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Hillary does it again!

THE US race is still wide open. But we may choose to say it’s advantage Hillary for the time being. The former First Lady didn’t have to shed tears this time. She won Nevada, thanks primarily to Hispanic voters.

The Nevada results can be a setback for Obama supporters, but they can draw some comfort from the fact that Hillary Clinton beat Obama by a slender margin. Hillary garnered 50 per cent votes while Obama managed to get 45 per cent. Also, as Obama’s campaigners put it, he has won the Nevada round insofar as the number of delegates that will be allocated to support him at the party conference this summer, where a Democratic presidential candidate will be chosen, is concerned. So all is not lost for Obama while Hillary has no reason to be complacent about the Nevada victory. And it will take her more than just mud-slinging — the Nevada campaign has been particularly murky with the row over the culinary union’s endorsement — to widen the difference between her and Obama in terms of votes.

Obama also has to work hard to woo sections of people who do not seem to be voting for him. For instance, women voters are tilting towards Hillary while Obama enjoys a wider support base among youths. But fiercer battles are awaited when Democratic contest will be fought in South Carolina and other states. The African-American community which clearly favours Obama will certainly play a vital role. But at the moment it will perhaps be too early to say that America has chosen Hillary as the Democratic frontrunner in the presidential race.

On the other hand, the Republican contest has suddenly become very interesting. John McCain is increasingly being regarded as the Republican frontrunner as his emphatic win in South Carolina has managed to eclipse Mitt Romney’s victory in Nevada.