WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama captured hard-fought New Hampshire Tuesday night in a tense duel for the White House with Mitt Romney, claiming the first of the pivotal battleground states in a close election shadowed by a weak economy and high unemployment.

The president also secured Pennsylvania, where Romney campaigned twice in the race's closing days after virtually ignoring it for months.

Romney led in the national popular vote with 25.2 million votes, or 50 percent. Obama had 24.2 million, or 48 percent, with 32 percent of precincts tallied.