Independent voters, of course, who can vote in either primary and comprise about four in 10 voters in each party's primary Tuesday. In a possible litmus test of where the excitement is this year, about six in 10 independents opted to vote in the Democratic contest.

WHAT DEMOCRATS REALLY WANT

It's this year's buzzword: Change. More than half of Democrats said they were looking for a candidate who could make it happen. As in Iowa, Obama got the biggest part of that group, more than half. One in five Democrats said they wanted a candidate with experience, a group Clinton was carrying. Clinton and Edwards were tied among those seeking an empathetic candidate.

WHAT REPUBLICANS REALLY WANT

The top qualities Republicans were seeking in a candidate was one who shares their values and one who is authentic. Romney was the big leader among those naming values, McCain among those seeking a candidate who says what he believes. McCain had a slight edge with those who most value experience.

PIOUS VOTERS: WHERE THEY STAND

About a fifth of New Hampshire GOP voters said they were born again or evangelical voters, compared with six in 10 in last week's Iowa Republican caucuses. Of that group, Huckabee had roughly a third of the support of evangelicals on Tuesday, giving him a slight edge over McCain and Romney. McCain was leading Romney with those who said it mattered that their candidate share their religious beliefs. Romney's Mormonism has alienated some voters, previous polls have showed.

(SOUTH) CAROLINA ON HIS MIND

With his Republican rivals jockeying for victory in New Hampshire, Fred Thompson sought to boost his support in this early voting state considered critical to his campaign.

"I don't know of any better place to stand my ground and test my case than in South Carolina," Thompson said as he began an 11-day bus tour there.

He said that primary results in New Hampshire and in Michigan on Jan. 15 will factor into whether he stays in the race -- but that South Carolina, which votes Jan. 19, will be key. "This is where I have chosen to make my stand," he said.

TOP ISSUES: HOW VOTERS SEE THEM

About one-third of Democrats named the economy and Iraq as the top issues facing the country, followed by health care. Republicans were split about even in naming the economy and Iraq as the nation's top issues, with illegal immigration and terrorism close, too.

About a fifth of Republicans were worried about their personal finances, and McCain led among them. About a quarter of Democrats have the same concern, and they were about evenly divided between Obama and Clinton.

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