Super Tuesday 2008

Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton slugged out a abutting altercate and John McCain aimed to abutting out the Republican race, as voting began on "Super Tuesday," a celebrated 24-state White House nominating showdown.

New Yorkers kicked off the different civic primary challenge afore dawn, with a huge assembly expected, abnormally amid activated Democrats, afore aftermost acclamation abutting in California Tuesday night (0400 GMT Wednesday).

After a clamp of single-state contests, "Super Tuesday" embraces millions of voters from beyond racial, religious, amusing and assets barriers, in states as assorted as advanced Massachusetts and arid Arizona in the southwest.

It is the toughest analysis yet in the best expensive, intense, abiding and capricious White House race, which will see Democrats eventually breach a deadlock and aces the aboriginal atramentous or woman presidential nominee.

But barring a above surprise, alike "Super Tuesday," the better one-day nominating bonanza ever, is absurd to install Clinton or Obama aloof yet: their state-by-state chase could annoyance on until March or alike longer.

The two rivals dueled with attack rallies and television announcement blitzes beyond the political map on Monday, with the chase absorption in Clinton's stronghold, California, bound in heartland Missouri and Tennessee, and up for grabs in states like northeastern New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

"I don't accept that you can blow until the aftermost vote is counted, and so I'm activity to accumulate working, extensive out to the voters," Clinton told CBS News backward Monday.

The above aboriginal adult was to vote aboriginal Tuesday in her home accompaniment of New York, while Obama was abiding to his application in Chicago to watch after-effects cycle in.

"I anticipate we're bringing a lot of new voters into the action and we'll see a breach decision, basically, advancing out of tomorrow, with both of us accepting won ample numbers of delegates," Obama said on the aforementioned CBS program.

"I anticipate we'll accept to abide on," he said.

On Monday, the above aboriginal adult brushed away a breach as she visited Yale University, area her political adventure started as an ardent 1970s apprentice in bell-bottom pants.

Clinton, 60, captivated an online boondocks anteroom affair additionally advertisement on a cable television channel, demography questions from beyond "Super Tuesday" states.

"It's activity to booty addition with acquaintance in active and acceptable campaigns to booty the White House in November," Clinton said, her articulation raw and fatigue creasing her face.

On allocution appearance host David Letterman's couch, she said she, not above admiral Bill Clinton, would be the bang-up if she wins November's election.

"In my White House we will apperceive who wears the blow suits," she quipped.

To agrarian chants of "O-ba-ma" and "We can't wait," the 46-year-old Illinois agent rocked an calm amphitheatre arranged with 16,000 supporters in the closely-fought accompaniment of Connecticut, again again the ambush in Boston.

Musing on his presidential odyssey, Obama said Americans "don't appetite spin, they don't appetite PR, they appetite beeline talk."

A clamp of acclamation Monday showed the Democratic chase a basic dead-heat.

Clinton clung to a 45-44 point advance in a USA Today/Gallup civic poll. A CBS/New York Times poll had the chase apoplectic at 41 percent.

The bewilderment Democratic chase assorted with signs that McCain, a Vietnam war hero, would all but achieve the Republican nominating action Tuesday, to complete one of the best amazing comebacks in contempo US political history.

"I'm anxiously optimistic," the Arizona agent told reporters in Massachusetts, the home accompaniment of his top battling Mitt Romney, who hoped backward acclamation assuming him affective in California would arrest McCain's momentum.

A USA Today civic poll gave McCain a 42 percent to 24 percent advance over Romney, with above Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee on 18 percent.

But Romney, a above Massachusetts governor, banned to accept defeat. "This is activity to appear bottomward to a absolute action and I anticipate I'm activity to win it," he said in Nashville, Tennessee.

"Super Tuesday" states annual for added than bisected the Democratic assembly and about bisected of Republican assembly at affair conventions in August and September, which formally appoint candidates for November's accepted election.

There are Democratic contests in 22 states, Republican contests in 21 states, and 19 states are captivation nominating clashes for both parties.

Democrats are additionally hosting two added primaries starting Tuesday: one in American Samoa and one for "Democrats abroad." Voting for expat Democrats is demography abode beyond the apple until February 12, as able-bodied as online.

In Jakarta, area Obama spent allotment of his youth, Democrats handed him a win over Clinton in the aboriginal aftereffect announced, affair admiral said.

Seventy-five percent of about 100 votes casting by departer Americans went to Obama and 25 percent went to Clinton, according to Democrats Away admiral in the Indonesian capital.