Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., emerged as the one clear victor for the Republicans on Super Tuesday, while the Democrats remain in a virtual deadlock.

With its race down to just two candidates, the Democratic nomination was still up for grabs as Super Tuesday roared to a close. Senators Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., exchanged blows, winning 12 and eight states, respectively, as of midnight. On the Republican side of things, McCain gained increasing momentum on Tuesday on his way to establishing himself as the clear front-runner for the GOP nomination.

McCain led the Republicans with wins in Arizona, Oklahoma, Illinois, Delaware, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York, while Romney and Huckabee won four states each. Romney took the majority vote in Massachusetts, Utah, Montana and North Dakota, and Huckabee made a surprise run in Arkansas, West Virginia, Alabama and Georgia.

For Obama, wins came from Kansas, Illinois, Alabama, Georgia, Connecticut, Delaware, Minnesota and North Dakota, while Clinton countered with victories in New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma, as of 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Amanda Halfacre, president of the ISU Democrats and senior in women’s studies, said she was unsure what the final results would reveal – she couldn’t predict a winner.

Halfacre said whoever wins the Democratic nomination will have a strong chance of winning the presidency. She said she has spoken to a lot of people who would support either Obama or Clinton.

Dianne Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, expected a close race between the two Democratic candidates.

She said she thought Clinton faced a disadvantage from the media, however – almost as if the media were “writing a script” for the upcoming election.

“I think the media has been negative toward Clinton,” Bystrom said. “Well, maybe not negative, but they’ve been more positive toward Obama. He’s been getting a lot of positive media coverage.”

On the Republican side of things, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., accumulated momentum on Tuesday on his way to establishing himself as the clear front-runner for the GOP nomination.

Jordan Navara, executive director of the ISU Republicans and senior in political science, said McCain was able to take the race by the horns by establishing himself as the safest choice for voters.

“I would say McCain, to me, is a safety vote. He’s the one who has been around and has been in the Senate for quite a while, and he’s coming across as almost a constant choice,” Navara said.

Although the Arizona senator emerged as the top choice, his gain in momentum may have been established, in large part, because of the split vote caused by the battle between Mitt Romney, D-Mass., and Gov. Mike Huckabee, D-Ark. Navara said the Republican race may have been completely different if it were a head-to-head battle like the one facing the Democrats.

“Oh certainly, I would say – it may be a completely different ballgame if it were just a two-person race like the Democrats have,” he said. “I think that, in general, McCain is faring better with Huckabee [still in the race].”

Bystrom said the performance by Huckabee made a dramatic impact in the outcomes of a number of states.

“The Republican side is a lot closer than I thought it would be,” Bystrom said. “Mike Huckabee is doing very well tonight.”

Bystrom said she expected there to be a Republican nominee after Tuesday’s results, but the tight race may delay that decision. The most probable time for that decision, she said, would be the March 4 primaries, when Texas and Ohio, will host theirs.

“I kind of thought the conservative party would coalesce and say, ‘OK, this is the winning candidate,'” Bystrom said.

Navara said McCain’s emergence as the front-runner for the GOP nomination was indisputable after Tuesday’s results, but it was still too early to say if he would eventually get a chance to face off for the presidency.

“I would honestly say it’s a bit too early yet,” he said. “Here in a couple weeks we could see a completely different scenario.”