Clinton, Romney Win Nevada

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y. greets cocktail waitresses during a campaign stop at the Mandalay Bay Hotel on caucus day in Las Vegas, today. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won the Nevada caucuses Saturday, powering past Barack Obama in a hard-fought race marred by last-minute charges of dirty politics. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney easily won the Republican contest. The victory marked a second-straight campaign triumph for the former first lady, who gained an upset victory over Obama in last week’s New Hampshire primary. Early returns showed the former first lady gaining roughly half the vote in a three-way Democratic race, with Obama at about 45 percent and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards placing a distant third. Romney said Republicans had cast their votes for change — and that he was the man to provide it.