"The great difficulty that George W. Bush had in 1999 in the state is that he never wore the white robe," he said, referring to the practice of meeting the voters in person. "John McCain did, and in doing so, propelled himself to the front of the pack."

Looking Toward Feb. 1

McCain, who netted only 5 percent of the vote in Iowa, spent yesterday in Sunapee, Hillsborough and Londonderry, mostly at town meetings.

Forbes, visibly buoyed by his 30 percent showing in the caucuses, told supporters yesterday he hoped to ride the momentum to an even bigger victory. Advisers hinted that he will begin a new television advertising campaign aimed at these voters.

"New Hampshire is known as a conservative state nationwide," said Corbin. "We're not conservative as much as we are libertarian."

Keyes told The Crimson last week that he wouldn't play the prediction game for New Hampshire. But Monday night--after coming in third in the caucuses--his tone was different.

"I'm sure our supporters will take

heart from this," Keyes said.