(CNN) - Highlights from the national exit polls show how key trends played out tonight.
On the Democratic side:
–Hillary Clinton carried white voters over Barack Obama, 52 to 43 percent. Obama carried black voters 82 to 16 percent. Clinton won Latinos 61 to 37 percent, and Clinton carried Asians 68 percent to 30 percent.
–Not surprisingly, the economy ranked as the top issue. Clinton had a slight edge with these voters, 50 percent to 46 percent. The war in Iraq was also an important issue for Democrats tonight, and those voters preferred Obama by 15 points. Clinton clearly benefits from the war becoming less a concern among Democratic voters.
–Clinton won 52-43 among those who didn't graduate from college. Obama beat Clinton 54-42 among those with a college degree.
–Clinton had a 5-point edge among Democrats, while Obama had a 21-point lead among independents.
On the Republican side:
–Romney beat McCain among conservatives, 42 percent to 30 percent. Huckabee won 21 percent of the conservative vote - though among Southern conservatives, the former Arkansas governor was the top choice, beating Romney 41 percent to 28 percent. The moderate vote overwhelmingly went for McCain over Romney, 52 to 24 percent.
–The top issue was the economy, and those voters favored McCain over Romney by 9 points - despite Romney's emphasis of his economic credentials.
–Nearly half of Republican voters said they were looking for a candidate who shared their values, and those voters favored Romney by 7 points. But McCain easily one among voters looking for a candidate who says what he believes, has the experience, and has the best chance to beat a Democrat next November.
Related: Watch Bill Schneider break down Super Tuesday by the issues
–CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider
(CNN) - New York Sen. Hillary Clinton claimed the biggest prize of Super Tuesday's Democratic primaries with a win in California, CNN projected, while Sen. Barack Obama rode high in the Midwest and Rocky Mountain states.
Clinton took a strong early lead in California, with exit polls finding extensive support for the former first lady from women, Latino voters and blue-collar Democrats concerned about the economy. A total of 441 Democratic delegates will be chosen from the state, divided proportionally under party rules.
More than four-fifths of the 2,025 delegates needed to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination were at stake in contests across 24 states and American Samoa, but neither candidate appeared to land a knockout blow.
California - where 441 Democratic delegates will be chosen - was the biggest prize of the night, and exit polls indicated a close race between Clinton and Obama there. As polls closed on the West Coast, Clinton congratulated Obama and said the campaign would go on.
Clinton, the former first lady, was forecast to win her home state and neighboring New Jersey - as well as Massachusetts, where the state's two senators and governor had endorsed Obama.
(CNN) – Arizona Sen. John McCain piled up wins in the Republican race for the White House Tuesday - with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee also surging to victories throughout the South just days after ignoring calls to drop out of the race.
By late Tuesday, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney also had won several states - but mainly in places he was expected to win handily or states with far fewer delegates than the states being won by Huckabee.
McCain appeared headed to the top spots in California, Missouri, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Connecticut, Oklahoma, Delaware and his home state of Arizona, based on early returns and results from exit polls in those states.
CNN declared McCain the winner in delegate-rich California shortly before 12:30 a.m. (ET) Wednesday. Earlier, he was upbeat as he spoke to supporters.
To track the Missouri primary results county-by-county, click here: Missouri
(CNN) - Though the fate of the Democratic race to the nomination remains uncertain, one thing is for sure: voters are turning out for the Democratic primaries in number that absolutely shatter previous records - which may be a troubling sign for Republicans looking ahead to the general election.
CNN looked at six states: Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Missouri, and Arizona. Even with the votes not fully tallied yet, the turnout numbers are still substantially higher than in the past. Arizona already has nearly 80,000 more voters than it ever had before, with only 67% of the precincts counted.
The Republicans are also experiencing higher turnout in some places, though not nearly on par with the Democrats. For the same states, the numbers are far less dramatic (except in New Jersey, where both parties experienced significant jumps), and are lower in some cases.
–CNN Political Producer Alan Isenberg
(Full results after the jump)
(CNN) – McCain came in third among Missouri conservatives, so how did he win the state?
His overwhelming support among the state's moderates, even those who are sharply at odds with his positions.
Twenty-three percent of Missouri voters believe abortion should be legal, and they picked McCain 2-to-1 over Romney and Huckabee. And 30 percent are against the war in Iraq and they also picked McCain 2-to-1 over Romney and Huckabee.
McCain, of course has a strong pro-life Senate record, and he has made achieving victory in Iraq his top issue.
Related: CNN Analysts say McCain is on the road to Republican nomination
–CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider
To track the Alaska caucus results county-by-county, click here: Alaska
PHOENIX (CNN) - CNN's Dana Bash reports that when CNN - projected on a big screen at McCain headquarters here - projected that Mitt Romney had taken North Dakota, the Arizona senator's supporters began to boo.
To track the Missouri primary results county-by-county, click here: Missouri
To track the California primary results county-by-county, click here: California
From CNN Politics
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