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PHOENIX — Arizona Sen. John McCain proclaimed himself the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination Tuesday night as he gained a solid victory here coupled with wins in state primaries nationwide.

McCain took the stage late in the evening in front of hundreds of supporters at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix and promised to unite the party — an important task as exit polls here showed his support among conservative to be soft.

Meanwhile, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton claimed the largest share of Arizona voters on her way to maintaining her somewhat less secure advantage for the Democratic nomination.

"There's still a long road ahead," McCain said after entering the room to the theme of "Rocky." "However, I think it's fair to say we might have come a little closer today to the day when mothers in Arizona might be able to tell their children that someday they can grow up to be president of the United States."

McCain appeared on stage with wife Cindy, U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham,R-S.C., and Joe Lieberman I-Conn., members of Arizona's congressional delegation and his family as he thanked supporters for sticking with him "through thick and thin."

"And it was thick and thin," he said, referring his roller-coaster presidential bid.

With 80 percent of the votes counted, McCain led former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney 47 percent to 34 percent, with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee trailing at about 9 percent.

Romney voters in Tucson were disappointed but remained supportive of their candidate.

"I was a registered independent until December. I switched so I could vote for Romney," said Kim Stateler, 36.

"I've never done anything like this in my life," said Stateler, who spent Monday and Tuesday waving Romney signs on busy Tucson street corners.

Among Democrats, more than half the voters said the economy was the most important issue facing the country, and Obama and Clinton split the voters among that category.

But Clinton carried the day, holding a 50 percent to 42 percent advantage over Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, by polling better with women and moderates, exit polling found.

"We've got to have somebody who can reverse things. This country has taken a strong, hard, bad turn," said Clinton backer JoJene Mills, 47.

"She is so brilliant, she can deal with foreign leaders and get this country where it needs to be," Sandy Katz, 56.

As McCain's Phoenix event swarmed with state and national press, supporters chanted "Mac is back." Many said they had been waiting since 2000 — McCain's first bid for president — for the senator to have a real shot at winning the Republican nomination.

"Although I've never minded the role of the underdog, and have relished as much as anyone come from behind wins, tonight I think we must get used to the idea that we are the Republican Party front-runner for the nomination," said McCain, who was also joined by his nearly 96-year-old mother, Roberta.

"Overall I think he's a solid Republican candidate. He's not as much of a maverick as people think," Tucson Blake Rebling, 21, said.

The road here has been a bumpy one for McCain. He lost the nomination to then Texas Gov. George W. Bush in 2000. Then after announcing a second run last spring, his operation faced major organizational and financial difficulties. By the summer, he had dropped to single digits in national polls. And his backing of a comprehensive immigration package angered border activists.

But as the year came to a close, McCain began to rebound. The Iraq troop surge he supported showed signs of progress in Iraq, and his "no surrender" message found a receptive audience in New Hampshire, a key early state.

Still, exit polls in Arizona Tuesday night illustrated McCain still has work to do in shoring up support from conservatives. Though McCain won the state, Romney had strong support from Republicans who described themselves as conservative and those who believe illegal immigrants should be deported. Romney had 47 percent ofthe vote from those who describe themselves as conservatives, compared to McCain's 36 percent, according to CNN.

What helped McCain was overwhelming support from Republicans who called themselves liberals, and he was also favored by moderates.

McCain sought to reach out to conservative voters in his victory speech. He congratulated Huckabee and even Romney, acknowledging that he and the former governor had "been going at it pretty hard."

"I promise you, if I am so fortunate to win your nomination, I will work hard to ensure that the conservative philosophy and principles of our great party … will again win the vote of a majority of American people," McCain said.

And Republicans at McCain's victory party dismissed the idea that all in the party would not support McCain.

"Where are they going to go? Obama? Hillary? You've got to be kidding," said Alberto Gutier, a Republican consultant.