Clinton, McCain lead in California as state primaries approach

That means that a candidate who loses the statewide vote even significantly could still pick up delegates with strong regional showings.

Republican presidential candidate U.S. Senator John  McCain (R-AZ) greets supporters during a rally at  the convention center of Tampa, Florida Jan. 28,  2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Clinton's dominance in California was clear when voters were asked who was best equipped to handle pressing issues.

She won by a better than 2-1 margin when it came to economy and healthcare issues. And although she has been criticized for voting to give President George Bush the authority to invade Iraq, Clinton carried 44 percent of voters to Obama's 29 percent on the Iraq issue.

Political observers said that the California primary could be pivotal for the U.S. presidential race this year, as there are no clear front-ruuners so far in both parties.

Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) acknowledges the cheers from the crowd  at a campaign rally in Springfield, Massachusetts Jan. 28, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

California has been traditionally seen as a non-factor in the presidential primaries because its primary was in June in previous elections, long after the party nominees had been virtually decided.

Candidates from both parties in the current campaign have been scrambling to beef up their grass-roots support in California, where in the past candidates often visited early to raise funds from Hollywood and Silicon Valley, but rarely paid attention to late in the campaign.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei