The results of 24 state-held primaries or caucuses failed to give any of the leading presidential candidates a significant edge over his or her rivals.
While Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton traded victories across the country, neither one emerged the clear winner in the Democratic primaries. Clinton won four of the five biggest Democratic states, including California, New Jersey, Massachusetts and her home state of New York. Obama countered her by taking more states overall.
The night took an unexpected turn when former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, whom most analysts had written off as a potential threat, reasserted his desire to land a GOP nomination and claimed victory in five southern states.
Huckabee's southern victories "highlighted the discomfort social conservatives have with the field," The New York Times reported.
-CHRISTOPHER COTTRELL
