Clinton, McCain Emerge As Front-Runners

After a few recent primary wins, Hillary Clinton and John McCain have emerged as the front-runners of their respective parties.

Clinton won the Nevada caucuses Saturday after pulling off an upset in New Hampshire. Right now she is in excellent position to scoop up the nomination.

Right now, she is basically ceding South Carolina to Barack Obama, and is focusing on the delegate-rich Super Tuesday states of California, New York, and New Jersey.

Even if Obama manages to win South Carolina, he has not campaigned as much on a national scale. Plus, he doesn't have Bill on his side.

As of now, Clinton is in excellent position to carry New York and New Jersey--her home turf. Obama should win Illinois and the south.

That puts their delegate counts at about even. But then comes California, which has by far the most delegates and is viewed as a must-win state on both sides.

Most polls show Clinton up comfortably there, but things could change over the next two weeks as the campaigns get nastier.

California is especially important to Obama because the super delegates in most of the states voting that day will likely side with Clinton--the establishment candidate.

However, Obama has a secret weapon: John Edwards. If he shows poorly in South Carolina--as I think he will--he might drop out, meaning that most of his strong national base of supporters will flock to Obama on Super Tuesday.

But as of now, Clinton is in much better shape nationally than Obama.

On the Republican side, John McCain is now the man to beat. With his recent New Hampshire and South Carolina wins, he is in excellent position for Florida and Super Tuesday.

If he wins Florida, I think it's over. He'll win California, New Jersey, and other delegate-rich states on Super Tuesday. He may even beat Giuliani in his home state.

Right now, McCain has the name recognition, the national stature, and the momentum to go all the way. The only person that I could see stopping him is Mitt Romney.

With the economy taking center stage, Romney's business experience could help him win plenty of delegates on Super Tuesday. And with his deep pockets, he could keep the race going far past Super Tuesday.

But McCain has been through this before, and is in it for the long-haul. Expect more direct attacks on McCain from Giuliani, Romney, and Huckabee as the four-way race for Florida heats up.

We could very well see a Clinton vs. McCain general election if things don't change really really quickly.