Well, so much for a blowout.

Despite a hefty advantage in the polls, Barack Obama lost the New Hampshire primary last night to Hillary Clinton, neutralizing his momentum as we head to the stretch run.

For Republicans, John McCain’s comeback victory obscured the picture even further, denying the field a clear front runner.

But what impact will the close race have locally?

My guess is that we’ll be seeing more of the candidates in the next several weeks.

Florida and South Carolina aside, all the candidates still in the race will now have their sights set on Feb. 5 - Super Tuesday, Super Duper Tuesday, or Tsunami Tuesday, depending on who’s talking.

Whatever you call it, it’s when Missouri and about 20 other states will cast their ballot in the primary contest.

While Missouri may not get as much attention as the Super Tuesday heavyweights - California, New Jersey, Massachusetts - we should expect plenty of visits from the presidential candidates.

Though Rudy Giuliani started his Super Tuesday focus early - and stayed longer than he liked in Missouri - I wouldn’t be surprised to see the first official campaign stop here from Mitt Romney, who has the support of Gov. Matt Blunt and some major local GOP donors, such as millionaire ambassador Sam Fox.

Mike Huckabee - who lest we forget was the governor of a neighboring state - may also pay a visit.

On the other side of the ticket, both Obama and Clinton may feel they have enough support to capture Missouri delegates. John Edwards, depending on how he fares in South Carolina, might be less of a factor.

It’s important to note that the stakes will be higher for the Republicans, who operate a winner-take-all primary in Missouri. Democrats, on the other hand, are awarded state delegates mostly on a proportional basis.

Either way, the renewed competition born in New Hampshire should breed familiarity with the candidates for Missouri’s voters.

In other news:

• Meet the state’s new master of verse.
• Mayor Francis Slay cautions against signing the affirmative-action petition.
• John Danforth participated in the ex-senators/Michael Bloomberg conference in Oklahoma this week.
• Jay Nixon will give the Democratic response to the State of the State address.