US Polls: McCain emerges frontrunner with Florida win

New York Senator Hillary Clinton won among the Demorcats but the victory will give nothing except some psychological boost to her campaign, reeling under the South Carolina drubbing and rival Barack Obama's coup to get the endorsement of two influential Kennedys.

Like Michigan, which too was won by Clinton, Florida has been penalised by the central party for moving up its primaries and will have no delegates to the National Convention in Denver this August that will elect the Democratic Presidential candidate.

This will be third straight win for the Vietnam veteran who earlier bagged North Hampshire and South Carolina. However, it is his success in Florida with 57 winner-take-all delegates that has catapulted McCain to a frontrunner status.

"It shows one thing. I'm the conservative leader who can unite the party," McCaine told cheering supporters. "I intend to win it and be the nominee of the party. And I intend to do that by making it clear what I stand for."

Returns from 95 per cent of Florida's precincts showed McCain ahead with 36 per cent of the vote against 31 per cent of Romney who vowed to fight back.

"We are not going to change Washington by sending the same people back... It is time for people to leave Washington and for the people to take over," Romney said.

Former New York Mayor Giuliani, who had banked on Florida, trailed with 15 per cent and indicated that he could drop out of the race in favour of McCain.

Former Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee who was tied with Giuliani for the third place made his intention known of staying in the race

McCain has benefited from a string of endorsements including from the Gulf War hero General Norman Schwarzkopf followed by Cuban-American Senator. Mel Martinez and Florida's popular governor, Charlie Crist.

In the overall delegate race, McCain has 93, Romney 59 and Huckabee 40. Paul has four and Giuliani one.

On Tuesday over 1,000 convention delegates will be at stake. A total of 1,191 delegates are needed to secure the nomination at the Republican national convention.

Clinton, meanwhile, pushed her party to restore delegates from Florida and Michigan. "I promise you I will do everything I can that not only Florida's Democrats get seated but that Florida is in the winning column for the Democrats in November 2008," the 60-year-old former first lady told supporters in Florida.

Obama's campaign played down Clinton's win saying "our focus is on February 5. Honestly if she's spending a night in Florida instead of a February 5 state, that's just fine with us."

Obama, who has secured the endorsement of Senator Edward Kennedy, influential brother of former US President John F Kennedy, and the slain leader's daughter Caroline, is looking to close the gap with Clinton on the next week's poll in 22 states with more than 1,600 delegates at stake.