Senator John Kerry continued his unexpected triumph in the Democratic race to challenge US President George W Bush by pulling off yet another victory in the New Hampshire primary on Monday.

Last week, Kerry came in from behind to stun then frontrunner Dr Howard Dean to win the Iowa Caucuses.

Dean -- who was the frontrunner in New Hampshire until Iowa happened -- came in second in New Hampshire, with Senator John Edwards third, General Wesley Clark and Senator Joe Lieberman trailing fourth and fifth.

With 52 percent of the votes counted, Kerry was clearly ahead with 39 percent of the vote. Former Vermont governor Dean had 25 percent, Edwards had 13 percent, Clark 12 percent, and Lieberman 9 percent.

The winner of the Democratic primaries will eventually contest the November election against Bush, who still has an impressive lead in opinion polls.

Next week, seven states will elect their Democratic Presidential candidate. It is unlikely that one candidate can win all seven states. But a win in Missouri and Arizona could give Kerry -- a hero of the Vietnam war -- an unsurmountable lead and a shot at winning the White House.