Super Tuesday Results

After the tears, just before Super Tuesday, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has reason to smile. Some significant victories in important states helped her close in on her closest rival Barack Obama. Meanwhile, John McCain emerged with a lead relegating both, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, to the sidelines.

Super Tuesday saw Clinton winning from Democrat territories, New Jersey and New York, the latter also being her home state. She also won from Arizona, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, and Tennessee; Ted Kennedy's endorsement of Barack Obama, incidentally, had put the spotlight on Massachusetts. However, Clinton's greatest catch, undoubtedly, was the important and delegate-rich state of California.

In spite of Clinton's wins, Obama too managed to keep up the pace of his past performances. He scored wins in Delaware, Georgia, and the delegate-rich state of Illinois, apart from the caucuses in Idaho and Colorado. Besides, he won a narrow victory in the Missouri primary, though a recount could be in order here. He also won the Kansas, North Dakota, and Minnesota caucuses, as well as the primaries in Connecticut, Utah, and Alabama. “If there is one thing on this February night that we do not need the final results to know, our time has come,” Obama told voters in Chicago on Tuesday night, adding, "And change is coming to America."

In spite of the several surprises sprung by Super Tuesday—including unexpected strokes of luck for Clinton—at the end of the day, the democrats continue to be locked in a tight battle. Since all of the Tuesday contests award delegates to Democrats proportionally, the final results could be inconclusive.

Unlike the democrats, from amongst the republicans, one leader, John McCain emerged as a clear winner. His wins, according to a projection by Fox News, includes Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York and Oklahoma. Speaking to applauding fans in Phoenix, the senior senator said, "Tonight I think we must get used to the idea that we are the Republican Party front-runner," and added, "And I don’t mind it one bit."

McCain's rivals, however, did not fare too well, though they seemed to enjoy some home state advantage. Romney, for instance, won Massachusetts, North Dakota, and Utah, undoubtedly on the goodwill of the Mormon population in these states. He also scored victories in the Colorado, Minnesota, and Montana caucuses. He told supporters in Boston, "We’re going to go all the way to the convention. We’re going to win this thing."

On the other hand, Mike Huckabee, who had been pretty low of late, started with a win in the GOP convention in West Virginia. He later went on to score from Arkansas, his home state, along with Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee, no doubt, on the strength of evangelical groups. "A lot of people have been trying to say that this is a two-man race," a jubilant Huckabee told supporters. “Well, you know what — it is, and we’re in it, " he said.