Nashua, N.H.- Sen. John McCain, D-Ariz., won the New Hampshire Republican Primary Tuesday night with about 37 percent of the vote at the time of this writing.

According to exit polls conducted for the Associate Press, McCain garnered more than half of the votes of those who considered a candidate “who says what he believes” to be a key factor in their voting decision. The polls also showed that McCain also got a large number of votes from people who said that they’d rather allow illegal immigrants in this country apply for citizenship that deport them all.

Tanisha Sullivan of New Hampshire was in attendance at the rally of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. However, she said if Obama did not get the Democratic party nomination she would then consider voting for McCain.

Shannon Sorrow of New Hampshire, also said that she would consider voting for McCain if Obama did not receive the party nomination.

This party independent style of viewing the candidates may have been what brought McCain to the front in New Hampshire.

The exit polls also showed he received a lot of votes from registered independents, who are able to vote in the New Hampshire primaries.

At McCain’s New Hampshire post primary party at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nashua, McCain said that he hesitated to apply the word “kid” to himself in any way but that the McCain campaign has shown the nation that he was a true “comeback kid.”

The McCain campaign underwent serious financial troubles and lost several staff members in 2007.

Brad Marston, national chairman of McCain Victory 08, said that he’s been a supporter of McCain since March of 2007.

“I was originally a [Mitt] Romney supporter and my mom kept talking about John McCain and basically John McCain kept talking and I kept listening,” Marston said.

Marston said that New Hampshire was a “must win” state. He said that the press attention and money that a win in New Hampshire will bring to the campaign will help to build momentum and translate into better results in other states.

The lobby of the Crowne Plaza hotel was jam-packed with supporters, including McCain’s niece who came up from Boston to support him.

“I respect the man, I respect his integrity and I don’t know what problems the country is going to face in the next four or eight years so I need to vote for a guy [who’s] thought process [I believe in],” Marston said.