S Rajagopalan/TNN

Washington, Jan 21: Hillary Clinton notched up a second straight victory over Barack Obama by claiming Nevada's Democratic caucuses on Saturday night, but the Republican race remained wide open with Senator John McCain winning South Carolina but losing Nevada to former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

Senator Clinton won narrowly against Obama in a fierce contest that was marked by a spike in sniping. While Clinton won 51 per cent of the votes, Obama got 45 per cent. But Obama's aides claimed a victory of sorts, saying that in terms of national convention delegates, he bagged 13 against Clinton's 12.

Clinton dominated among women and Latino voters, while Obama got the lion's share of the black votes. After predictions of a close finish, a triumphant Clinton commented at a victory rally: "I guess this is how the West was won. This is one step on a long journey throughout the country."

The next halt in that journey will be South Carolina, which will hold the Democratic primary on January 26. The state, with African-Americans accounting for 50 per cent of the voters, is widely expected to go Obama's way.

After the Nevada loss, an unfazed Obama declared: "We ran an honest, uplifting campaign in Nevada that focused on the real problems Americans are facing. That's the campaign we'll take to South Carolina and across America in the weeks to come."

The Republicans disposed of their own South Carolina primary on Saturday, handing McCain, the veteran Senator from Arizona, a narrow, hard-fought win over former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. The victory somewhat made up for McCain losing the Nevada caucuses to Romney earlier in the day and analysts expect it to lend momentum to McCain's bid.

But the Republican race on the whole still remains fluid. While the trends indicate a straight contest between Clinton and Obama for the Democratic ticket, the Republican contests in six states have produced three different winners -- McCain in New Hampshire and South Carolina, Romney in Michigan, Nevada and Wyoming and Huckabee in Iowa.

Yet another Republican hopeful, Rudy Giuliani, is looking to the next encounter in Florida on January 29 to make his presence felt. The former New York Mayor, once billed as the Republican national front-runner, has come a cropper so far. If he does achieve a breakthrough in Florida, the Republican field will become even more complex.

In any event, it is the simultaneous "Super Tuesday" contests in 22 States on February 5 -- also described as "Tsunami Tuesday" -- which are expected to clarify the picture in both the parties.

For McCain, who had lost his previous Presidential bid in 2000 to George W Bush in South Carolina, the Saturday night victory was doubly sweet. "It took us a while, but what's eight years among friends," a grinning McCain remarked, but added: "We've a long way to go."

Huckabee, who got 30 per cent of the South Carolina votes against McCain's 33 per cent, scotched speculation that he may call it a day with this loss. "This is not an event. It's a process, and the process is far, from over," he said, making it clear that he will compete in Florida and the other states to follow.

But another Republican contender, California Congressman Duncan Hunter, dropped out of the race on Saturday after continued poor showing. "We thought we'd do much better in Nevada, but the numbers weren't there. We were not able to get any traction," Hunter's campaign spokesman said.

The Republican honours in the Nevada caucuses rested with Romney, who scored an emphatic win, polling 51 per cent of the votes. His nearest rival, Ron Paul, trailed by a long way with just 14 per cent, while McCain could garner only 13 per cent.