By RIA Novosti
Washington : Republican senator John McCain and Democrat Hillary Clinton both took the Florida primary ahead of the crucial campaign in 21 states on “Super Tuesday” on February 5.
Many commentators called McCain’s victory in the Republican primary a sensation, as he is now a firm favorite to run as the Republican candidate in U.S. presidential elections next fall.
McCain, who garnered 36% of the Republican votes ahead of his rival Mitt Romney who polled 31%, told supporters, “Our victory might not have reached landslide proportions, but it was sweet nonetheless.”
Another shock in the Florida primary was the failure by the former New York mayor Rudy Guiliani, who took third place with 15% of the vote after spending over $30 million campaigning in Florida.
Guiliani is now expected to drop out of the race and sources close to his campaign headquarters said he is holding talks with McCain and is expected to announce his backing for the 71-year-old Arizona senator.
Former first lady, Senator Hilary Clinton took Florida in the Democrat campaign with 50% of the vote defeating Senator Barak Obama with 33%. But the votes will not count as the Democratic party stripped the state of its delegates in punishment for violating party rules.
According to Democrat rules, primaries cannot be held before February 5.