Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is leading the New Hampshire Republican primary, according to early results from the New Hampshire primary election.
Early election results show Mr. Romney leading the Republican field with 36 percent support, while Texas Republican Congressman Ron Paul is in second place with 25 percent. Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman has the support of 15 percent. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has received the support of 11 percent of voters, while former Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Rick Santorum has the support of 9 percent. Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry remains in last place with less than 1 percent support.
Mr. Romney has received close to 6,000 votes, while Mr. Paul has 4,000 votes. Mr. Huntsman, in third place, has receive a total of 2,300 votes.
The early election results reflect recent poll numbers that show Mr. Romney well ahead of the Republican field. The Massachusetts Republican has spent the past several months campaigning in the state, and has focused a large amount of campaign resources on securing a victory in the Granite state.
The race in New Hampshire is likely to shake up the Republican presidential primary. Tuesday’s Iowa caucus eliminated Minnesota Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann from the race, and the New Hampshire primary is widely seen as a key indicator of whether Republicans will back Mr. Romney candidacy.
The early election returns reflect the outcomes of less than 5 percent. Polls remain open in Nashua, New Hampshire, where voters will continue to cast ballots until 8pm EST. The current election results are from Carrol County, Coos County, and Hillsborough County.
