Polls close in Florida primary

MIAMI, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Polls in the Florida primary closed Tuesday with Republican presidential rivals fighting for delegates and Democrats fighting for momentum.

State Republicans and Democrats were punished for moving the primary up to January from Super Tuesday next week. Only one-half of Florida GOP delegates were at stake, 57, and none of the Democratic delegates after the national parties penalized the state organizations.

Hundreds of thousands of voters took advantage of early voting rules before Tuesday, but polls suggested Democrats would favor Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York and Republicans would lean toward Sen. John McCain of Arizona in the winner-take-all primary.

CNN said exit polls showed a close race between McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and Clinton leading Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.

The Miami Herald reported there were voting problems again in Southern Florida, where some voters were unable to cast ballots. Part of the problem was blamed on voter error, but part was blamed on local officials or voting machines.

Southern Florida was the scene for most of the controversy in 2000, when Vice President Al Gore demanded a hand recount in his razor-close contest with then-Texas Gov. George Bush.

Because Florida's electoral votes would decide the election, the country did not learn who would be president until the U.S. Supreme Court decided 5-4 in Bush's favor in December 2000, ending the hand recounts despite state court rulings that they would continue.