Presidential hopeful John McCain has revived his once moribund campaign and a new poll released Tuesday shows him surging to the top Republican field in the crucial state of New Hampshire.
The Arizona senator was written off as a White House contender months ago but has steadily fought his way back in the fluid nomination race, with the 7News/Suffolk University poll showing McCain surpassing rival Mitt Romney in New Hampshire.
The survey had McCain with 31 percent to Romney's 25 percent in the northeastern state, which holds the first primary vote on January 8 in the tight nomination race.
Last month, McCain was trailing Romney by 12 percentage points and it was the first time the senator had led the Republican camp since 7News/Suffolk University started polling in March.
The Vietnam veteran was initially seen as the Republican front-runner but his campaign nearly ran aground in 2007 amid a shortage of cash and unpopular stands on the Iraq war and illegal immigration.
But McCain, 71, who had long urged more troops in Iraq, has pointed to signs of progress in the current US troop "surge" strategy as vindication of his stance and proof that he has the best national security credentials.
McCain's campaign team on Tuesday announced a new advertisement touting the senator's experience on foreign policy and national security issues while casting doubt on Romney's qualifications and judgment.
McCain has recently received some high-profile endorsements, including one from the New Hampshire Union Leader newspaper and from Democrat-turned-independent Senator Joseph Lieberman.
The 7News/Suffolk University survey of likely voters in the New Hampshire primary contest was conducted from Thursday to Monday with a margin of error of 5.65 percent for each party sample of 300 respondents.
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