Presidential race could still be muddled after Super Tuesday

LOS ANGELES -- California is the gold standard in Super Tuesday's delegate hunt, involving a complicated political map of primaries and caucuses in more than 20 states across the country.

Feb. 5 will be the largest single-day delegate grab in presidential campaign history.

Predicting an outcome is difficult, if at all possible, because of the closeness of the races on both the Democratic and Republican fronts and the sudden withdrawals of Democrat John Edwards and Republican Rudy Giuliani.

Still here is an assessment of how the contests are shaping up in key states:

California:Among Democrats, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York has long been a favorite, but Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois has drawn nearly even, setting up a television advertising war.

The 370 delegates at stake will be partially apportioned based on vote percentages.

Among Republicans, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's endorsement of Sen. John McCain should give the Arizona senator a boost, but some conservatives are wary of McCain. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has a chance to pick off delegates. Republicans here award three delegates to the winner of each of the state's 53 congressional districts.

New York:Clinton's Senate base should be considered her territory, but Obama has not ceded it altogether.

McCain, was leading in polls even before he was endorsed by former New York Mayor Giuliani, who dropped out Wednesday.

New Jersey:Giuliani's endorsement of McCain could help the senator win here. McCain had a big lead over Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee even before Giuliani dropped out.

Among Democrats, advantage Clinton.

Illinois:Clinton's birthplace but Obama's Senate base. It could be Obama's biggest big-state win.

Among Republicans, McCain planned a pre-Super Tuesday campaign stop in the state. A recent poll showed it a close race. Edge, McCain.

Massachusetts:This should be Romney territory. And if he doesn't win here, he's in big trouble all over.

Clinton is the favored Democrat but could be susceptible to a late Obama surge.

Missouri:One of the nation's perennial swing states has been a busy crossroad. Giuliani paid many visits here before dropping out, and his demise should help McCain.

Clinton was ahead, but not decisively, in polls taken before Obama's big win in South Carolina last week.

Connecticut:See New York — with a caveat.

Romney was a Republican governor of a neighboring state, but Connecticut Republicans award their 27 GOP convention delegates to the winner of the state. That may affect whether either McCain or Romney devotes much time there.

Southern Swath (Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas):Clinton has an advantage in Arkansas and Tennessee, but Georgia and Alabama seem to be more Obama territory.

Among Republicans, Huckabee has staked a lot of his future on these states, and he hopes to use his regional connections to pluck off enough delegates and maybe even squeeze out a win, to remain viable in a fractured Republican field after Tuesday.

Caucus states:Romney hopes superior organization will help him in Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana and North Dakota, which hold caucuses, not primaries. He?s sent some of his surrogates, including his wife, Ann, to campaign in these states this weekend.

Among Democrats, Obama hopes the fact his mother was born in Kansas helps him carry that state.