PORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire (CNN) -- Hillary Clinton became visibly emotional at a New Hampshire campaign event Monday after a friendly question from a voter.



Sen. Hillary Clinton's eyes welled with tears as she spoke in New Hampshire Monday.



At the close of a Portsmouth campaign stop, Marianne Pernold-Young, 64, asked Clinton: "How do you do it? How do you keep up ... and who does your hair?"



Clinton said she had help with her hair on "special days," and that she drew criticism on the days she did not.



Then she added: "It's not easy, and I couldn't do it if I just didn't, you know, passionately believe it was the right thing to do.



"You know, I have so many opportunities from this country, I just don't want to see us fall backwards," she said, her voice breaking a bit. The audience applauded.



"This is very personal for me, it's not just political, it's [that] I see what's happening, we have to reverse it," she said emotionally, adding that some "just put ourselves out there and do this against some pretty difficult odds.



"But some of us are right and some of us are wrong. Some of us ready and some of us are not. Some of us know what we will do on day one, and some of us really haven't thought that through enough."



"So as tired as I am and I am. And as difficult as it is to try and keep up what I try to do on the road, like occasionally exercise and try to eat right -- it's tough when the easiest food is pizza -- I just believe so strongly in who we are as a nation. So I'm going to do everything I can and make my case and you know the voters get to decide."  Watch Clinton become emotional as she's answering a question »



The New York senator is under pressure after some weekend surveys show opponent Barack Obama with a sudden almost double digit lead, with less than a day to go until the New Hampshire primary.



At a New Hampshire campaign event, presidential rival John Edwards told reporters he was unaware of Clinton's emotional reaction and would not respond to it.



But he did say, "I think what we need in a commander in chief is strength and resolve, and presidential campaigns are a tough business, but being president of the United States is also a very tough business.



"And the President of the United States is faced with very, very difficult challenges every single day, difficult judgments every single day." E-mail to a friend
Where was she on a campaign stop? What makes Clinton emotional? Who begins talking? Who is the New York senator trailing? Whom was she with? Who is trailing Obama in the polls? What did she tell them? Who talked about others criticizing her? Who is trailing in the polls?
Portsmouth a friendly question from a voter. Sen. Hillary Clinton's Barack Obama Marianne Pernold-Young, Hillary Clinton "It's not easy, and I couldn't do it if I just didn't, you know, passionately believe it was the right thing to do. Clinton Hillary Clinton
question: Where was she on a campaign stop?, answer: Portsmouth | question: What makes Clinton emotional?, answer: a friendly question from a voter. | question: Who begins talking?, answer: Sen. Hillary Clinton's | question: Who is the New York senator trailing?, answer: Barack Obama | question: Whom was she with?, answer: Marianne Pernold-Young, | question: Who is trailing Obama in the polls?, answer: Hillary Clinton | question: What did she tell them?, answer: "It's not easy, and I couldn't do it if I just didn't, you know, passionately believe it was the right thing to do. | question: Who talked about others criticizing her?, answer: Clinton | question: Who is trailing in the polls?, answer: Hillary Clinton