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WASHINGTON - THE US presidential election has gone on MTV.
Four of the candidates - notably the two main Democrats and two Republicans - have taken part in an event aimed at young voters.
The live forum was aired on the music channel as well as on more than 1,800 websites and radio stations, the BBC reported. The MTV debate was also sponsored by the Associated Press and the popular MySpace website.
The candidates joined the 90-minute event via satellite - Mrs Hillary Clinton from Arizona, Mr Barack Obama from Minneapolis, Mr Mike Huckabee from Alabama and Mr Ron Paul from Texas.
Although Mr Paul is not considered a front runner to take his party's nomination, he has a huge online following.
Better-polling Republicans John McCain and Mitt Romney declined to participate in the event. Mr McCain answered questions solo at an MTV-MySpace forum in December.
Questions came from presenters in MTV's Times Square studio and from online and in-studio participants. In perhaps a sign of Mr Obama's strength among young people, both Mrs Clinton and Mr Huckabee were asked not just about themselves but about him.
Mrs Clinton, asked what Mr Obama symbolised in the contest, said she and her rival together 'represent such a sea change in America' - one bidding to become the first female president, the other wanting to be the first black president.
'Whichever of us gets the nomination, we are making history,' she said, before rapidly asserting she is the best equipped to lead.
Meanwhile, the latest polls showed her and Mr Obama neck and neck just ahead of Super Tuesday, when nearly half of the country will vote in the race for the Democratic Party's nomination.
A Washington Post-ABC News poll has Mrs Clinton with 47 per cent support, against Mr Obama with 43 per cent, a difference within the poll's four-point margin of error.
At the same time, a Reuters/ C-Span/Zogby poll gives Mr Obama a slight lead in California and has him virtually tied with Mrs Clinton in New Jersey and Missouri heading into the biggest day of voting in a US presidential nominating campaign.
'It looks like we have some serious horse races going on with Clinton and Obama,' said pollster John Zogby. 'However it turns out, we can be pretty sure it is too close to be resolved on Tuesday.'
Meanwhile, Mr McCain clearly leads among Republicans. The Washington Post poll gives the Arizona senator a commanding lead - 48 per cent against 24 per cent - over his main rival, Mr Romney.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
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