In his concession speech, Bush credited his opponent for a well-oiled campaign, but played down the importance of McCain's victory.
"New Hampshire has long been known as a bump in the road for front-runners, and this year will be no exception," he said.
The candidates stumping for votes were squabbling over a relatively paltry pie--New Hampshire's primary decided only 29 of the more than 2000 delegates required for the democratic nomination and only 17 delegates for the Republican nomination.
Instead, candidates are hoping that early victories will either solidify their early leads in the polls, or legitimize their campaign in the case of challengers like Bradley and McCain.
--With reporting from Garrett M. Graff and Kirsten G. Studlien from New Hampshire.