TOPEKA, Kan. -- Thousands of Kansas Republicans filed through presidential caucuses Saturday, giving Mike Huckabee a solid chance of picking up the state despite rival candidate John McCain's status as the presumed GOP nominee.

Huckabee's supporters came out in relatively large crowds for caucuses in Topeka and the Kansas City-area suburbs of Johnson County, and McCain's backers appeared less numerous. Supporters of Texas Rep. Ron Paul also had contingents.

McCain, the Arizona senator, and Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, were wooing the same conservative Republicans. McCain supporters hoped he could prevent a lingering rift on the right that would hurt a fall campaign, while Huckabee campaigned in the Sunflower State on the idea that McCain's nomination can be prevented.

Some Kansas Republicans thought their caucuses would provide an indication of whether conservatives grudgingly accepted McCain as the GOP candidate or whether they still hoped to nominate someone else despite the long odds.

The caucuses, at 67 sites, determined how the candidates would split 36 of the state's 39 delegates to the Republican National Convention in September in Minneapolis. The rules were designed to see that one candidate captured 30 or more, but it was possible that 24 still could go to the convention uncommitted.

"I think it's going to be very difficult for John to win. If he does, I think it will be a surprise," said Sen. Sam Brownback, a leading conservative who endorsed the Arizona senator. "It's really dominated, I think, by the community that's more in line, I think, with Huckabee's view of items."

Conservatives control the state GOP, making abortion opponents and evangelical Christians influential. Some conservatives had supported former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who suspended his campaign Thursday, and GOP activists didn't know whether his backers would stay home, split their votes or go to Huckabee.

Huckabee drew enthusiastic crowds when he campaigned Friday in Kansas. A rally in Olathe drew between 1,200 and 1,300 people; about 1,000 people came to a Huckabee event in Wichita, and about 600 people packed a hotel meeting room in Topeka. He ended his swing in Garden City.

Huckabee had endorsements from Kansans for Life, the state's largest anti-abortion group, and conservative legislators, including House Speaker Melvin Neufeld.

Tad Powell, a 20-year-old college student, handed out literature from the American Family Association before voting began in Topeka. He and his 21-year-old brother, Joshua, are Huckabee supporters. The association gave Huckabee a perfect score on its eight-point voters' guide, while it docked McCain for not supporting amendments to the federal constitution on marriage and banning abortion.

"McCain doesn't have the values," Joshua Powell said.

But going into the caucuses, McCain had more than 700 of the 1,191 delegates he needed for the nomination, compared to less than 200 for Huckabee.

McCain's lead was on the minds of at least a few caucus participants like James Azeltine, a Leawood City Council member, who was in line to vote at Blue Valley Northeast High School in Overland Park.

"I like all of them, but I'm going to vote for McCain," he said. "While the Democrats are squabbling, we can be organizing. The sooner we get a nominee, the sooner we can get organized."

In Topeka, Brownback sought to persuade fellow Republicans that McCain is conservative enough for them. He noted that McCain has an 82 percent lifetime approval rating from the American Conservative Union.

He said McCain is the best candidate because, "We're at war, and we're going to be at war for a generation."

That statement brought scattered boos, then shouts of disapproval from Paul's supporters. Paul opposes the war in Iraq, and one of his backers shouted, "With Ron Paul, it might end!"

That brief outburst provided the only hint of disorder at the caucus in Topeka. When one meeting hall filled up with about 400 people, the party quickly diverted more than 500 more to another room. Lines to get in moved quickly, and some people cast their ballots before hearing any speeches.

About 4,000 people came to the Republican caucus in Wichita. Party officials started checking people in at 8:30 a.m., and by 10:40 a.m. had ushered the last voters into the building. The line moved quickly and the average wait was 30 minutes.

State GOP officials believed about 35,000 people would participate in their first competitive Republican caucuses in at least 20 years.

On the Democratic side, a tight race nationally between Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton brought about 37,000 Kansans to Democratic caucuses Tuesday, more than triple what party officials had expected, overwhelming some sites.