Hillary Clinton made the prospect of her being elected the first female U.S. president a centerpiece of her campaign, then lost a critical nominating contest to a 74-year-old man in part because women preferred him.

NBC News exit polls showed Clinton, a former secretary of state, U.S. senator and first lady, won 44 percent of the women¡¯s vote in Tuesday¡¯s New Hampshire primary to 55 percent for her Democratic Party rival, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.

Young women contributed significantly to Clinton¡¯s loss, and the candidate acknowledged that she struggled with young voters.