African-American Barack Obama bagged the critical North Carolina primary today and only lost narrowly in Indiana, building an unassailable lead against once sure-winner Hillary Clinton in the bitter Democratic White House race.
Refusing to bow out of the race despite losing her only chance to catch up with Obama, Clinton, 60, declared "it's full speed onto the White House".
Pointing that he was "less than 200 delegates away from the nomination", Obama, 47, told cheering supporters "there are those who were saying that North Carolina would be a game- changer in this election".
"But today what North Carolina decided is that the only game that needs changing is the one in Washington DC".
In North Carolina, Obama won 56 per cent of the vote to 42 percent for Clinton while in Indiana, she got 51 per cent to 49 per cent for her rival.
Barack Obama won at least 94 delegates and Clinton at least 75 in the the last of the big-ticket states combined, with 18 still to be awarded, according to an Associated Press count.
The first time Senator from Illinois led with 1,840.5 delegates, including separately chosen party officials known as superdelegates. Hillary Clinton had 1,684 delegates.
Obama, who is bidding to be the first black president of the United States, 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 her loss in North Carolina, Clinton has little hope of narrowing the gap and almost no chance of winning enough elected delegates to overtake Obama.
The primaries now left are West Virginia (28 delegates) on May 13, Oregon (52) and Kentucky (51) on May 20, Puerto Rico (55) on June 1, Montana (16) and South Dakota (15) on June 3.
But a defiant Clinton, who is bidding to be the first woman to be elected to Oval Office, harped on the Indiana victory and refused to quit.
"I'm going to work my heart out in West Virginia and Kentucky this month, and I intend to win them in November in the general election."
"Not too long ago, my opponent made a prediction. He said I would probably win Pennsylvania, he would win North Carolina, and Indiana would be the tiebreaker. Well, tonight we've come from behind, we've broken the tie, and, thanks to you, it's full speed onto the White House," Clinton told her supporters in an early but low-key victory celebrations.
Obama surprised the political establishment by winning 11 consecutive contests in February and seemed unstoppable until Clinton, who was once the favourite, bounced back with wins in major primaries in March and April, including Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania.
Obama's win in North Carolina is his 32st victory of the campaign while Clinton has won 17 contests including Indiana.
People voted on racial lines in both the states as was evident throughout the contest with Obama getting away with 90 per cent of the African-American votes.
However, among white voters, Clinton walked away with nearly 60 per cent while Obama got 37 per cent in North Carolina.
But the two rivals insisted that their prolonged rancorous contest for nomination will not affect the party's chance to win the White House in November and said their aim was to defeat the Republicans.
"This has been one of the longest, most closely fought contests in American history. And that's partly because we have such a formidable opponent in Senator Hillary Clinton," Obama said.
"Many of the pundits have suggested that this party is inalterably divided, that Senator Clinton's supporters will not support me and that my supporters would not support her. Well, I am here tonight to tell you that I don't believe it." Obama said at his victory rally.
"Yes, yes, there have been bruised feelings on both sides. But ultimately this race is not about Hillary Clinton; it's not about Barack Obama; it's not about John McCain. This election is about you, the American people," Obama said.
"Targeting the presumptive Republican nominee Senator John McCain, Obama said "while I honour John McCain's service to his country, his ideas for America are out of touch with these core values.
"His plans for the future, of continuing a war that has not made us safer, of continuing George Bush's economic policies that he claims have made great progress, these are nothing more than the failed policies of the past," he said.
Clinton said "we know how desperately people want to see a change, and it will not be a change if the Republicans keep the White House. It will be more of the same, something that no one, no matter what political party you may be, can afford."
Source: By DDNEWS
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