The Arizona senator's supporters gathered at the Hotel DeVille in Jefferson City. One GOP representative at the watch party said he feared his candidate was not conservative enough on issues like immigration and abortion. However, others were fully confident McCain could make a strong showing.

"I had the great fortune to meet the senator in Iraq and I tell you what I've always been impressed with about the senator is his patriotism, his selfless service, and his service to America. Not just being a senator but before when he was in the military,"said Jason Brown of the McCain campaign.

Another GOP member Senator Delbert Scott said Mike Huckabee was doing well in Missouri because his politics are aligned with Missouri voters.

"The fact that he is in the run with very little finances and the strength of his message and his character has gotten him to this point. Missourians respond to that. They can see a real, true blue person when they see him and hear him speak," Scott said.

Politicians supporting Mitt Romney did not host a watch party Tuesday night, but took part in a bipartisan dinner at the capital. Rod Jetton, Speaker of the House and Romney's political director for Missouri, is confident Romney will do better.

"Mitt's going to do better as we go further west, obviously you know Montana, Idaho, Colorado, even Arizona, even though its McCain's state," Jetton said.

In Columbia, the group Central Missourians for Ron Paul and other supporters gathered at the Heidelberg restaurant and watched results trickle in from around the state and country. It was a small crowd, with some checking their laptops for results. Although hoping for a victory, one supporter said he was happy Paul's message got out.

"I still met people yesterday that had no idea who he was, so we're just trying to get the word out. If more people know who he is, more people will hear the message. I think he'll do much better. We're going to continue even after today working on getting his name out to people because that name recognition is really important in today's culture," said Amy Bremmer of the Central Missourians for Ron Paul.

Almost 48 percent of registered Boone County voters turned out to cast a ballot on Super Tuesday. To see a behind the scenes look at the watch parties in Columbia, click on the Smart Decision video blogs link to the left of this article. You can also compare candidates on where they stand on party issues or watch Super Tuesday slideshows by clicking on the KOMU.com extra.