Obama, who would be the country’s first black President, is expected to win the January 26 Democratic primary in South Carolina in which African Americans will make up at least half of the electorate.

Clinton is considered competitive in Nevada, which holds its caucuses on January 19. Moreover, although the influential culinary workers union had been expected to endorse Obama on Tuesday, strategists believed the group may now hold back.

Still, before Clinton can truly declare herself the “Comeback Kid”, it was clear Tuesday that Clinton has some repair work to do.

The exit polling suggested that some of her long-held advantages had evaporated in New Hampshire. No longer was Clinton viewed as the most likely candidate to beat a Republican. In the poll, 44 per cent said Obama was more likely to win the November election, compared to 35 per cent who said that of Clinton.

And Obama, as he did in Iowa, proved his ability to attract new voters. One in five voters Tuesday said it was their first time participating in a primary, and a big plurality of those backed Obama.

Clinton made clear that she intends to transform her campaign, declaring that she “found my own voice” while campaigning in the state. Still unclear is whether that will be a voice for the kind of “change” that spawned Obama’s rise, or a voice of “experience” that is the basis for Clinton’s campaign until her Iowa loss.