Jump Ball for New Hampshire

Moreover, Republican support in the state has been crumbling. Democrats swept New Hampshire in 2006. Gov. John Lynch was reelected in a landslide and is heavily favored this year. Hodes and Shea-Porter took the state's two U.S. House seats away from Republican incumbents. Democrats won both houses of the state Legislature for the first time since 1874.

Shea-Porter shocked even her own party with her victory over Rep. Jeb Bradley, and polls suggest she faces a tough contest this year. But she says she's confident about her chances, as well as Obama's, because discontent in the state is, if anything, stronger than it was in 2006. "The mood is somber, very worried, and people are very frustrated," she said.

Fergus Cullen, the Republican state chairman, is remarkably candid about his party's wounded image, which is why he so values McCain's reputation for independence. Cullen noted that during a visit to New Hampshire last week, McCain "didn't use the word 'Republican' once. That's okay with me. I consider that good politics in this environment."

"If the Democrats succeed in framing this election as Bush's third term or as a referendum on the Republican Party, my party is in big trouble," Cullen explained. "You remember the scene in the first 'Star Wars' when Princess Leia says to Obi-Wan Kenobi, 'You're my only hope'? That's how I feel about John McCain."

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