Obama dominates in North Carolina; Clinton squeaks out razor-thin Indiana victory
UPDATE: INDIANA RESULTS - 99% Reporting
Clinton
638,192
51%
Obama
615,753
49%
NORTH CAROLINA RESULTS - 99% Reporting
Obama
889,513
56%
Clinton
657,616
42%
Update from WSJ: David Axelrod, the top Obama strategist, told reporters that Barack Obama would compete for the six remaining Democratic contests, where 217 delegates are at stake. But he said that the campaign would soon focus on the general election because likely Republican nominee John McCain had “basically run free for some time now because we’ve been consumed with this.” He added: “I don’t think we’re going to spend time solely in primary states.”
Barack Obama steam-rolled Hillary Clinton in North Carolina, with a quickly declared victory, but the margin in Indiana remained close throughout the evening as nearly every major news outlet held off in predicting a winner until CNN called it for Clinton well after 1 A.M. on the east coast.
Even as Clinton squeaked out an Indiana victory, Obama headed for a double-digit rout in North Carolina. Instant reaction to Tuesday night's vote seemed to indicate a solid night for Obama, with his campaign predicting he could lock up the nomination within two weeks.
Clinton held a 4 point lead in Indiana and declared victory just before 11 p.m., when she vowed to fight on. The former first lady is now pinning her waning hopes on Kentucky and West Virginia, which vote May 20 along with Oregon. Clinton even predicted Kentucky and West Virginia victories in November; her husband was the last Democrat to win either of those states.
"We've come from behind," Clinton said. "We've broken the tie, and thanks to you it's full speed on to the White House."
She was referring to an Obama prediction earlier in the campaign that she would win Pennsylvania, he would win North Carolina and Indiana would break the tie between those two.
The Obama campaign, meanwhile, expects to clinch the nomination that day by locking up a majority of overall pledged delegates.
In his North Carolina speech, Obama had his own bit of ribbing for Clinton, who poured extensive efforts into trying for a surprise upset in North Carolina.
"You know, some were saying that North Carolina would be a game-changer in this election," Obama said. "But today, what North Carolina decided is that the only game that needs changing is the one in Washington, DC."
As the clock struck 7:30 p.m., cable news networks declared Obama the winner in the Tar Heel state. In Indiana, which also voted Tuesday, results remained too close to call between Obama and Hillary Clinton. As of 11 p.m., with 93 percent of precincts counted, Obama was ahead 56 to 42 percent.
CBS was the first to call Indiana for Clinton, but no other major news outlet had joined them as of 11 p.m., as votes from the state's Chicago suburbs and cities were still being counted.
Obama himself seemed resigned to losing the Hoosier state. He congratulated Clinton on her apparent win there as he accepted victory in North Carolina.
Exit polls showed Obama with a lead of between 12 and 22 percent in North Carolina, while the picture in the Hoosier state was murkier. Obama and Clinton were tied in one exit poll, while another showed the former first lady with a 7.5 percent lead.
Indiana is now a must-win state for Clinton,who saw her hopes of a Tuesday-night sweep quickly dashed. Early results and exit polls seemed to indicate that she would emerge a winner in the Hoosier state, but no one was ready to declare a winner more than an hour after polls closed.
In Indiana, Rush Limbaugh was crowing about the apparent success of his "Operation Chaos." The conservative host encouraged his listeners to show up and vote for Clinton in an attempt to keep the primary going. It was hard to say early on whether his scheme was working, but anecdotal evidence was emerging that it at least was having some effect.
Exit polls showed self-identified Republicans, who made up 11 percent of the Democratic primary electorate in Indiana and contained several indications that his planned "Operation Chaos" was working.
As she clings to her slim hopes to snag the nomination, Clinton can be expected to cite Obama's one-time 25-point lead in a North Carolina poll, arguing that their ability to close the gap raises questions about his electability. (The campaign once scoffed at these very arguments regarding Pennsylvania, where Obama supporters noted that he cut Clinton's onetime lead in half and held her to a single-digit victory.)
That argument, which Clinton had begun pushing in the days before the vote, seemed less applicable as Obama held on to a 12-point win (Clinton won Pennsylvania by just 9 points).
Clinton's campaign also is become more aggressive in pushing to include delegates from Florida and Michigan, whose primaries were irrelevant because the states violated Democratic party rules. In her victory speech, Clinton said it was unfair to choose a nominee while counting only 48 states.
With dwindling hopes, though, Clinton seemed cognizant of the need for unity heading into a general election battle against McCain.
"No matter what happens," she said, "I will work for the nominee for the Democratic party because we must win in November."
Obama made a similar appeal for unity in his own speech.
"This fall, we intend to march forward as one Democratic Party, united by a common vision for this country," he said. "Because we all agree that at this defining 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. We need change in America."
Live coverage of Tuesday's results from MSNBC is available here.
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