Washington - Barack Obama clinched the Democratic
presidential nomination Tuesday night after a five-month battle with
Hillary Clinton, becoming the first African American to lead a major
political party into a general election in the United States.
Obama captured the majority of delegates needed to win the party's
nod, according to unofficial counts by US broadcast networks, on the
final day of primaries in the five-month-old battle with Hillary
Clinton.
His victory was projected immediately after polls closed in South
Dakota Tuesday night, which along with Montana held the last in the
series of state-by-state contests that began with Iowa on January 3.
Clinton has yet to officially concede defeat, though her campaign
suggested earlier Tuesday that the former first lady would bow out if
Obama passed the mark of 2,118 delegates required to win the
nomination outright.
Obama was to hold a major victory rally in St Paul, Minnesota.
Clinton planned to speak before supporters in New York.
Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe had said if Obama does
secure the required number of delegates, Clinton would likely
acknowledge his win.
'If Senator Obama gets the number, I think Hillary Clinton will
congratulate him and call him the nominee,' Clinton campaign chairman
Terry McAuliffe told broadcaster NBC.
Throughout the day a handful of super delegates - party leaders
and activists that cast their votes independently of the state
primaries - switched their allegiance to Obama, bringing him within
10 delegates of the clinching number before polls had even closed in
South Dakota and Montana.
USA
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