Weekend sweep for Obama

2008-02-11 07:23

Washington - Barack Obama won the Maine caucuses to sweep all five weekend Democratic contests, gaining new momentum and further narrowing rival Hillary Rodham Clinton's all-important delegate lead in their epic and tight battle for the party's presidential nomination.

Even before the loss in Maine on Sunday, Clinton, stung by defeats a day earlier in Nebraska, Washington state, Louisiana and the US Virgin Islands, replaced her campaign manager in a shake-up of a presidential campaign struggling to overcome Obama's financial and political rally that came on the back of his impressive showing in last week's "Super Tuesday" series of Democratic contests in 22 states.

The campaign reshuffle - in which Patti Solis Doyle was replaced by long-time Clinton aide Maggie Williams - came ahead of the so-called Potomac primaries - nomination races in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC that Clinton needs to widen her delegate lead in a deadlocked race that could last until the party's national convention in August.

The two states and the US capital all have sizable number of black Democratic voters, a constituency that has aided Obama in earlier contests.

In the latest overall totals in The Associated Press count, Clinton had 1 136 delegates to 1 108 for Obama. The totals include so-called superdelegates, which are party leaders not chosen at primaries or caucuses, free to change their minds.

A total of 2 025 delegates is required to win the nomination at the national convention in Denver in late August.

Victory in Maine

In Maine, with 95% of the participating precincts reporting, Obama led with 59% of the vote, to 40% for Clinton. Obama won 15 of Maine's delegates to the national convention and Clinton won nine.

Obama, who seeks to be the US's first black president, was buoyant after his weekend winning sweep.

"I have the ability to bring people together," he said. Because of that, he said, "I think I can beat John McCain more effectively," in a reference that highlighted a shift in both his and Clinton's campaign aimed at addressing the challenge the presumptive Republican nominee would pose in the November general elections.

- AP