Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is the projected winner of the Colorado Democratic caucuses tonight, while former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is the projected winner in Colorado.

Huge crowds overwhelmed many caucuses in Colorado tonight and several locations reported more than 1,000 people.

Colorado Republicans overwhelmingly backed Romney, even as primary voters in many larger states across the country supported Sen. John McCain.

McCain entered and exited Super Tuesday as the national GOP front-runner, with Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, fighting to stay in the race. Many Republican caucus goers in Colorado said they hoped their vote for Romney would help stop McCain.

Matt Lichlyter, 33, said he was uneasy with national polls that showed his party leaning toward John McCain.

"We'll support whatever the party does," he said, referring to himself and his wife, "but I'm not going to sit and wait for it."

Steve Lange, 71, echoed that concern.

"I'm not even sure he is a Republican," Lange said of McCain.

Both men, among 500 Republicans who caucused at Columbine High School, took issue with McCain's positions on immigration as well as his campaign finance reform bill.

Cindy O'Dougherty, 49, and Linda Theige, 53, both came out to their first caucus, and both came for the same reason.

"Anyone but McCain," Theige said.

With 73 percent of precincts reporting, Romney had the support of 59 percent of caucus goers compared to just 19 percent for McCain. Mike Huckabee got 13 percent and Ron Paul had 8 percent.

State Republican chairman Dick Wadhams noted Romney visited Colorado several times, including last week, and recruited a lot of good organizational leaders from the party. He also got the early support of former Gov. Bill Owens and U.S. Wayne Allard.

"I think people see in him an accomplished, successful conservative who governed a tough state and who has been talking about the issues that Coloradans care about," Wadhams said.

McCain was backed by former U.S. Attorney Michael Norton, former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton and former Deputy Attorney General Marti Allbright Whitmore.

James Dobson, the founder of Colorado Springs' Focus on the Family, announced Tuesday he wouldn't support McCain, citing McCain's support for embryonic stem-cell research and filibusters in judicial hearings. He also said McCain "has a legendary temper and often uses foul and obscene language."

State Sen. Greg Brophy said he would vote for Romney, but he wasn't overly enthusiastic. He said none of the GOP candidates perfectly aligned with his views on abortion, guns or spending, but he couldn't vote for McCain because of his support for immigration reform and opposition to waterboarding by government interrogators.

That lack of excitement didn't bother him, though. He said while some Democrats were excited by the prospect of picking a candidate with "charisma" in Barack Obama, that wasn't as important to conservatives like him.

"We want ideas. It's not a beauty contest to us," said Brophy, who said he would support the party's final candidate.

Republicans took two votes during the caucuses.

Their main job was to pick delegates to go to their county convention later this month or in March, the first of several steps in deciding which delegates go the Republican convention in Minneapolis. Delegates at caucuses don't have to declare which candidate they will support.

But since those final delegates won't be selected until the state convention in May, Republicans also participated in a straw poll to show which candidates they supported.

The Republicans have 46 delegates to the national convention, including three distinguished delegates who do not have to go through the delegate selection process.

Pollster Floyd Ciruli said this is the first time in decades that Colorado voters have had a part in deciding the nominees because it moved the caucuses from March to Feb. 5 so candidates would pay attention.

The Democratic race in Colorado is especially crucial because the winner will be nominated at the convention in Denver in August, and young voters are excited and getting involved.

About 1,000 people packed Denver's East High School gym for Democratic caucuses representing 14 precincts. Gov. Bill Ritter thanked them for turning out and predicted the next president will be chosen at the Democratic convention in Denver. The crowd cheered.

He said the record turnout was due to exciting candidates.

"I say that about both of our candidates. I also think it says people in Colorado want change in November and they want to be part of that change," Ritter said.

State GOP chair Dick Wadhams said his precinct caucus, at Columbine High School, drew at least 50 people, compared to the dozen who normally show up. More than 500 people attended 16 precincts at the school, more than four times the 2004 turnout.

Not voting were Republicans in Jackson County, who didn't take a presidential preference poll.

"For whatever reason, they said they weren't going to take the poll. I regret that, but that's their choice," said Wadhams.

In another caucus at Columbine, Jay LaBlanc, 42, told his fellow caucus-goers that he was supporting Huckabee. "But to be honest, I could support any Republican to beat Hillary."

Aurora Community College reported more than 1,000 voters showed up. And about 500 turned up at Hill Middle School in east Denver, where John Shepherd, 43, said he was attending his first caucus because he believed Obama is a "once in a generation candidate."

Former Denver Mayor Federico Pena drew rousing applause when he praised Obama before the caucus began. Congresswoman Diana DeGette, who is backing Clinton, said no matter who wins, the party will remain united.

David Ruley, 60, said he has lived in Colorado for 35 years but had never been to a caucus before. He went to his first one in Aurora.

"Well you know, it seems to me that we've never been a part of Super Tuesday before. It's usually a moot point by the time it's our turn," he said.

Some 15,000 Democrats participated in the state caucuses in 2004, and Matt Sugar, spokesman for the Colorado Democratic Party, said at least double that figure was expected Tuesday night.

State Republican Party spokeswoman Teresa Sauer said the party kept no data on past caucuses but added officials were "expecting records."

Several counties reported problems ranging from voter confusion to the weather.

Adams County clerk Karen Long said at least 100 people showed up at county offices Tuesday morning looking to cast ballots. Many people said they'd heard or seen radio or TV coverage about primaries happening across the country, and thought they could also vote in an election in Colorado.

About 300 other people called, asking where they could vote.

In La Plata County, which was hit by two major snowstorms in the past week, some voters considered using snowmobiles to get to their caucuses.

Jean Walter, chairwoman of the La Plata Democratic Party, said weather could hurt turnout.

"A few people have called and asked for rides," she said.