McCain surges ahead in primaries

 

John McCain has forged ahead in his bid to win the Republican presidential nomination with primary wins in several states, according to projections.

As Super Tuesday unfolded, Democratic rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton traded victories, Mr Obama taking Illinois and Mrs Clinton New York.

Meanwhile Republican outsider Mike Huckabee is doing better than expected, with four apparent victories.

It is the biggest day yet in the race to choose presidential candidates.

In each state's primary or caucus, successful candidates are awarded delegates who formally make the party's choice of nominee at the national convention, in the summer.

Overall, voters are choosing 42% of those delegates on Super Tuesday.

Senator McCain, the Republican front-runner, has seized New York, New Jersey, Arizona, Connecticut and Delaware, where the winner takes all the delegates.

New York alone comes with 87 delegates to the Republican convention, while the others carry 147 between them.

Mr McCain is also projected to have won Illinois and Oklahoma.

He is hoping to knock out his last serious challenger, Mr Romney, who won his home state of Massachusetts, and Utah.

Among Mr McCain's supporters at the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, in his home state of Arizona, there is a mood of enormous optimism, and a feeling that it will be a night of celebration, says the BBC's David Willis.

However it was Mr Huckabee who took the first state to announce a result, West Virginia, and all its 18 delegates.

Later, projections showed he also won Arkansas, where he used to be governor, Alabama and Georgia.

Momentum regained

In the race for the Democratic nomination, Mr Obama took Georgia and his home state of Illinois - both big states - and looked to have seized the early momentum.

WHAT IS SUPER TUESDAY? 24 states holding simultaneous contests to help decide the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations About 40% of each party's delegates - who will choose the candidate - are up for grabs Key states electing large numbers of delegates include California, New York and Illinois Last-minute battlegrounds Justin Webb's blog In pictures: Super Tuesday

Georgia, with a large African-American population, was expected to fall to him - but analysts picked up on the racial breakdown in the vote. In South Carolina last month, they noted, only 24% of white voters chose Mr Obama. In Georgia the figure was 43%, suggesting he may have broadened his appeal.

But Hillary Clinton's campaign brushed off the early defeat, saying: "Unlike the Obama campaign, the Clinton campaign never dedicated significant resources to Georgia."

Mrs Clinton then rebounded, with projected wins in Oklahoma, Tennessee and Arkansas - showing, her campaign team said, that she could win in "red", (traditionally Republican) states.

She then went on to take the big states of New York, New Jersey, Missouri and Massachusetts.

Meanwhile Mr Obama added Utah, North Dakota, Alabama, Delaware, Connecticut, Kansas and Minnesota.

The Democrats have no winner-takes-all contests, meaning delegates are shared out more evenly.

Exciting campaign

Millions of people have been voting from coast to coast.

After what has been widely seen as an exciting campaign so far, turnout was expected to be high.

Barack Obama started well but Hillary Clinton is fighting back

However voters were forced to take shelter amid an outbreak of tornadoes across Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi.

At least seven people were killed in Arkansas and up to 30 were injured across the three states, the Associated Press reported.

"It's been a wild night," said state emergency management spokesman Tommy Jackson. "A heck of a way to have elections in Arkansas."

In the Republican campaign, national polls have showed Mr McCain well ahead of Mr Romney, with Mike Huckabee and Texas congressman Ron Paul trailing far behind.

SUPER TUESDAY: KEY TIMES 1100 GMT: Voting began in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York by 1930 GMT: W Virginia Republican result Midnight GMT: Polls close in Georgia, result due soon after 0100 GMT: Voting ends in 11 primaries and caucuses, inc Illinois and Massachusetts 0130 GMT: Arkansas primary ends 0200 GMT: Polls close in seven states, inc N York and Arizona 0400 GMT: Polls close in California Who's backing who? Super Tuesday voters' views Send us your predictions BBC coverage guide

Mr Romney said he was not about to drop out of the race. "This campaign's going on... We're going all the way to the White House," he told supporters in Massachusetts.

Mr Huckabee hailed his "wonderful, wonderful win here at home" in Arkansas, saying: "We are still on our feet and much to the amazement of many we are getting there folks, we are getting there."

For both the Democrats and Republicans the greatest prize, California, is still up for grabs., with voting there ending at 0400 GMT.

There are 370 Californian delegates on offer to the Democrats. Some 2,025 are needed to win the Democratic Party ticket.

A Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll showed Mr Obama opening a 13-point lead over Mrs Clinton in the state - though a SurveyUSA poll put Mrs Clinton in a 10-point lead.

Polls suggested Mr Romney had a narrow lead over Mr McCain in California.

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