Mitt Romney has won the New Hampshire Republican primary by a comfortable margin – a major boost for his bid to run for president against Barack Obama in November.

Mitt Romney told exuberant supporters they made history. It was the first time a non-incumbent Republican won both Iowa and New Hampshire. FULL STORY

Mitt Romney is expected to take a huge step towards securing the US Republican presidential nomination when votes are cast later.

Front-runner Mitt Romney faced intensified criticism from his Republican foes, spending the day before the New Hampshire primary explaining a remark he made.

Mitt Romney, the front-runner in the race for the nomination, came under attack from his Republican rivals in Saturday night’s debate in New Hampshire. But so did the candidate on the rise, Rick Santorum.