Change in Washington was the message Friday as leading Republican and Democrat candidates blitzed New Hampshire, kicking off a weekend of intense campaigning ahead of that state's presidential primaries early next week.

Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama, addressing a rally Friday in Portsmouth, N.H., pledged to stir things up in Washington.
(M. Spencer Green/Associated Press)

The leading candidates travelled to the state late Thursday and early Friday, hours after Republican Mike Huckabee and Democrat Barack Obama swept to victory in the Iowa caucuses. New Hampshire's presidential primaries are on Tuesday.

Obama, who is vying to become the first black president of the United States, handily defeated former senator John Edwards and third-place finisher Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in Iowa, which is considered the first test in the road to the White House.

With rallies in the New Hampshire cities of Portsmouth and Concord Friday, Obama painted himself as the candidate who will shake things up in Washington by ending the Iraq war, addressing climate change and creating affordable health care.

"At this defining moment you can come together as Democrats, Republicans and independents. You can stand up together and say, 'Our time for change has come,' " Obama said.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton campaigns with her husband and former U.S. president Bill Clinton in New Hampshire. She said she has come under intense scrutiny from people 'who have axes to grind.'
(Elise Amendola/Associated Press)

Clinton addressed supporters in Nashua, N.H., along with her husband, former U.S. president Bill Clinton, and their daughter, Chelsea. Former president Clinton coined the term "Comeback Kid" in New Hampshire during the 1992 presidential campaign after making huge gains at the state primary following a poor showing in Iowa.

Later Friday during a rally at an airport hangar, Senator Clinton was peppered with questions on her poor showing and her future electability. She said her candidacy has come under more scrutiny than that of any of her competitors.

"You find a lot of things online from people who have axes to grind and agendas to promote," she said. "Of all the people running for president, I've been the most vetted, the most investigated — and the most innocent, as it turns out."

Edwards, who has portrayed himself as the defender of the little guy, trails Obama and Clinton in national polls and campaign financing. During a rally Friday in Manchester, N.H., he tried to separate himself from the powerful, well-oiled campaign machines backing Clinton and Obama.

"I am not the candidate of money, I am not the candidate of glitz or the candidate of glamour," Edwards said. "I am the candidate for president of the United States that is the people's candidate."

'A different race here'

Republican candidate Huckabee swept to victory in Iowa on the support of evangelical Christians, defeating former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, former senator Fred Thompson and Senator John McCain.

Huckabee, who made the morning talk show rounds Friday, stressed his campaign was about more than his religious backers.

"What we're seeing is that this campaign is not just about people who have religious fervour," he said. "It's about people who love America but want it to be better and believe that change is necessary and it's not going to happen from within Washington."

Analysts predict Huckabee, a former Baptist preacher with conservative views on abortion and gay marriage, will have a much tougher time in New Hampshire, which has a tradition of rejecting Iowa's choices.

Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney enjoys a pancake breakfast during a campaign stop in Portsmouth, N.H. Though he's on home turf in New England, Romney has been spurned by local newspapers.
(L.M. Otero/Associated Press)

"It will be a different race here," Romney said during a news conference Friday in Portsmouth.

"Mike had a terrific base as a minister. He drew on that base, got a great deal of support from it. It was a wonderful strategy that he pursued effectively. I don't think that's the strategy that's going to work in every state."

Romney, a successful businessman whose Mormon faith has become an issue during the campaign, acknowledged the Iowa results showed him voters are looking for change.

"The top two finishers were people from outside Washington," he said "We need new people in Washington, and I'm going to be one of them."

While Romney has a summer home in New Hampshire and is considered something of a local, several New England newspapers, including the Boston Globe and Concord Monitor, have shunned him and endorsed McCain as the Republican candidate.

Thompson, meanwhile, was looking beyond New Hampshire to the South Carolina Republican primary on Jan. 19

Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor considered at one time to be the national front-runner, has seen his support slip. Trailing in sixth place in Iowa, Giuliani is choosing to focus his campaign on big states like Florida and California.

On Saturday, leading candidates from both parties will take part in back-to-back debates in Manchester.

Republicans Giuliani, Huckabee, McCain, Romney, Thompson and Ron Paul will match words in the first 90-minute debate. After a 15-minute break, Democratic candidates Clinton, Edwards, Obama and Bill Richardson will hold a 90-minute debate.

With files from Associated Press