Voters in Nevada and South Carolina make their choices on Saturday in a chaotic US presidential race, with polls showing tight struggles in both states as nominating battles move to the South and West.

In South Carolina, Republicans John McCain and Mike Huckabee are battling for the lead in a race focused on economic worries, while Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson hope to shove their way to the top in a state where Republicans have a history as kingmakers.

Since 1980, the Republican winner in the South Carolina primary has gone on to capture the nomination. Voting ends at 7 pm EST, with results expected soon afterward.

“I’m like a lot of people in America tonight. I’m a guy over 50 looking for a job. I hope I get the hire,” Huckabee told supporters at a Friday night rally at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.

In Nevada, Democratic rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are waging another tight duel complicated by uncertainties about turnout. In 2004, only 9,000 Democrats participated in Nevada’s caucuses, and no one knows how many will show up this time.

“If you will go to your precinct caucus tomorrow for one or two hours, I promise you that I will stand up for you every single day of this campaign and every single day in the White House,” Clinton, a New York senator, told a packed gym of supporters in Las Vegas on Friday night.

Republicans also vote in Nevada, but most Republican candidates have focused their attention on the South Carolina showdown. Republican results in Nevada are expected after 3 pm EST, with Democratic results expected a few hours later.

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