Authorities in the US state of Washington believe the man sought for the killings of four police officers is still alive and has been aided by a network of friends and family, a police spokesman said.

A man with an extensive criminal past whose 95-year prison sentence was commuted nearly a decade ago was sought today after four police officers were gunned down in a US coffee shop.

Conservative evangelical leaders met privately this week to discuss putting aside their misgivings about John McCain and coalescing around the Republican’s presidential bid while urging him to consider social conservative favourite Mike Huckabee as a running mate.

President George Bush will give his blessing to John McCain in the race for the White House today, after the former Vietnam prisoner of war secured enough support to officially become the Republican nominee.

Hillary Clinton today denied comments at the end of her debate with rival Barack Obama marked the beginning of the end of her tilt at the White House.

A struggling Hillary Clinton today courted working class families with a detailed economic plan seeking votes in tomorrow’s Wisconsin primary.

SO farewell Mike Huckabee, it’s been a lot of fun and just a little bit weird.

The founder of the rock band Boston has objected to Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee’s campaign using his biggest hit.

Presidential hopeful Barack Obama picked up momentum in the tight Democratic race today as he got the support of an influential backer of rival Hillary Clinton and another prominent civil rights leader openly discussed a switch.

Barack Obama will win Virginia’s primary election, the first of three states holding their contests today, CNN projected.

Democrat presidential hopeful Barack Obama was today hoping to be on a victory roll and win primaries in Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC.

Barack Obama has won the Maine caucuses today to sweep all five weekend Democratic contests, gaining new momentum and further narrowing rival Hillary Clinton's delegate lead in their epic battle for the party's presidential nomination.

SENATOR John McCain flunked his first ballot tests since becoming Republican nominee-in-waiting.

John McCain effectively sealed the Republican presidential nomination tonight as chief rival Mitt Romney suspended his faltering campaign.

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama girded themselves for more fierce battles in their tight race for the Democratic presidential nomination, as Clinton disclosed she lent millions of dollars to her presidential campaign to fuel the costly White House fight.

HILLARY CLINTON and Barack Obama split the Democratic Party delegates yesterday as John McCain declared himself the front-runner in the Republican race after the biggest Super Tuesday in history.

BOOSTED by his big night, John McCain asked his loudest conservative critics yesterday to “calm down” and support his Republican presidential candidacy.

More than 20 states went to the polls on Super Tuesday in the most significant day so far in the race to the White House.

Mr Obama will continue his wins in the Southern states of South Carolina and Georgia with a victory in Alabama, CNN projected.

Mike Huckabee will win Alaska, CNN projected.

The death toll from tornados across four US Southern states that tore through homes, ripped the roof off a shopping mall and blew apart warehouses in a rare spasm of violent winter weather rose to at least 21 today, with dozens injured.

John McCain will win New York and all of the state's 101 Republican delegates, CNN projected.

Barack Obama will win Georgia in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, CNN predicted today.

REPUBLICAN Senator John McCain hoped to knock out his last serious challenger, ex-Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, yesterday.

Mike Huckabee won West Virginia today in the first results of Super Tuesday in the race for the White House.

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama shift their fight to South Carolina after a split result in Nevada's contest failed to yield a clear winner in the battle for the US Democratic presidential nomination.

Republican Mitt Romney won Nevada's caucuses today, while John McCain and Mike Huckabee competed in the South Carolina primary, two races likely to reduce the crowded field of US presidential rivals.

Americans in the south and west will get their first chance to have a say on who will be their next President today as the race to the White House is as wide open as ever.

THE pressure’s on for Republicans to show staying power in a presidential primary race where, as Fred Thompson put it yesterday, “everyone gets to be hero of the day”.

IT’S a different winner every day in the Republican presidential race.

NEW HAMPSHIRE was John McCain’s last stand, his best opportunity to revive a presidential campaign that was near death last summer.

Democrat Barack Obama appeared poised to defeat Hillary Clinton for the second time in less than a week tonight as voters streamed into polling stations in New Hampshire in the US’s first presidential primary election.

Voters in New Hampshire began the first presidential primary ballot today with Barack Obama apparently poised to give Hillary Clinton a second, and possibly devastating, defeat in less than a week.

An overflow of supporters cheered Barack Obama today as polls showed the Illinois senator was poised for a second come-from-behind victory over Hillary Rodham Clinton in a week.

THE tight race between John McCain and Mitt Romney added emphasis to the need to persuade undecided voters and encourage hard-core supporters to turn out today.

Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee signed off as Arkansas Governor by handing Rolling Stones rocker Keith Richards a pardon.

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton clashed today ahead of Tuesday’s critical New Hampshire primary.

The Republican and Democratic US presidential candidates clashed on issues ranging from immigration to healthcare in back-to-back debates three days ahead of the first primary election in the White House race.

BARACK OBAMA, flush from his stunning victory in the Iowa caucuses, charged to New Hampshire yesterday fired up for the second leg of his fight to be America’s first black president.

MIKE HUCKABEE, who won the Republican Iowa caucuses, said he expects the victory to boost his campaign in New Hampshire as voters support candidates who promise change.

RELIGION played a huge role in Mike Huckabee’s triumph in the Iowa Republican caucuses, although there are some mixed signals for him on the road ahead.

The campaign for the two major US parties’ presidential nominees shifted to New Hampshire today after Iowa’s result threw the races wide open.

A rock ’n’ roll guitar-playing former pastor from the south, Mike Huckabee’s homey, grassroots appeal and unapologetic confidence in his views could serve him well on the road to the White House.

Americans voted for change over experience as Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee won the Iowa caucuses.