“In the areas we did the best, we had the greatest effort from volunteers,” said Jim Shalleck, McCain’s campaign director in Maryland. “It was a result of good, old-fashioned politics, with sign-waving and distribution of literature.”

McCain captured his biggest vote tally in Montgomery County, where he amassed 27,366 votes to former Arkansa Gov. Mike Huckabee’s 9,315, according to unofficial returns from the Maryland State Board of Elections.

But his percentage of victory was largest in Talbot County, where McCain garnered 61.4 percent of the votes cast, to Huckabee’s 17.2 percent — for a difference of 44.2 percent of the vote.

McCain’s margin of victory over Huckabee was slimmest in Garrett County, where just 138 votes separated the two–1,733 to 1,595.

But the percentage of votes separating the two was smallest in Washington County: McCain captured 45.8 percent of the votes cast, to Huckabee’s 43.9 percent, for a difference of just 1.9 percent.

Statewide, McCain captured 54.9 percent of the Republican votes in the primary to former Arkansas Gov. Huckabee’s 28.5 percent, according to unofficial returns from the Maryland State Board of Elections. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas and former Assistant Secretary of State Alan Keyes captured 6 percent and 1.1 percent, respectively.

Additional votes were cast for five GOP candidates who had already withdrawn from the race before Tuesday’s primary, but whose names still appeared on the ballot.

About 37.45 percent of registered Republicans and Democrats turned out to vote — the state’s strongest turnout since the 2000 presidential election, said Maryland Republican Party Executive Director John Flynn.

“There was a lot of interest on both sides because for the first time in my memory, Maryland was relevant to the nomination process,” said Shalleck.

 –from Maryland Newsline’s Paula Vasan

Allegany, Garrett and Washington counties in Western Maryland; Caroline, Queen Anne’s and Worcester on the Eastern Shore; Cecil County in northeastern Maryland and Carroll County in central Maryland each went for the New York senator, according to unofficial results from the Maryland State Board of Elections.

Clinton’s biggest vote margin came in Cecil County, where she beat Obama by 2,209 votes. Her smallest vote margin came in Caroline, where she beat Obama by 78 votes.

David Paulson, communications director for the Maryland Democratic Party, declined to comment on the county returns.

But he did have something to say about voter turnout. “Well over 800,000 Democrats were so inspired to go to the polls in the sleet, ice and dead of night,” Paulson said. “And we know that both candidates inspired the turnout.”

According to the Maryland State Board of Elections’ unofficial primary presidential results, 821,682 Democrats headed to the polls on Tuesday, well ahead of the 486,449 who voted in 2004 and the 514,653 in 2000.

–By Maryland Newsline’s Michelle Williams