8 Questions New Hampshire Could Answer

7. Did New Hampshire penalize voters by scheduling its primary so soon after Iowa's caucuses?

Normally eight days separate the votes in Iowa and New Hampshire, but the calendar contretemps prompted New Hampshire to cut that to five.

The last days of campaigning here have been a marvelous spectacle of energy, enthusiasm and candidate endurance, but the compressed window has provided less time for reflection -- less time for New Hampshire voters to express their traditional independent-minded examination of the candidates.

Iowa and New Hampshire have probably gotten more candidate time and attention than all the other states combined, and their influence remains sizable. But the final-days dash through the Granite State has had a different rhythm than in some past campaigns -- reinforcing a growing consensus that the nominating process badly needs an overhaul.

8. What happens to Giuliani and Huckabee?

Huckabee did not fare as well in the weekend's debates as he did earlier and may be feeling the pressure of being at the front of the pack. But, having won Iowa, he has far less on the line in New Hampshire than Giuliani.

Republican pollster Neil Newhouse said Huckabee stands to benefit from a McCain victory. "Right now in this political calculus, a bad night for Mitt is a good night for Huck," he wrote.

But Whit Ayres, another GOP pollster, said the results could hurt Huckabee. "It will expose his fundamental weakness, which is his inability to expand his coalition beyond social conservatives," he wrote. "But he still could win South Carolina."

Giuliani is the bigger mystery. He has tried a late-state strategy, hoping for a victory in the Jan. 29 Florida primary and a big delegate victory on Feb. 5. He has tried to play down his activity in the earliest states, but he spent considerable money in New Hampshire to little effect.

He must win Florida, but his candidacy could be severely weakened by continued losses. He needs a confused race more than anyone.

Asked to defend the former New York mayor's approach, Giuliani's campaign manager put it this way: "We have an unconventional strategy that refuses to bow to conventional wisdom. . . . We have never had a five-way race with two dozen states holding elections in a month. Our unconventional strategy will lead to the most delegates and the nomination."