Obama, Huckabee win Iowa caucuses

DES MOINES, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Barack Obama will emerge as the winner of the first-in-the nation Iowa Democratic caucus and Mike Huckabee will win the Republican race Thursday night, CNN projects, based on early results.

With 76 percent of precincts reporting, Obama had the support of 36 percent of voters, compared to 31 percent for John Edwards and 30 percent for Hillary Clinton.

With 41 percent of Republican precincts reporting, Huckabee had the support of 31 percent of voters, compared to 23 percent for Mitt Romney.

Huckabee's victory can be attributed to his overwhelming support among evangelical voters and women.

Polls taken as Iowans entered the first-in-the-nation caucuses show a tight race for both parties. With such a close race on both sides, voters' turnout is key.

Iowa Caucus is the first step in selecting party candidates for the U.S. presidential election. While the state is tiny and the voter numbers low, political analysts say Iowa matters because it can make or break a candidate's chances in the other 49 states.

"If you can't make the top three on either side in Iowa, you can't get the party nomination , "Terry Branstas, a former Republican governor of Iowa told Xinhua.

In fact, since 1976, nearly every serious presidential candidate has come to Iowa and tried to win in the state.

In total, Iowa has picked the eventual Democratic presidential nominee in 5 of the past 7 competitive caucuses and the eventual Republican nominee in 3 of the past 5 competitive caucuses.