Special Report: U.S. presidential election 2008

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) greets workers at the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino on caucus day in Las Vegas Jan. 19, 2008. U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton won the Democratic Nevada caucuses Saturday, beating arch-rival Barack Obama in a hard-fought race, while former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney won a landslide victory on the Republican contest.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- The outcome of Saturday's three presidential nomination races further winnowed the field for U.S. presidential hopefuls, but the picture is still far from clear.

    On the Democratic side, New York Senator Hillary Clinton won the Democratic Nevada caucuses, beating her arch-rival Illinois Senator Barack Obama in a hard-fought race.

    Also in Nevada, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney won a landslide victory on the Republican contest.

    Meanwhile, Senator of Arizona John McCain beat former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in South Carolina's Republican primary.

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (L) speaks at a campaign stop in Reno, Nevada, Jan. 18, 2008. U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton won the Democratic Nevada caucuses Saturday, beating arch-rival Barack Obama in a hard-fought race, while former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney won a landslide victory on the Republican contest.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    

    FURTHER NARROWED THE FIELD

    At the end of the day, many analysts agreed that the presidential nomination race is still uncertain, but Saturday's contests have further narrowed the field.

    Among the Democrats, both Clinton and Obama remain standing after Nevada caucuses.

    Clinton captured the popular vote, but Obama edged her out for national convention delegates at stake.

    Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards finished with a remote third place, making it harder for him to justify remaining in the race.

    Saturday's results further vindicate that the Democratic race has become a one-on-one duel between Obama and Clinton.

    On the Republican side, before South Carolina, McCain and Huckabee have each claimed victory in an early state, but neither has been able to stake a firm claim on the nomination.

    McCain's victory in South Carolina gives him the momentum going into Florida against former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has bet his once front-running campaign on that state's Jan. 29 primary.

    Similarly, a win in Nevada allows Romney to claim momentum coming off his victory last Tuesday in Michigan.

    The former Massachusetts governor now has three wins, including Michigan and the little-noticed Wyoming caucuses.

    While the Republican race is still uncertain, the field is narrower.

    After a poor showing in the Nevada caucus, Republican Duncan Hunter of California dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

    Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson put forth his most energized campaign effort in South Carolina, but only finished with a distant third, which made him harder to move ahead in the race.     

    HEADING FOR SUPER TUESDAY

    After Saturday's races, there will be the Democratic primary in South Carolina on Jan. 26 and the Republican primary in Florida on Jan. 29, as well as the Feb. 1-3 Maine Republican caucuses.

    But few expects a clear picture in the nomination race after these races.

    The earliest date for settling the contest will be Feb. 5, when more than 20 states hold primary elections.

    On that day, Democrats will choose 1,681 delegates in 23 separate primaries and caucuses, more than half of the total number of pledged delegates selected by rank-and-file voters in the entire process.

    The Republicans will choose 975 delegates in 21 contests, 42 percent of the 1,191 available.

    Analysts say the Republican contest will probably end on Feb. 5if one candidate wins enough of the winner-take-all states to distance himself from the others in terms of delegate count.

    If two or more are still close, it will go on.

    The Democratic contest may end the same day if either Clinton or Obama win five of the large state primaries and a spattering of the others, losing only their opponent's home state.

    However, if Clinton and Obama split the large states, the Democratic contest could well go on, too.