Voice of America

Voting in the Republican Party’s primary in the U.S. state of South Carolina has ended with exit polls suggesting a close race between Arizona Senator John McCain and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.

Primary voters faced rain and snow in some parts of the state Saturday. There were also reports of malfunctioning voting machines that forced election officials in one area to use paper ballots.

South Carolina is the first southern state to hold a contest in the U.S. presidential race for either political party. Since 1980, no Republican has gone to the White House without first winning the state’s primary.

Earlier Saturday, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney easily won the Republican nominating contest in the western state of Nevada.

The Democratic Party’s Nevada contest was split with Senator Hillary Clinton of New York winning the popular vote but Illinois Senator Barack Obama winning slightly more delegates to the Democrat’s national nominating convention.

Clinton received support from about 51 percent of the people taking part in the Democrats’ Nevada caucuses, while Obama had 45 percent. Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards finished a distant third.

All the contenders from both parties hope to build momentum before the critical primaries and caucuses on so-called Super Tuesday – February 5 – when 22 states hold presidential nominating contests.

Before then, South Carolina holds a Democratic primary next Saturday and Florida holds a Republican primary January 29.