McCain wins Missouri Republican presidential vote

CHICAGO, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Arizona Sen. John McCain won the Missouri Republican primary on Tuesday, beating rival Mitt Romney to strengthen his position as front-runner in the race to become the party's U.S. presidential candidate, U.S. media projected.

Missouri was the eighth state to go for McCain in voting on Super Tuesday, so called because nearly half of the U.S. states are holding contests to choose Republican or Democratic candidates for the November general election. Former Massachusetts Gov. Romney has won six states so far in Super Tuesday voting, projections showed.