MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Politics-mad New Hampshire, jaded beyond reason by never-ending presidential campaigns, hadn't seen anything quite like this before.
Democratic Sen. Barack Obama made his debut in the kickoff primary state to adoring responses yesterday from large crowds of voters seemingly convinced that they were witnessing the next big thing on the national scene.
"I see him as very messianic," said Kelsey Woodward, a 64-year- old artist, at Obama's first stop, in Portsmouth. "People are craving a fresh voice, a fresh face, a fresh outlook."
The 45-year-old Illinois senator, who is tapping into the public's desire for an end to the bitter partisanship in Washington, might not make it all the way to the White House. But he appears to have put his party under a spell that has veteran politicians reaching back to the Kennedy era for comparisons.
His emergence could pose a problem for less charismatic rivals who have spent years laying the groundwork for their own bids. Analysts say there is only so much attention, money and endorsements to go around, and with Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton likely to head the field, there may not be much room for other contenders.
"We've got a lot of 800-pound gorillas this time seriously looking at it," said Raymond Buckley, vice chairman of the state Democratic Party, referring to the collection of senators and governors gearing up to run.
Only one or two may be able to compete successfully in the shadow of Clinton and Obama, some analysts say. Money is a major hurdle. A candidate will have to raise $25 million to $40 million over the next 12 months to be competitive, according to campaign aides.
Nevertheless, a candidate other than Clinton or Obama could certainly become the nominee. "New Hampshire's been known to give a little oxygen to somebody that other people aren't looking at," said Buckley.
That didn't seem to be the case this weekend, however, for one Democratic hopeful. Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, making at least his seventh trip to the Granite State in the past 18 months, attracted scant attention. About 75 activists turned out to greet him Saturday night at a banquet hall in Manchester, the state's largest city.
Bayh said he felt "fine" about the Obama invasion, insisting that "we're not competing with one another." Bayh said he was doing what presidential candidates always do here - "seeing people in coffee shops and living rooms" - and said was unworried about getting crowded out of the '08 picture.
