Hillary Clinton defeats Obama in Nevada

Senator Hillary Clinton, bidding to become the first woman president of the US, consolidated her position by winning the hard-fought Nevada caucuses edging past her Democratic rival Barack Obama while John McCain beat Mike Huckabee in Republican primaries in South Carolina.

The victory marked the third-straight campaign win for New York Senator Clinton, the former first lady, after she claimed New Hampshire and Michigan primaries.

The wife of former president Bill Clinton had made a remarkable comeback in the race for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination for the White House after losing out the opening Iowa caucuses to Obama, also attempting to script history by becoming the first black president.

The Nevada battle saw a huge turn-out of voters with state party officials saying over 1.7 lakh voters attended the caucuses. The Democrats will have their next battle on next Saturday at the critical primaries of South Carolina, where Arizona Senator McCain emerged victorious over former Arkansas Governor Huckabee in Republican caucuses on Saturday.

Clinton got 51 per cent of the vote and Illinois Senator Obama 45 per cent, with over 90 per cent of Nevada precincts reporting, according to the state's Democratic Party. Former vice presidential nominee John Edwards had nearly 4 per cent.

"This is one step on a long journey throughout the country as we put our cases forward and take that case to the people, and this was an especially wonderful day for me," Clinton said after her victory.

Obama's campaign, however, asserted he had in fact won more delegates to the national convention that will choose the Democrats' presidential candidate.

Jeff Berman, the director of delegate distribution for Obama, was quoted as saying that Clinton was defeated by 13-12 on the delegate count.