Hillary Clinton clinches Nevada; McCain takes South Carolina

Hillary Clinton turned up the pressure on her rival Barack Obama by winning the Democratic caucus in Nevada yesterday, taking 51 per cent to Obama's 45 per cent. With 98 per cent of the votes counted, John Edwards came home a distant third with four per cent.

However, while Clinton won a clear victory in terms of the number of people attending the caucuses on her behalf, Obama's camp claimed success by another measure - the allocation of delegates to the national nominating convention. As a result of the complex formula that gives more weight to votes in some parts of the state, Obama picked up 13 state delegates to Clinton's 12.

Should the contest between them go down to the wire, that extra delegate could prove crucial at the Democratic convention in August. But for the moment, in the numbers game, Clinton has the momentum.

For the Republicans, Mitt Romney enjoyed a big win in Nevada, taking 52 per cent against Ron Paul on 14 per cent and John McCain on 13 per cent. Romney's Mormon faith, a handicap in some regions, had been expected to serve him well in Nevada, the western neighbour of Utah, the Mormon state. Seven per cent of voters in Nevada share Romney's faith.

However, his concentration on the Nevada poll meant he could not campaign in South Carolina, where the Republicans held their first southern primary on the same day. There, John McCain narrowly beat Mike Huckabee by 33 per cent to 30 per cent, with Fred Thompson coming third with 16 per cent. The Democrats' South Carolina primary is not until next Saturday.

Mrs Clinton's Nevada victory puts her in a strong position for Super Tuesday (February 5) while the Obama camp is now under pressure to make a comeback in South Carolina.

The team trying to get the United States its first black president had been buoyed by the support of the culinary workers' union, which represents tens of thousands of casino workers in Las Vegas and Reno. But early analysis shows the women's vote and the the all-important 'Latino' vote went Clinton's way.

Hispanics make up nearly a quarter of Nevada's voting population and they are thought to have preferred Clinton over Obama by a margin of almost 3-1.

This gives Clinton an important edge as both camps prepare for Super Tuesday when California and New York, with their large Hispanic communities, area mong the 22 states holding their primaries. "This is a huge win for Hillary," said Terry McAuliffe, Clinton's campaign manager, of the Nevada result. "This is big; this is a big day."

The question among Republicans is whether McCain, who at 71 is the oldest Republican candidate, can really go all the way. The Republican winner in South Carolina has gone on to become the party's nominee in every presidential election since 1980. Will McCain be the exception?
FIRST POSTED JANUARY 20

FIRST POSTED JANUARY 20, 2008