Some voters say long battle could hurt nominee - Yahoo! News

Some voters say long battle could hurt nominee - Yahoo! News: "Some voters say long battle could hurt nominee" By Matthew Bigg ATLANTA (Reuters) - A protracted fight for the Democratic nomination could hurt the party's eventual presidential candidate, some U.S. voters said on Wednesday, a day after rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama split victories on "Super Tuesday." As Democratic and Republican voters weighed the results of nominating contests in more than 20 states, they expressed a wide range of concerns. "I would just like to see it over, regardless of who gets it (the Democratic nomination). I'd like to see a swift victory ... so we don't see a split Democratic Party," Justin Braun, 22, said as he waited for a Chicago subway train. In contrast to the close race between the leading two Democratic hopefuls, Republican John McCain won nine primaries and took a clear lead over his rivals. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won seven states. The tightness of the Democratic race could eventually benefit the Arizona senator, said 28-year-old Boston resident and McCain supporter Mark Simonovich. "McCain is going to have a competitive advantage (in November's presidential election). Hillary and Obama have a lot of very passionate supporters and they may be turned off if the other wins. They could go for McCain," said Simonovich, who works in logistics for an apparel company. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won Republican primaries in Georgia, Alabama and other southern states in what the former Baptist minister called a surprisingly strong showing. "I'm a lesbian libertarian. I voted for Huckabee ... He's all for the fair tax and that's one of my favorite issues," said Stacy Gordon, 42, a radiology software trainer in Birmingham, Alabama. Debbie Wyman, 62, an Episcopal priest from Cambridge, Massachusetts, echoed the idea that a long fight between Obama and Clinton could splinter Democrats. Despite Obama's loss in her state, she said her support hadn't waned. "I wish Obama had won everything," she said. "I am more angry with Hillary than I was yesterday. ... She is part of the system and I don't want any more of the system. I just want someone who is a decent human being." LIKES, DISLIKES Thousands of miles away, Clinton scored a big victory in California, the most populous U.S. state, and some credited that to her long experience with combative politics as the wife of former President Bill Clinton. "She has been doing this for 35 years. She has had practice at it, not just running a campaign, but either married to a person who was elected or being elected herself," said Charles Savage, a 26-year-old college student. Standing on Hollywood Boulevard, Savage said he'd been a fan of the Clintons since childhood. But if Clinton attracts passionate support, she also appears to attract the strong dislike of others, said Ryan Terrell, 21, a construction worker in California. "This (Hillary's success) means the Republicans are going to win because Hillary is not going to win. America as a whole is not going to vote for her," he said. (Additional reporting by Scott Malone in Boston, Michael Connor in Miami, Peter Henderson in Hollywood, California, and Verna Gates in Birmingham, Alabama) (Editing by Michael Christie)