Obama wins North Carolina primary, Clinton takes Indiana

Wednesday 07th May, 02:56 PM JST

INDIANAPOLIS —

Barack Obama scored a big win over Hillary Rodham Clinton in the North Carolina Democratic primary and narrowly lost in Indiana as he moved closer to becoming the first black presidential nominee of a major U.S political party.

Obama expanded his advantage in delegates who will choose the party’s nominee and Clinton is running out of opportunities to narrow the gap.

“Tonight we stand less than 200 delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination for president of the United States,” Obama told a raucous rally in Raleigh, North Carolina.

But Clinton signaled her determination to fight on. She told cheering supporters in Indianapolis, “Thanks to you, it’s full speed to the White House.”

Returns from 99% of North Carolina precincts showed Obama winning 56% of the vote to 42% for Clinton, a triumph that mirrored his earlier wins in southern states with large black populations.

In Indiana, returns from 99% of the precincts showed Clinton with 51% to 49% for her rival, a margin of little more than 22,000 votes out of more than 1.2 million cast.

The outcome was not clear for more than six hours after the polls closed, the uncertainty stemming from slow counting in Lake County near Obama’s home city of Chicago.

Obama won at least 94 delegates and Clinton at least 75 in the two states combined, with 18 still to be awarded.

The contests were the last big-delegate prizes in their marathon race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The long and often divisive race has led Democrats to fear that they may be undermining their prospects for capturing the White House after two terms of President George W Bush, despite Bush’s low popularity.

Obama, an inexperienced but often-inspiring 46-year-old senator, stunned the political establishment by winning 11 consecutive contests in February. He appeared poised to defeat Clinton, who was once considered the all-but-inevitable nominee. But Clinton, while on the cusp of elimination, won major primaries in March and April.

Obama’s failure to lock up the nomination led to growing doubts about whether he can attract the white, working-class voters needed for Democrats to win in the November election against Republican John McCain.

For weeks he has struggled to overcome a gaffe about “bitter” working-class voters, criticism of his relationship with a controversial pastor and questions about his patriotism because he does not wear a flag pin.

At his rally, he told supporters that his win was a victory against the “politics of division and the politics of distraction.”

He pledged to unify his party for the campaign against McCain.

“We can’t afford to give John McCain the chance to serve out George Bush’s third term,” he said.

Obama’s delegate haul edged him closer to the nomination. Obama led with 1,840.5 delegates, including separately chosen party and elected officials known as superdelegates. Clinton had 1,684 delegates.

Obama was 184.5 delegates shy of the 2,025 needed to secure the Democratic nomination at the party’s convention this summer in Denver.

With only 217 delegates at stake in the final six contests, Clinton has almost no chance of winning enough elected delegates to overtake Obama.

Her hope has been to keep the race going for weeks or months and persuade superdelegates—party leaders and elected officials free to vote as they choose—to back her as the Democrats’ best hope of winning the White House. About 220 superdelegates remain undecided and 50 more will be named later.

But her weak showing Tuesday will make it more difficult to sway superdelegates. It will also make it difficult to raise more money as her campaign runs low on cash.

The campaign has been dominated by the weak U.S. economy which was by far the top issue in North Carolina and Indiana, according to interviews with voters as they left polling places. Record-high gas prices are a huge concern across the car-loving country.

The candidates sparred in recent days over Clinton’s call for a temporary suspension of the federal gasoline tax this summer. Clinton said it would help beleaguered drivers; Obama ridiculed the proposal as a political stunt that would cost jobs.

Exit polls in Indiana, a midwestern state, charted a racial divide that has become familiar in a long, historic campaign pitting a black man against a white woman.

Obama was gaining more than 90% of the black vote in Indiana, while Clinton was winning an estimated 61% of the white vote there, running ahead of her rival among white men as well as women.

She also had 51% of independents’ votes, to 49% for her rival, a statistical tie, and was winning among Democrats, 53-47%.

Obama’s win in North Carolina mirrored earlier triumphs in Southern states with large black populations, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and South Carolina among them.

In North Carolina, Clinton won 60% of the white vote, but Obama claimed support from roughly 90% of the blacks who cast ballots.

To a large extent, the gasoline tax eclipsed the attention surrounding the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his former pastor whose fiery rhetoric angered and insulted many Americans. After saying several weeks earlier that he could not disown Wright, Obama did precisely that when the minister embarked on a media tour.

At a news conference in North Carolina last week, Obama equated Wright’s comments with “giving comfort to those who prey on hate.”

Voters in both states were divided evenly when asked whether the controversy surrounding Wright was a factor in their decisions.

The balance of the primary schedule includes West Virginia, with 28 delegates on May 13; Oregon with 52 and Kentucky with 51 a week later; Puerto Rico with 55 delegates on June 1, and Montana with 16 and South Dakota with 15 on June 3.

Latest 15 of 26 Total Comments Show All

OssanULTRA at 02:33 AM JST - 8th May

"For the record what exactly does Obama stand for again? Oh yeah that's right absolutely nothing."

He doesn't have to. He's not Hillary. If I were a democrat I would vote for Obama on that basis alone, as stupid as that sounds. Apart from everything I could say about Hillary, I'm not going to let the man who disgraced the office of the US Presidency back into the White House ever again.
DXXJP at 02:54 AM JST - 8th May

I'm not going to let the man who disgraced the office of the US Presidency back into the White House ever again.

Sorry to inform but this is what were doing now. Dubya will not be back in office but you might look forward to one day seeing Jeb.
WhiteHawk at 02:58 AM JST - 8th May

Everton2:

If Hillery is the best candidate why is she not winning the popular vote?

You're kidding, right?

Back to the article...

Clinton has sworn to carry on, even if the only thing she will accomplish is highlighting what an idiotic primary system the Democrats have created for themselves. (I'm still waiting for a leftist pundit to figure out how to blame Bush, Cheney or Rove for it.) And while some think that this quagmire is good for the Republicans, I'm not so sure. McCain has been to Iraq, he's had high-level meetings, and he's still campaigning, but does anybody but the political junkies (like me) know it? Yeah, he gets a bit of news coverage here and there, but Clinton and Obama get a great deal more.

Now I know why that is, but I'm just stating the fact that McCain cannot get his message out until the DNC nomination is truly obvious, and that won't happen until the Super Delegates have cast their own votes. That's probably why Clinton is still in. She doesn't care about the "voice of the people", a democracy, a representative republic, damaging her own party, or anything else. And why should she? Her husband got elected to two terms without ever getting a majority vote, so she would have no problem with being nominated by a select group of elite Democrats over-riding the popular vote.

If that were to happen, of course, the backlash within the party would be astounding. I bet Obama's most faithful would stay home or even vote for McCain. But even if Obama gets the nom, there are still a significant percentage of Hillary believers who would do the same. So neither nomination is a guaranteed ticket in the general.

McCain still has to prove himself as well. He certainly wasn't the top choice among conservatives, but he can redeem himself with many of them with his VP pick. A friend of mine joked that he could pick Hillary. Now that's cruel!
Sarge at 06:53 AM JST - 8th May

"Obama will win the presidency"

How come he couldn't win Indiana?
SezWho2 at 08:35 AM JST - 8th May

Sarge,

Indiana has voted Democratic for president 7 times since 1860. The last time was when it voted for Lyndon Johnson in '64. Prior to that, Hoosiers vote for FDR, but in '32 and '36. They did not vote for him in '40 and they also rejected him in the war year, '44.

Indiana is a likely Republican electoral vote in 2008. But anyone who can figure out what is going on in Indiana should probably be investing in the commodities market. Why did McCain win less than 80% of the Republican vote?
SezWho2 at 09:02 AM JST - 8th May

RomeoRamenII,

I think at the current time polls that project McCain as beating either Hillary or Obama are quite misleading. A large number of Hillary supporters and Obama supporters have expressed an intention to vote for McCain if their candidate fails to win the nomination and I think that is what is driving McCains marginally strong showing at present. From what I have seen and heard, Hillary supporters seem to be more likely to vote for McCain than Obama supporters.

Until the North Carolina primary, if a pollster had given me a straight-up choice between Hillary and McCain I would have chosen McCain. However, I think Obama gave a rather brilliant election night speech and the entry point of that speech was his personal pledge to work for party unity. I think Hillary also spoke about unity but my personal sense of her remarks was that they were strictly pro forma.

I continue to think that Hillary is less electable than Obama because the vote is going to come down to how many young voters turn out and what the independents think. I think we saw a big part of Hillary's problem standing on stage with her Tuesday night--and it wasn't Chelsea, although I think America will get fairly tired of Chelsea fairly quickly. It was the hue-and-expression-modulating face of husband Bill.

In any event, the super delegates probably have a slightly different take on electability than either you or I do for that matter. And they may also be wrestling with a problem that transcends electability--and that is one of who the best representative of their voters is. Electability is only 1 of the criteria. Another, for example, is who the general electorate says it wants. Tuesday night it voted largely for Obama.
Everton2 at 09:38 AM JST - 8th May

Sarge- Indiana is just one state out of many others and part of the process is that you win some and you loose some. The Senator from Illinois has got the nomination locked up. We will be having this discussion in a few months when you will be effectively silenced by Obama's victory. The fact is I have more confidence in the American people than others here and I don't accept that race is going to be the main story. Moreover, I reject the notion that Hillery's supporters will not vote for Obama if he is nominated. That is just a Republican platform of disinformation, there is no evidence to suggest that regardless of the rhetoric of the Sean Hanidy of this world. It hurts some to think that the sacrifices of black Americans are now standing on the precipice of a historic due reward. That one from their community can aspire to the highest office in the land.
skipthesong at 11:23 AM JST - 8th May

The Senator from Illinois has got the nomination locked up" Yes, it seems that he does.

I have more confidence in the American people" What do you mean by that? If Obama wins you mean and if he doesn't you won't?

I don't accept that race is going to be the main story" No, it is especially if he wins. If it were, why would 99% of black Americans vote for him? Even him getting elected as a senator is questionable. But, that is off topic I guess.

I reject the notion that Hillery's supporters will not vote for Obama if he is nominated" YOu are right, the polarization party politics in the US is gross.. Democrats will vote dem and Repubs will vote Repub, regardless of the candidate's qualifications.

That is just a Republican platform of disinformation, there is no evidence to suggest that regardless of the rhetoric of the Sean Hanidy of this world" YOu are going back to the discussion we had yesterday.. why can't Hanity not like Obama? You statement has racial overtones, and that, if anything is what is hurting Obama for lower income/rural and middle class/middle aged whites.

It hurts some to think that the sacrifices of black Americans are now standing on the precipice of a historic due reward" What is due? saying that takes away the idea of elections.
Sarge at 02:07 PM JST - 8th May

Everton - "The Senator from Illinois has got the nomination locked up"

Have you talked to the Super Delegates about this?
Madverts at 04:53 PM JST - 8th May

And the democrat hysteria and the republican Panic continues....
skipthesong at 05:44 PM JST - 8th May

And the democrat hysteria and the republican Panic continues...." Yeah, but what happens when its congress' turn again? Will Americans vote in another Dem run congress of repub?
I hope Obama can work with either one. I am getting tired of nothing ever getting done because we have a dem prez and a repub dongress or vice versa.

I would like to enact a law that stipulates once elected to a seat, said person must strip himself of their party.
Everton2 at 05:56 PM JST - 8th May

Chelsea Clinton has endorsed Obama. haaa haaaaa
super delegate at 06:07 PM JST - 8th May

"Chelsea Clinton has endorsed Obama. haaa haaaaa"

How did Rove get to her?

We can only wonder, then marvel, then cower in terror at his reach.

The RNC wants Obama. Looks like it is all going to plan.
skipthesong at 06:32 PM JST - 8th May

everton: I think you made a mistake. I believe you are referring to Rudy Giuliani's daughter
Everton2 at 11:50 PM JST - 8th May

skipthesong- its a joke man, don't you get it.