New York, Feb 6: Former first lady Hillary Clinton won the New York Democratic primary on Tuesday, beating rival Barack Obama in the state she represents in the U.S. Senate and boosting her claim to the party's U.S. presidential nomination, media projected.

In their hard-fought duel for the Democratic nomination, Obama won seven states and Clinton six in the early returns. Clinton won Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, Massachusetts, New Jersey and her home state of New York. Obama scored victories in Georgia, Delaware, Alabama, Kansas, North Dakota, Utah and his home state of Illinois.

McCain, hoping to knock rivals Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee out of the race with a strong night, cruised to wins in Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Illinois and Oklahoma on the biggest day of U.S. presidential voting ahead of November's election.

New York was the fifth state to go for the former first lady in voting on Super Tuesday, so called because nearly half of the U.S. states are holding contests to choose Republican or Democratic candidates for the November general election. Obama has won two states so far, projections show.

OneIndia News