With polls having just closed in nine states, Arizona Sen. John McCain is already the projected winner in New Jersey, Illinois and Connecticut. Mitt Romney is the projected winner in Massachusetts, but he would be in a world of hurt if he couldn’t win in his home state. But where is Romney in the other states?

Other races are tight, but the surprise is they’re close between McCain and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee – not McCain and Romney. Right now, Huckabee is leading in Georgia and Missouri and running second in Tennessee and Oklahoma.
And with polls having just closed in Arkansas, he’s the projected winner there as well.

Huckabee is clearly still a force to be reckoned with and may be eating away at Romney’s chances of overcoming McCain’s delegate lead, despite outspending him 2-1.

Speculation is already building of a McCain-Huckabee ticket. But would this cost McCain independent voters?

– Paul Gullixson