Clinton declares victory in Indiana, Obama wins N.C.
HE WINS N.C., SHE SQUEAKS BY IN INDIANA | Obama is 'less than 200 delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination' -- but Hillary vows 'full speed' ahead
(AP)
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Hillary Clinton in Indiana
White House hopeful Barack Obama won a decisive victory in North Carolina, and rival Hillary Clinton squeezed out a much narrower win in Indiana.
That means Obama continues to pull ahead in the delegate race, but Clinton has her license to keep waging her long-shot fight.
"Tonight, we stand less than 200 delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination for President of the United States," Obama told supporters in Raleigh, N.C.
Obama appeared in his speech to reach out to Clinton and her supporters, saying, "Tonight, many of the pundits have suggested that this party is inalterably divided -- that Sen. Clinton's supporters will not support me, and that my supporters will not support her.
"Well, I'm here tonight to tell you that I don't believe it. Yes, there have been bruised feelings on both sides. Yes, each side desperately wants their candidate to win. 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."
Clinton offered a more tempered promise: "People are watching this race and they're wondering: I win. He wins. I win. He wins. It's so close. And I think that says a lot about how excited and passionate our supporters are," she told supporters in Indianapolis. "No matter what happens, I will work for the nominee of the Democratic Party."
No matter how thin her margin of victory in Indiana -- 51 percent to 49 percent -- Clinton saw it as a mandate to go "full speed on to the White House. ... I'm going to work my heart out in Kentucky and West Virginia."
Exit polls in Indiana and North Carolina show Obama still isn't connecting with some voters. Obama won his big 56-percent-to-42-percent victory in North Carolina thanks to African-American voters, 92 percent of whom supported Obama.
Without their support, Obama would have lost both states. Clinton won 60 percent of the white vote in both states. But Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod noted that if voters over 65 are excluded, Obama did much better among white voters.
Though Obama outspent Clinton 2-to-1 in Indiana, there was just no reaching some people. At a restaurant outside Indianapolis Tuesday morning, one man waved Obama away when the senator approached him to shake his hand. The man told a reporter, "I can't stand him. He's a Muslim. He's not even pro-American as far as I'm concerned."
Obama has never been a Muslim, but bogus e-mails accuse him of being a Muslim who put his hand on a copy of the Quran to be sworn into the U.S. Senate and refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance.
Half the voters in both states mentioned Obama's controversial former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Most of those who said Wright was a factor in their votes opted for Clinton. Eighteen percent of North Carolina voters said it was their first time voting, and they favored Obama 68-26 percent.
No matter who wins the Democratic nomination, Obama said the Republicans will run a scorched-earth campaign in the fall.
"The other side can label and name-call all they want, but I trust the American people to recognize that it's not surrender to end the war in Iraq so that we can rebuild our military and go after al-Qaida's leaders," Obama said. "I trust the American people to understand that it's not weakness, but wisdom to talk not just to our friends, but our enemies -- like Roosevelt did, and Kennedy did, and Truman did."
