McCain beats Obama in Kentucky: media

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican John McCain defeated Democratic rival Barack Obama on Tuesday in presidential voting in Kentucky, scoring a victory in a state that has backed the winning candidate for more than 40 years, media projected.

McCain held a double-digit lead over Obama in opinion polls in Republican-leaning Kentucky ahead of the election. Kentucky voters have backed the winning presidential candidate since Democrat Lyndon Johnson in 1964.

The victory gave McCain all eight of Kentucky's electoral votes. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win under the United States' indirect system of choosing a president.