Obama Wins South Carolina Primary
By JEFF ZELENY and MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM
Published: January 26, 2008
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Senator Barack Obama won a commanding victory over Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the South Carolina Democratic primary on Saturday, forging a coalition of support among black and white voters in a contest that sets the stage for a state-by-state fight for the party’s presidential nomination.
In a bitter campaign here infused with discussions of race, Mr. Obama’s convincing victory puts him on equal footing with Mrs. Clinton — with two wins each in early-voting states — and gives him fresh momentum as the contest plunges into a nationwide battle over the next 10 days.
Former Senator John Edwards, a native of South Carolina who was trying to revive his candidacy, came in third place but vowed to keep his campaign alive, despite failing to win a single state so far.
Nearly complete returns showed Mr. Obama with 55 percent of the vote, Mrs. Clinton at 27 percent, and Mr. Edwards at 18 percent.
In his victory speech to supporters in Columbia, Mr. Obama emphasized his message of change, referring to “this country’s desire for something new.” “Tonight, the cynics that said what began in the snows of Iowa was just an illusion were told a different story by the good people of South Carolina,” Mr. Obama said, referring to his last major victory in the Iowa caucus. “After four great contests in every corner of this country, we have the most votes, the most delegates and the most diverse coalition of Americans we’ve seen in a long, long time.”...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/26/us/politics/26cnd-carolina.html?hp=&pagewanted=all
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