Editorial:

The Comeback Kid II

Hillary Clinton confounds pollsters, pundits with her victory in New Hampshire

Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Heading into Tuesday’s Democratic presidential primary in New Hampshire, pundits had already started to write the obituary of Sen. Hillary Clinton’s candidacy and were assuming that Sen. Barack Obama would win in a blowout.

Well, not so fast.

Although last-minute polls showed Clinton substantially trailing Obama, and political observers were noting the enthusiastic crowds that Obama was attracting, she made a remarkable comeback, beating Obama.

Needless to say, New Hampshire voters have given a critical boost to Clinton’s campaign.

On the Republican side, the race is up for grabs as well, with Arizona Sen. John McCain winning the GOP primary in his own surprising comeback bid. Mitt Romney came in second, as he did in Iowa’s caucuses last week. This result comes after former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who finished third in New Hampshire, won Iowa’s caucuses.

The next important Republican primaries will be held in Michigan and South Carolina. Nevada’s Republican Party will hold its caucuses on Jan. 19 but they have been rendered irrelevant because most of the GOP candidates will bypass Nevada and vie for delegates in South Carolina, which will hold its Republican primary on the same date.

Next on the calendar after South Carolina is Super Tuesday, Feb. 5, when 22 states will hold their primaries or caucuses.

But, before all of that happens, Nevada’s Democratic caucuses will be front and center and, without a doubt, MSNBC’s Jan. 15 Democratic presidential debate will take on even greater importance. And, unlike Iowa and New Hampshire, which are overwhelmingly white and have an inordinate concentration of their populations in rural areas, Nevada offers a better representation of the United States. Nevada is a Western state, but it also is urban and ethnically and racially diverse.

The voters of Nevada will have a unique and incredible opportunity to steer the course of the 2008 presidential campaign and, maybe, the direction of this country. Our time is now.