McCain wins Florida presidential nominating contest

MIAMI, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Sen. John McCain won the Florida Republican primary on Tuesday, defeating rival Mitt Romney in a close contest that gave momentum to his effort to become the party's U.S. presidential candidate, U.S. media projected.

The win gave McCain a lift headed into the Feb. 5 Super Tuesday contests, when nearly half the U.S. states choose Democratic and Republican presidential candidates for the November general election.

The victory also blunted criticism that Republican support for the maverick Arizona senator was too weak for him to win a Republicans-only contest that excluded independent voters. Florida's contest was limited to Republicans, unlike earlier states that allowed independents to participate.