“What struck me tonight, was we had two front-runners who couldn’t put it away tonight,” said CNN political contributor David Gergen, referring to one-time national front-runners Hillary Clinton and John McCain, Democrat and Republican, respectively. While Clinton and McCain did manage to capture the evening’s top prize - that of the delegate-rich California - the electoral advantages were clouded by strong showings by Democrat Barack Obama and, surprisingly, Republican Mike Huckabee.

Despite exit polls confirming a deeply divided conservative electorate, Senator John McCain secured come-from-behind front-runner status with slow but steady victories over fellow Republican presidential candidates Mike Huckabee, Ron Paul and Mitt Romney.

“Tonight,” said McCain, “I think we must get used to the idea that we are the Republican Party front-runner for the nomination of president of the United States. And I don’t really mind it one bit.”

Super Tuesday’s contests were particularly disappointing for former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who has spent more than $30 million of his own money on the race, and whose campaign had enjoyed leading status for much of the pre-Feb. 5 campaign. In recent weeks, Romney and McCain had engaged in increasingly bitter confrontations over their conservative records.

Mike Huckabee - who many analysts had dismissed as effectively finished after the former governor failed to capitalize on a surprise Iowa victory - made significant gains last night, winning in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and his home state of Arkansas. He has vowed to stay in the race.

“On the Democratic side, there is a sense that the longer this goes on, the more it favors the challenger,” said Gergen, who noted that despite Clinton’s win in California and symbolic victory in Massachusetts (home to key Obama endorsers Senators Ted Kennedy and John Kerry), the senator from New York is significantly lacking in campaign funds while Obama appears to be gaining in national momentum.

“If this ends up being a draw,” said Obama Campaign Manager David Plouffe mid-Tuesday evening, “and it may end up that we win more states, and the delegates are close, it would be a remarkable night for us.” The Democratic primaries award delegates as a proportion of votes won, as opposed to the winner-takes-all system favored by the Republicans. The proportional system is expected to keep the delegate score close between the Democrats.

Obama did end up with more states: 13 to Clinton’s 9, and as of 1:10 EST, the delegate count was still being tabulated.

Despite the probability of a slight delegate lead for Clinton, the number and diversity of states won by Obama - along with his unparalleled financial reserves - appears to all but confirm a long and close race.