Obama, Huckabee sweep to Iowa victories, new front-runners in 2008 presidential campaign
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Yes, it appears you can inspire people who have never caucused before to turn out on a cold Iowa night.
They came out in droves for Sen. Barack Obama -- young first-time caucus-goers, college students returning from Christmas break early, independents and perhaps even a few Republicans.
(AP)
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PHOTO GALLERY
Iowa Caucus 2008
Which Republican would you vote for?
Rudy Giuliani
Mike Huckabee
Duncan Hunter
John McCain
Ron Paul
Mitt Romney
Tom Tancredo
Fred Thompson
Loser Clinton hails 'great night'
Victorious Obama pledges 'nation less divided'
Well-financed Romney comes up short
Biden bows out of Democratic race
Democrat Dodd drops out
Turnout is huge, 220,588 for Democrats
Video: Barack campaigning this morning
Video: MSNBC calls it
Video: Michelle stumps for Barack
"On this January night at this defining moment in history, you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do," Obama told a crowd of wildly cheering supporters.
"You have done what the state of New Hampshire can do in five days. You have done what America can do in this new year 2008. In lines that stretched around schools and churches in small towns and big cities, you came together as Democrats and Republicans and independents to say that we are one nation, we are one people, and our time for change has come."
Sen. Hillary Clinton lost the mantle she wore for most of the campaign as the "inevitable" presidential nominee of the Democratic Party, coming in a close third behind former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.
With her husband standing right behind her, the former first lady congratulated Obama and Edwards but told cheering supporters she had no plans to drop out.
"We're going to take this enthusiasm and go right to New Hampshire tonight," she said.
Trying to put the best face on a tough night for her campaign, she said the turnout sent "a clear message that we are going to have change and that change will be a Democratic president in the White House in 2009."
Edwards also tried to hold on to the change message.
"The status quo lost, and change won," Edwards told his supporters.
Obama had the support of 38 percent of Democratic caucus-goers, Edwards had 30 percent and Clinton 29 percent.
None of the second-tier candidates -- New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Senators Joe Biden and Chris Dodd and Rep. Dennis Kucinich -- topped 2 percent.
It was enough for Dodd and Biden to pull the plug on their campaigns.
Obama becomes the front-runner heading into Tuesday's New Hampshire primary. Edwards is No. 2 but goes into the rest of the campaign with far shallower pockets than third-place finisher Clinton.
At the Central Campus school cafeteria in Des Moines, 470 Iowans squeezed into space where only 224 turned out four years ago. And 276 of them caucused for Obama, including Erin Mitchell, 20, a Drake University student from Omaha, who heeded Obama's call to come back from winter break.
"There are a lot more young people here. You get the expected blue-hairs, but a lot more kids turned out," said Joan McCloskey, 64, leader of Richardson's supporters.