Nashua, N.H. ? Playing to huge crowds of wavering voters, Democrats swapped charges of dirty tricks and elitism Monday, closing out the New Hampshire primary on a sour note before the presidential race goes national.

From coffee shops, truck stops, school gyms and country stores, the candidates took their last dose of small-state retail politicking with a collective grimace, testy and tired after a seesaw week of campaigning.

“It’s close, and it’s closing fast,” Howard Dean said, accusing his rivals of smearing him in a shadowy phone-and-mail campaign. “I need your help because we have every intention of winning the New Hampshire primary.”

Most public polls gave fellow New Englander John Kerry a double-digit lead over Dean, a former Vermont governor, though at least one survey had the pair in a dead heat. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark and Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut were trailing.

Wide-open race

Campaign strategists said internal polls and anecdotal evidence indicated that Dean and Edwards had the most momentum in the race’s final hours. New Hampshire has a storied history of upsets and surprises, largely because of a choosy electorate loaded with independents who can vote in party primaries.

“This race could still go any number of ways,” said Wayne Lesperance, political science professor at New England College in Henniker, N.H. “The questions is, how far do Dean and Edwards surge?”

The answer will come from voters such as Connie Mackey of Nashua, N.H., who had a front-row seat at Dean’s first event. “I wish I could have Howard Dean’s heart, John Kerry’s political savvy, Wes Clark’s military experience and Edwards’ idealism,” she said.

So who will it be today? “Haven’t a clue,” she said with a laugh. “Don’t know whose soap to buy.”

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., addresses a crowd at South Church, in Portsmouth, N.H. Edwards is one of the candidates hoping for an upset in today's Granite State primary.

Negative campaigning

Kerry buzzed the state in helicopters to remind voters of his valorous duty in Vietnam. Given his standing in polls, the Massachusetts senator was counseled by aides to ignore his rivals, but he couldn’t help but question their commitment to abortion rights.

“I’m the only candidate running for president who hasn’t played games, fudged around” on the issue, Kerry said as he sought to solidify his advantage among women.

Dean, meanwhile, blamed the Iowa loss in part on his rivals’ negative tactics, and said Monday the smears had spread to the Granite State.

“Unfortunately we are seeing a few of those tricks in the Democratic primary,” Dean told a supporter who asked about such tactics.

A spokesman said later that Dean supporters were getting phone calls criticizing Dean for, among other things, claiming to be a Christian when his wife and children are Jewish.

Edwards, addressing an overflow crowd of 400 in Portsmouth, N.H., took a familiar jab at his rivals as he called for change in Washington. “Do you believe somebody that’s been in politics all of their life, or in Washington for decades, will bring that change?” the first-term senator said.

Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark waves as he is introduced by Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., at a campaign rally at City Hall in Nashua, N.H.

Nod to McCain

Lieberman’s campaign sent mailings to 70,000 New Hampshire independent voters, comparing his credentials to those of Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who won the 2000 GOP primary with 61 percent of the independent vote.

McCain did not mention Lieberman as he returned to the site of his political triumph, this time to campaign for his former rival, President Bush. Several Republican surrogates — McCain included — have defended Bush in New Hampshire, a potential swing state in November.

Clark tackles elitism

Clark skipped Iowa’s caucuses to focus on New Hampshire, but his poll numbers flattened once Kerry brought his high-riding campaign eastward, forcing the easygoing Clark to sharpen his rhetoric.

“I didn’t go to Yale” or enjoy a privileged upbringing, Clark said in Keene, N.H. Kerry, Dean and Lieberman graduated from the Ivy League school, as did Bush. “Unlike all the rest of the people in this race, I did grow up poor.”