Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, May 07, 2008, Page 2, Image 2

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M a y 7, 2 0 0 8
Obama Wins N. Carolina
Close call in Indiana;
Oregon coming up next
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"This primary season may not be over, but when
it is, we will have to remember who we are as
D em ocrats... because we all agree that at this defin­
ing moment in history — a moment when we're
facing two wars, an economy in turmoil, a planet in
peril — we can't afford to give John McCain the
chance to serve out George Bush's third term."
Obama was gaining more than 90 percent of the
black vote in Indiana, while Clinton was winning an
estimated 61 percent of the white vote there.
In North Carolina, Clinton won 60 percent of the
white vote, while Obama claimed support from
roughly 90 percent of the blacks who cast ballots.
(A P)~ Barack Obama swept to victory in the North
Carolina primary Tuesday night and declared he was
closing in on the Democratic presidential nomination.
Hillary Rodham Clinton led narrowly in Indiana, strug­
gling to halt her rival's march into history.
"Tonight we stand less than 200 delegates away
from winning the Democratic nomination for president
of the United States," Obama told a raucous rally in
Raleigh, N.C. — and left no doubt he intended toclaim
the prize.
He said it appeared Clinton had
won Indiana's primary. Thousands
of votes had yet to be counted,
principally in Lake County, aheavily
black area not far from Obama's home
city of Chicago.
Returns from 62 percent of North
Carolina precincts showed Ohama
was winning 56 percent of the vote
to 42 percent for Clinton, a triumph
that mirrored hisearlier wins in South­
ern states with large black popula­
tions.
Obama won at least 40 delegates
and Clinton at least 31 in the two
states, with 116 still to he awarded.
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama. D-lll.,
That made Indiana a virtual must-
greets supporters Tuesday in Raleigh, N.C.
win Midwestern state forthe former
Obama's'delegate haul edged him
closertohisprize— 1785.5to l,639for
Clinton in The Associated Press count,
out o f 2,025 needed to win the nomina­
tion.
He has long led Clinton among
delegates won in the prim aries and
caucuses, and has increasingly nar­
ro w e d
h is
d e f ic it
am ong
superdelegates who will attend the
convention by virtue o f their stats
as party leaders. The AP tally showed
C linton with 269.5 superdelegates,
and O bam a with 255.
The impact of a long-running con­
troversy
over Obama's former pastor,
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, D-N. Y.,
the
Rev.
Jeremiah
Wright, was difficult
campaigns Tuesday at a fire station in New Albany, Ind.
to measure.
In North Carolina, six in 10 voters who said
first lady, hoping to counter Obama's persistent del­
Wright's incendiary comments affected their votes
egate advantage with a strong run through the late
sided with Clinton. A somewhat larger percentage of
primaries.
voters who said the pastor's remarks did not matter
There, returns from 79 percent of the precincts
supported Obama.
showed Clinton with 52 percent of the vote to 48
The effect of Clinton's call for a summertime
percent for Obama.
suspension of the federal gasoline tax — which
Voters in both states fell along racial patterns long
dominated the final days of the two primaries — was
since established in a marathon race between the
impossible to judge.
nation's strongest-ever black presidential candidate
The questionnaire used to learn about voter
and its most formidable female challenger for the
motivation did not include any questions about the
White House.
gasoline tax.
The economy was the top issue by far in both
In Indiana, about one in five voters said they were
states, according to interviews with voters as they left
independents, an additional one in 10 said Repub­
their polling places.
lican.
T wo weeks after a decisive defeat in Pennsylvania.
Only Democrats and unaffiliated voters were
Obama sounded increasingly like he was looking
permitted to vote in North Carolina.
forward to the fall campaign.
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