00 a.m.
"Bottom line is you’re going to see the most authentic candidate who has run for president, who is not worried about what the consequences will be, put forth the truth as people see it in their lives every day,” spokesman R.C. Hammond told members of the press aboard the midnight charter leaving Manchester.
Earlier, Gingrich said his campaign is going on to South Carolina, arguing that he will take to that contest a "campaign for jobs and economic growth."
"This is step two of a long process," Gingrich said.
Santorum, who placed second in Iowa after surging from the back of the pack, said Tuesday night that "we have a campaign that has a message and a messenger that can deliver what we need, which is first and foremost, to defeat Barack Obama."
Perry placed fifth in the Iowa caucuses and has struggled to recapture the momentum his campaign boasted after his entrance into the race over the summer. However, his campaign on Tuesday set its sights on the next primary. He told Fox News his message will "resonate" in South Carolina.
Exit polling Tuesday offered a glimpse into voters' mind set. The data showed independents in particular were sharply divided over their choice for the Republican presidential nominee.
The polling showed undeclared voters made up a significant 44 percent of voters in the Granite State on Tuesday, nearly twice the number of independents that showed up in Iowa last week. In that group, 30 percent said they were supporting Romney, while 29 percent were supporting Paul and 27 percent were supporting Huntsman.
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