Clinton, Huckabee lead early in Missouri

ST. JOSEPH, Mo., Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee took the early leads Tuesday in the Missouri Democratic and Republican primaries, respectively.

The senator from New York captured 56.1 percent of the vote to Sen. Obama of Illinois, who received 37.1 percent in earl returns.

In the three-candidate GOP race, Huckabee got 36.2 percent of the vote. U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona received 29.8 percent and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had 24.5 percent.

Missouri is known as the bellwether state because every president for the past century carried the state at least once. Missouri voters have chosen correctly each election since 1904, except for the 1952 race.