Voters across America are heading to the polls for what could be a pivotal day in deciding which Democratic and Republican presidential hopefuls face off in the race to the White House.
Some of the biggest prizes of the primary season -- California, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Missouri and Georgia -- are up for grabs on "Super Tuesday", when voters make their party choices in 24 of the states, as well as American Samoa.
At stake are more than four-fifths of the 2,025 delegates needed to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination and more than 1,000 of the 1,191 necessary delegates on the Republican side.
This year's presidential race is generating more interest than usual because of its open nature. The current president, Republican George W. Bush, has served two terms in office and is ineligible to stand, while vice-president Dick Cheney is also not running.
None of the four Republicans and two Democrats seeking to be nominated by their parties have been adopted as official presidential candidates before.
The Democratic race between Illinois senator Barack Obama and New York senator Hillary Clinton, is already extremely close, with neither side expected to deliver a knock out blow. The chances of a clearcut winner will be further reduced by how the Democrats usually split delegates by a proportion of the popular vote.
Obama has taken first blood, with Democratic Party supporters voting abroad in Indonesia -- where Obama spent four years of his childhood -- picking him over Clinton.
But Obama and Clinton are likely to split the delegates fairly evenly, Democratic analyst Peter Fenn said.
Obama promoted his health-insurance proposal Tuesday, arguing that most people will opt for coverage if it is made affordable.
He told CNN's "American Morning" from San Francisco that his plan would allow anyone to get health care, and coverage would be mandated for children. Those who couldn't afford insurance would receive a subsidy, and there would be no restrictions because of pre-existing medical conditions.
"Our focus has been on reducing costs, making it available. I am confident that if people have a chance to buy high-quality health care that is affordable, they will do so," Obama said.
Clinton, who returned to her touchstone issue of health care Monday, had previously said Obama's plan is "not doable
She cast her vote in the New York's Democratic presidential primary Tuesday morning at the polling station in Chappaqua's Douglas Grafflin Elementary School with her husband and daughter.
She has campaigned on the contention that her eight years as first lady makes her more qualified on "day one" than Barack Obama, who has been a U.S. senator for just four years.
Former President Bill Clinton said casting his primary ballot for his wife was "one of the proudest moments of my life."
"I think that Obama clearly has an advantage in those seven states that are doing caucuses," Fenn said. "I think she's got to carry the big states that she had planned on. California is clearly up for grabs now ... Unless one or the other gets annihilated, I think they go on to many more Tuesdays."
In a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll Monday, the two Democratic front-runners were virtually tied. Obama garnered 49 percent of registered Democrats, while Clinton trailed by just 3 percentage points. With a sampling error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points, the margin is too close to call.
The Republican battle between Arizona senator John McCain, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee could be decided in Tuesday's vote with more than 1,000 of the 1,191 delegates needed to clinch the presidential nomination at stake. Other candidates include Ron Paul, who has described himself as an "old-time, conventional, traditional conservative" and "the most conservative member of Congress."
The Republicans allocate delegates in most primary states on a winner-take-all basis -- which means that wins in the biggest states by McCain, who leads national Republican polls, have the potential to propel him to a towering lead over his rivals.
While last-minute polls indicate Romney has gained ground against McCain in California, Romney is likely to split races with Huckabee in the South, Republican strategist John Feehery said.
"In the Northeastern states and Midwest, I think John McCain is going to win," Feehery said. "I think it's really hard for Mitt Romney to get this nomination."
Early Tuesday the two leading Republican candidates chose to evoke the spirit of two-time Republican president Ronald Reagan.
McCain, out on the streets of Manhattan with former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani -- who is endorsing him after dropping out of the Republican race last week -- said that he is the Republican who can win the White House by gaining the support of independent voters.
McCain, also accompanied by senator Joe Lieberman, told supporters that his campaign would "take the battle to the enemy."
"I guarantee you as the nominee of my party, I can and will carry the city of New York, as well as the state of New York because we know how to appeal to independents," he said.
"We are the greatest nation on earth. We will continue to lead and we will be, as Ronald Reagan said, a shining city on a hill."
Meanwhile Romney, speaking to CNN's "America Morning" from Charleston, West Virginia, said that a victory for him in California and other key states would pave the way for wider success.
"It will indicate the conservative voices in our party are standing up and saying, 'wait a second, we want to make sure that this party does not leave the house that Ronald Reagan built.
"And if that happens, I think we're going to see a very clear pathway to gain additional delegates from the ongoing contests, and put together the winning combination to get the nomination."
The two rivals exchanged bitter words Monday. Romney positioned himself as the conservative alternative to the Arizona senator, who has infuriated Republican activists with his support for immigration reform and campaign-finance reform as well as opposition against tax cuts, claiming that "you have a hard time distinguishing him from Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama."
Meanwhile McCain attacked Romney for raising taxes, while refuting claims he's not conservative enough.
Romney suggested Sunday that Huckabee, who has struggled since winning the January 3 Iowa caucuses, quit the race because he was splitting the conservative vote. But Huckabee said Romney's assumption that Huckabee supporters would turn to him was "presumptuous and even arrogant."
Paul Tuesday said that the U.S. government has drifted in the past hundred years from following the Constitution, but he would put it back on track with balanced budgets, elimination of income taxes and the IRS, and withdrawal from "entangling alliances," including the United Nations.
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