Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., easily won the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night, securing his place as the man to beat in what was formerly a tight pack of candidates for the Democratic nomination.

Thirty-eight percent of voters in the primary cast their vote with Kerry, giving him nearly a 13 percent lead over second-place finisher former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who earned 25 percent of the vote. Gen. Wesley Clark, from Arkansas, and Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., battled it out for third place during the night, with Clark finally edging Edwards out 12.5 percent to 12 percent. Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., finished in fifth place, capturing almost 9 percent of the vote.

Kerry gave a confident victory speech after the polls closed, reveling in a win that brings him one step closer to taking on President Bush in the 2004 presidential election as the Democratic candidate. Kerry thanked supporters in New Hampshire and Iowa for providing the boost he lacked several weeks ago when his low polls among voters, combined with Howard Dean’s popularity, seemed to squeeze him from the running.

“I love New Hampshire,” Kerry said. “And I love Iowa too. And I hope, with your help, to have the blessing and opportunity to love a lot of other states in the days to come.”

With Tuesday’s win adding to the momentum he gained in Iowa, the Massachusetts senator has now become the primary race’s unequivocal favorite. For many voters, Kerry is increasingly becoming the candidate who stands the best chance of beating Bush.

Don Eggert, co-chair of Students for Kerry, said Kerry’s margin of victory in the first two contests for the Democratic nomination proves the senator is the most bankable candidate to challenge the GOP, a fact that is sure to influence Wisconsin voters.

“The people in Wisconsin are going to be looking for the same thing the voters in Iowa and New Hampshire want,” Eggert said. “Wisconsin voters want someone who can beat George Bush.”

According to the New York Times, exit polls in New Hampshire showed that more than a third of voters cited the ability to defeat President Bush as more important than the candidate’s stance on the issues. Healthcare, the war in Iraq and the economy were the three biggest issues to New Hampshire voters.

Dean conceded to losing first place early Tuesday night. Portraying his loss to Kerry in New Hampshire as a victory of sorts, Dean said his performance Tuesday is proof his wounds from Iowa are beginning to heal.

“We came in a solid second, and I think that’s good — and we recovered from our performance in Iowa,” Dean said on CNN. “I’m very pleased.”

Dean’s inability to win either Iowa or New Hampshire has shaken his campaign and transformed the former Vermont governor from the race’s favorite to the “comeback kid” of the primary. Yet despite his second loss in eight days, Dean, along with all the major candidates, is set to continue his bout for the Democratic nomination in the upcoming primaries.

“Dean [has] enough money to stay in the race for one more week,” University of Wisconsin political science professor Charles Franklin said.