The polls have closed in Missouri with a close race expected in both the Republican and Democratic primaries.
On the Democrat side, it appeared New York Senator Hillary Clinton had a strong lead in Missouri, but her rival, Illinois Senator Barack Obama, has closed the gap and some public opinion polls have Obama ahead of Clinton in Missouri.
Rasmussen public opinion poll released Saturday, conducted on Thursday, and had Clinton leading 47 to 38 against Obama. That poll, though, gave Edwards 11-percent. It will be interesting to see where those supporters go since Edwards dropped out of the race after visiting Missouri.
With 815 of 3,371 precincts reporting, Clinton has 58.3% of the vote. Obama has 37%.
Republicans in Missouri seem a bit conflicted. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee had a lead for a time, but the momentum that Arizona Senator John McCain has been building has helped his popularity here. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has the backing of Governor Matt Blunt, but has been lagging in the polls.
That same poll has McCain on top with 32%. Huckabee and Romney nearly tied; 29% for Huckabee and 28% for Romney. Texas Congressman Ron Paul comes in a distant fourth with only 5% of the vote.
Also with 815 precincts reporting, Huckabee has 37% of the vote, followed by McCain with 30.9% and Romney 25.2%. Paul trails the pack with 4.5%.
Up for grabs tonight on the Democratic side is 88 delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Of those, 72 delegates will be chosen tonight through proportional representation; 25 statewide and 47 from the nine Congressional districts. For Republicans; 58 delegates to the Republican National Convention and all 58 go to the winner, an important difference in how the two parties operate. Democrats will distribute delegates proportionally. Republicans give them all to the winner.
