The story

Republican front-runner John McCain fended off former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in Virginia's presidential primary Tuesday and cruised to wins the other two "Potomac Primaries," but exit polls show the party's conservative core remains cool to the Arizona senator.

CNN has projected the Arizona senator will beat Huckabee and his remaining rival, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia, adding to his already wide lead in delegates to the party's September nominating convention in Minneapolis.

He racked up large leads over Huckabee in the Washington suburbs of northern Virginia and in the counties around Richmond, the capital. But Huckabee's strong showing highlights McCain's ongoing struggle to win over the party's conservative base, which exit polls found made up two-thirds of Virginia GOP voters. Read full article »

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