By Susan Milligan, Globe Staff, 2/2/2000

ANCHESTER, N.H. - With the sky dark and just an hour to go before the polls closed yesterday, Al Gore was out at the polling stations, shaking hands and making a last-minute plea for support.

NEW HAMPSHIRE RESULTS Republican 98% of precincts reporting McCain 49% Bush 31% Forbes 13% Keyes 6% Bauer 1% Democrats 98% of precincts reporting Gore 52% Bradley 47% Percentages will not necessarily add to 100. FROM THE GLOBE Democrats fight to a close finish Independents turn GOP contest Contrarians speak up, leaders get wake up call Arizona senator has found strength in his weaknesses Independent voters say character was key to decision Why they voted the way they did Result no setback for Bush backer Cellucci Primary shows off NBC synergy Independents seen taking up the insurgents' fight Bauer, Keyes unbowed as they vow to soldier on Forbes hopes to make it a three-way race Bush campaign says it's ready to move on In Granite State diner, a final helping of politics First primary settled, campaigns mull new tactics On campaign trail, it's a frantic pace Vow of tenacity keeps Bradley's spirits high, focus keen For vice president's campaign, no letup in asking for votes NECN VIDEO Forbes praises McCain win, asks for more support Keyes will stay in race, despite big N.H. loss Gore wins the Democratic N.H. primary over Bradley Bradley greets voters at polls Will Bradley triumph? Turnout heavy in Granite State Can McCain pull off a victory? Gore makes a last minute effort These video clips are viewed using RealPlayer. Get RealPlayer | Help EARLIER COVERAGE Gore wins close race among Democrats McCain savors big win over Bush in GOP race True to tradition, N.H. tests front-runners McCain impressed voters as straight shooter GOP voters happier with candidates than in '96 Independents say character was key to vote Granite State voters have their say N.H. Secretary of State again predicts high turnout Keys to reading the New Hampshire returns Bradley, McCain win Dixville Notch, Hart's Location

Gore, notorious for his wooden image, doesn't tend to show it when he's rattled. But when mid-afternoon exit polls were showing a neck-and-neck race between Gore and his rival, former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley, Gore raced back out to the streets to get votes.

The vice president, the Gore campaign had insisted, was not taking anything for granted - not a single vote. And by the time the campaign was over, a single-vote victory would have pleased the candidate who saw his support in opinion polls seesaw from far behind in September, to comfortably leading in the week before the contest, to what looked like a nail-bitingly close race on primary day.

''After a hard-fought race like this, a win is a win,'' Doug Hattaway, Gore's New Hampshire campaign spokesman, said as Gore bought coffee at a Dunkin' Donuts for poll workers.

''All Al Gore needed was 1 percent more in New Hampshire,'' said Senator John F. Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts. ''He came from way behind when all of the momentum was for Bradley. If Bill Bradley can't win convincingly here, where is he?''

He's still around. Bradley, clearly disappointed at last night's results, intends to continue campaigning for the nomination.

The Bradley challenge is an expensive one for Gore, who now must face March 7 primaries in New York and California - two states with extremely high TV advertising costs.

And Bradley appears to have made some progress in questioning Gore's commitment to abortion rights and campaign finance reform. The two men share similar views on those issues, but Bradley contends Gore has changed his position on abortion and has been somewhat hypocritical on campaign finance reform.

''It's not that there's much of a difference in what they have to say,'' said Luke Martin, 29, wearing a long rubber tube on his nose to ridicule Gore as a liar of Pinocchio-esque proportions. ''It's about honesty.''

But if Bradley has been a constant irritant to Gore, he has also been good for Gore as a candidate. Bradley's relentless fight against Gore ''made us stronger,'' a beaming Gore said last night. ''This is a better campaign, a more focused campaign.''

Stung by a negative assault by Bradley, Gore became much more aggressive in the last week before the contest.

Some of that aggression was turned on Bradley, as the two engaged in a nasty, final week of campaigning. The Bradley camp accused Gore supporters of literal mud-slinging, when Senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, who backs Bradley, left a verbal scuffle with Gore defenders with mud on the upper back of his coat.

Gore had been behind in the opinion polls - or in a dead heat - virtually from Labor Day until the last week before the New Hampshire primary, when his numbers surged. With a second win in sight, Gore got fired up.

The vice president, whose baritone, Southern elocution and endless chat about the budget surplus tend to make him sound as if he's giving a commencement address to accountants, got uncharacteristically emotional in the last couple of weeks.

He shouted. He attacked Bradley for ''negative campaigning'' and for his health care plan. He stayed hours after open meetings, promising to answer every unanswered voter question. He even hugged a voter.

He was, Gore insisted, ''a fighter,'' someone who would fight for ordinary Americans as president. And while Gore traveled with all the accoutrements of a vice president - Air Force Two and Secret Service protection - he was determined to persuade New Hampshire voters he was just one of the guys.