The 2008 U.S. presidential race for the White House was formally kicked off Thursday night in the Midwestern state of Iowa, as Iowans are gathering in some 1,781 precincts to make their choices among the candidates. The race is too close to call.
On the Democratic side, Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barrack Obama are locked in a three-way race with former North Carolina Senator John Edwards.
In the Republican race, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney are competing to the last minute to get more supporters.
The caucuses, which can last as long as two hours, began at 7 p.m. local time (0100 GMT Friday).
Republican caucuses are essentially a preference vote, with supporters casting a ballot and precincts reporting their results for every candidate.
In the complex Democratic process, candidates must draw at least 15 percent of support of caucus goers. Supporters of candidates who don't reach the threshold must realign themselves with another group, and that process continues until every remaining candidate has at least 15 percent.
On the Democratic side, Edwards took an early lead. With less than 10 percent of precincts reporting, Edwards had 33.7 percent of the vote, followed by Clinton with 32 percent and Obama with 30percent. Republican results were not yet available.
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