Democratic candidates won victories from the White House to the N.H. House of Representatives as both the nation and state waved a political flag that’s red, white and bluer today.

The stark difference between how Democrats and Republicans fared Tuesday was evident in the gatherings both parties held in Keene Tuesday night.

Shortly before 11 p.m., the comparatively subdued group of Republicans that had met at The Stage Restaurant & Cafe was dwindling, while the crowd of Democrats at the Railroad Tavern was just about to burst.

As CNN released its projection that Barack Obama, who reigned victorious in New Hampshire and 30 of 31 communities in the Monadnock Region — Rindge being the lone holdout — would claim the presidency, the local Democrats erupted in hugs, tears and a rollicking version of “God Bless America.”

Among the those yelling in jubilation was Keene City Councilor James P. Duffy, who said he’s supported Obama since April 2007.

“He has the capacity to lead and to understand and to tell the truth,” Duffy said. “People say he’s a rock star. That’s the least of it. He’s solid.”

Obama’s victory was accompanied by several Granite State Democratic wins, including:

* Former governor Jeanne Shaheen nabbed incumbent John E. Sununu’s seat in the U.S. Senate.

* Incumbent Gov. John H. Lynch easily defeated Republican challenger Joseph D. Kenney and Libertarian opponent Susan M. Newell.

* Incumbent U.S. Reps. Paul W. Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter held their seats against challenges by Republicans Jennifer Horn and Jeb Bradley.

* Incumbent state Sen. Molly Kelly, D-Keene, defeated Republican challenger Thomas R. Eaton.

“It’s further proof that New Hampshire is a different state than it was eight years ago,” said Democrat and Keene Board of Education member Christopher C. Coates, who was among Railroad revelers, of the Democrats’ widespread victories.

“The people in this state,” he said, “are ready for a more progressive agenda.”

Jane B. Johnson, a Swanzey Republican who held on to her seat in the N.H. House, chalked up red defeats, in large part, to voter disenchantment with the Republican Party.

“I think we can all scream out a big ‘thank you’ to George W. Bush,” she said.

Meanwhile, state Sen. Joseph D. Kenney — who lost his bid for governor to Lynch — described a “mood of change” that’s swept the country when reached by telephone Tuesday night.

“I think right now we’re caught up in another tidal wave here in New Hampshire and throughout the nation, and we’ll see what that change brings,” he said. “But I (can) say this. ... The Republican Party will regroup, and it will lay out its principles. And it will be back.”

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